In all the excitement of the November Nine, FTOPS XIV, and the Isildur1 cash game craziness I completely lost track of the upcoming $25k Heads-Up PLO World Championship.

In addition to the standard Big Money Sunday games, today at 15:00ET brings a tournament that will feature most of the top players from the online and live poker world. The buyin alone will narrow the field to the best players in Pot Limit Omaha, the game which has quickly taken over as the HU game for those risking huge swings. Phil Ivey and Patrik Antonius are already registered and it’s only a matter of time before newly minted member Tom “durrrr” Dwan is in the field. You’ll find Andy Bloch and Erik Seidel signed up as well as “Annette_15″ Obrestad and crazy man Tony G. It wouldn’t be a high stakes Heads-Up these days if you didn’t see Isildur1 registered for the tournament.

The field will be capped at 64 and we halfway there. Full Tilt continues to run satellites for this incredible event, chances to win yourself on “the cheap”. The tournament ID is 116764959, the satellites are listed in the lobby.  I will be surprised if it does not fill before the start leaving a small number of players shooting for part of the $1,600,000 prizepool.

I will be there along the rail to catch and report that action. Look for updates.

Post from: Poker From The Rail

$25k Heads-Up PLO World Championship

Related posts:

1. Huck Seed wins 2009 National Heads-Up Poker Championship
2. 2009 November Nine – Cada and Moon Heads Up for Championship
3. Clonie Gowen wins 2008 World Poker Open Championship

My view from the heights

After 12 grinding days of poker and nearly 4 months with the 2009 World Series of Poker on “pause” we are now down to the time when a new WSOP Main Event Champion will be crowned. All nine players will shortly entered the Penn & Teller Theater to take their seats at the most coveted final table in the game. Phil Ivey will begin as the most famous and Darvin Moon will have the biggest stack. An ex-Wall Street banker, several young guns and a couple Euros will take their shot at being the last bracelet winner in 2009.

Play is schedule to begin at noon which is just two short hours from now. I will be camped out high above the stage with a bird’s eye view and bringing hourly updates as we whittle down the field. Come back to follow along with your favorite player at the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event final table.

Poker from the Rail 2009 World Series of Poker November Nine Part 1
Poker from the Rail 2009 World Series of Poker November Nine Part 2
Poker from the Rail 2009 World Series of Poker November Nine Part 3

Seat 1 – Darvin Moon – 58,930,000
Seat 2 – James Akenhead – 6,800,000
Seat 3 – Phil Ivey – 9,765,000
Seat 4 – Kevin Schaffel – 12,390,000
Seat 5 – Steven Begleiter – 29,885,000
Seat 6 – Eric Buchman – 34,800,000
Seat 7 – Joe Cada – 13,215,000
Seat 8 – Antoine Saout – 9,500,000
Seat 9 – Jeff Shulman – 19,580,000

11:30PT – The doors are open

The gates to the Penn & Teller Theater have been opened and the crowds of fans, friends, and spectators have begun pouring into the room to find their seats. The press box is elbow to elbow with outlets from all around the world. The players have completed their pre-game meeting with the WSOP staff including Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. Chip bags are on the table and the dealers are preparing their setups.

The early line on fan noise has Joe Cada well ahead with a crew in yellow Michigan “Cada” t-shirts and mugging for the ESPN cameras. The Darvin Moon crowd is walking around with “heads on sticks”, not exactly sure where that is going. Poker legend Doyle Brunson has found the stage and will be giving the Shuffle Up and Deal command. Photographers are getting their last minute shots before the players are announced, the lovely Lacey Jones is prepping for hosting duties, Lon McCarren and Norm Chad are doing their rehearsals. Fellow Full Tilt blogger Michael Craig is in the house and ready to bring the action from up close.

In late minute player news, the word around town is that Steve Begleiter hired SnG player expert Jonathan Little as his couch for this “Sit n Go”.

13:00PT – Cards in the air

Getting under just a little over an hour later than scheduled, the cards are finally in the air.

Jeffrey Pollack, Lacey Jones, and Jack Effel all took their time at the microphone making announcements and warming up the crowd including the bracelet ceremony for Barry Shulman’s WSOP-E title. Lon McCarren and Norm Chad have have made their ESPN intros, and an honor guard made their appearance for the National Anthem. WSOP Tournament Director Jack Eiffel made the extended player introductions and the biggest ovation was for Phil Ivey followed by Joe Cada and Antoine Saout. The French are outnumbered but making plenty of noise. Jeff “Happy” Shulman received a polite round of applause.

Blinds will be at 120,000/240,000 with 30,000 ante for the next 7 minutes.

14:00PT – Faces in the crowd

Several big guns from Team Full Tilt have been spotted in the crowd to support Phil Ivey. Jen Harman and Marco Traniello are sitting on the stage along with Howard Lederer, Allen Cunningham and Perry Friedman. Phil Gordon is hanging around the Orchestra Pit and there has been a Chris Ferguson spotting.

After the first few orbits the crowd has settled down a little bit, only getting rowdy after a series of preflop battles. The French supporters have been as quiet so far as their boy Antoine Saout.

It took awhile before we saw the first flop and still haven’t seen a turn card. Very few flops, non-existent turns, and most pots being taken down with a preflop raise or a three-bet. They seem to be still feeling each other out and the blinds will not be forcing the action for a very long time. Begleiter and Cada appear to be the early aggressors.

Just 15 hands into the action and Phil Ivey found a hand worthy of pushing all-in behind a raise from Jeff Shulman. Joe Cada asked for a count and went in the tank for quite awhile before mucking, Shulman was not far behind. Shulman has spent the early part of the day making very odd, large opening raises pre-flop, perhaps this was the time for Ivey to look him up.

Shortly after the clock switched over the 2pm, Jack Effel announced an explicable 20 minute break after just an hour of action. This seems to indicate a very long day for our players and fans. When they return blinds will be at 150,000/30,000/40,000 ante for another hour.

You can find the rest of the live blog after the jump.  A mere 5,000 words to describe 17 hours of action.  Thanks for stopping by.  Click below to read the rest of the story.

15:00PT – Still slow going

The lobby here in the Penn & Teller Theater has also attracted a crowd besides those in the auditorium. There is a full service bar and other booths around competing for their attention. Tickets and passes for every seat in the house were given out well before the start of the day and we now have a line of people down the hallway waiting for their chance to get in to see the action. Until then they are stuck watching the ESPN “Live” feed on the many TVs. During the improvised break at the top of the hour, Chris Ferguson and Howard Lederer came to the front of the stage to sign autographs for the fans.

The pace of play has been very erratic with the late start and early break. Jack Effel already announced another short 10-minute break in 40 minutes at the end of this level to color up the chips and then possibly another break after an hour. Friends of the players were outside feeling anxious as there has yet to be a terrible amount of action from anyone.

The first official turn and river card was dealt at 14:04PT for those making random prop bets with Eric Buchman taking the pot from Jeff Shulman. James Akenhead came back from the break and put all his chips in the middle early but did not find a caller. His railbird from the UK are making a fine showing with their creative songs from the crowd. The French supporters still relatively quite.

We are still waiting for that first monster pot of the final table.

Updated chip counts at the last break:

Seat 1 – Darvin Moon – 61,535,000
Seat 2 – James Akenhead – 3,445,000
Seat 3 – Phil Ivey – 10,035,000
Seat 4 – Kevin Schaffel – 10,890,000
Seat 5 – Steve Begleiter – 31,175,000
Seat 6 – Eric Buchman – 39,820,000
Seat 7 – Joe Cada – 11,835,000
Seat 8 – Antoine Saout – 10,620,000
Seat 9 – Jeff Shulman – 15,510,000

15:30PT – We finally see some huge pots

It didn’t take us very long to go from very quiet to shouts and songs throughout the arena. In short time we found ourselves with monster pots with Akenhead tripling up and Saout doubling up.

James Akenhead pushed all in a few times since coming back from break but found no action until he shoved UTG for just over 4,000,000. Steven Begleiter tanked and asked for a chip count before flat calling. Eric Buchman sitting just behind Begleiter than re-raises to 12,000,000 and Begleiter laid it down. Akenhead was way behind in the with his KQ up against the AK of Eric Buchman. No help on the flop, King on the turn, leaving just the 3 queens in the deck to save Akenhead’s day and triple up. The UK contingent erupted when one of those queens hit the river. That took his up to 13,000,000 and Buchman down to 35,000,000.

Almost immediately afterwards it seems Antoine Saout and Darvin Moon wanted to get into the big pot action with Moon needing runner-runner to avoid doubling up the Frenchman in a 20,000,000 pot. Moon moved all in on the flop with ace-high and Saout holding two pair. Moon needed running cards for the miracle which never appeared.

This latest action has definitely boosted the energy in the room back to pre-game levels with both the UK and French supporters in full voice. Players are preparing for a quick 10-minute color up break. When they return blinds will be at 200,000/400,000/50,000 ante.

Updated chip counts:

Seat 1 – Darvin Moon – 49,375,000
Seat 2 – James Akenhead – 12,225,000
Seat 3 – Phil Ivey – 10,800,000
Seat 4 – Kevin Schaffel – 7,375,000
Seat 5 – Steve Begleiter – 24,375,000
Seat 6 – Eric Buchman – 34,275,000
Seat 7 – Joe Cada – 16,500,000
Seat 8 – Antoine Saout – 21,850,000
Seat 9 – Jeff Shulman – 18,025,000

16:30PT – James Akenhead eliminted in 9th place

After nearly 4 hours of play we have a first casualty.

The shortstacks continued to stay alive, this time with Kevin Schaffel doubling at the expense of James Akenhead. After the preflop action they both found themselves shipping in on the Jack-high flop. This hand was destined to see all the chips in the middle either way with Schaffel holding AA against the KK of Akenhead. No help on the turn and a scary looking paint card pealed off on the river but was a harmless Jack.

Kevin Schaffel was up to 15,000,000 and James Akenhead went back down to the shortstack with just over 5,000,000 in chips. Only a few hands later Aken head found himself all-in once again against Schaffel and his 33 failed to improve against the 99.

James Akenhead already took home $1,263,602 for his final table appearance and will surely be disappointed with the outcome. He began the day as the shortstack but was able to triple up into contention before the big cooler.

Play continues.

Seat 1 – Darvin Moon – 56,025,000
Seat 2
Seat 3 – Phil Ivey – 11,650,000
Seat 4 – Kevin Schaffel – 19,450,000
Seat 5 – Steve Begleiter – 24,400,000
Seat 6 – Eric Buchman – 33,425,000
Seat 7 – Joe Cada – 8,825,000
Seat 8 – Antoine Saout – 23,325,000
Seat 9 – Jeff Shulman – 18,000,000

17:30PT – Kevin Schaffel eliminated in 8th

The hits keep on coming. While we’d gone a few all-ins without a proper suckout, Eric Bucman lays a nasty beat on Kevin Schaffel.

After taking Akenhead’s entire stack, Schaffel got all his chips in the middle versus Eric Buchman with a dominating hand. He once again was holding AA against an opponent’s KK but was crushed with the King-high flop. To add more to the misery and ending Schaffel’s day was the case King on the turn for quads. Schaffel’s day has been all over map when he started with 6th place stack, down to the bottom, back to the middle with the Akenhead hands and finally out with hand he will not forget.

Eric Buchman is just a few million chips short of chip leader Darvin Moon. Kevin Schaffel takes home $1,300,231 for his 8th place finish.

In railbird news, there are rumors going around and we’ve seen a little of the action but fans have been escorted from the Penn & Teller Theater after a few drunken disagreements. Reportedly one of the fights involved spectators who were both here backing Joe Cada. You have to love those crazy kids from Michigan.

Play continues 7 handed.

Seat 1 – Darvin Moon – 55,075,000
Seat 2
Seat 3 – Phil Ivey – 9,600,000
Seat 4
Seat 5 – Steve Begleiter – 26,800,000
Seat 6 – Eric Buchman – 52,725,000
Seat 7 – Joe Cada – 8,775,000
Seat 8 – Antoine Saout – 24,525,000
Seat 9 – Jeff Shulman – 14,325,000

18:00PT – Waiting to see history and a bizarre play

When first walking into the theater this afternoon we saw the huge line of fans waiting at the entrance. What we didn’t see at that time was the huge line stretching from just outside the entrance nearly half-way down to the Amazon Room. Guards were giving the potential spectators an estimate of a four hour wait from that point.

Bizarre play just near the top of the hour before the players went on a short break.  This hand will be one of those good ones to witness on ESPN this Tuesday.

Darvin Moon and Steven Begleiter found themselves seeing a flop after action built an $8,000,000 pot. Begleiter bet out over $5,000,000 on the all-low board flop and Moon check raised to $15,000,000. After considering his options Begleiter moved all-in over the top putting Moon in the tank. With just $6,000,000 more to call in the pot that was nearly $40,000,000, Darvin Moon laid down his hand. The Begleiter crowd exploded, the media area was shocked, the pros seem to be appalled. Was Moon still shell shocked from his horrible move against Saout earlier in the match?

Begleiter moves up to second place, Darvin Moon down to third, and Eric Buchman is your new chip leader.

Current, semi-accurate chip counts:

Seat 1 – Darvin Moon – 42,075,000
Seat 2
Seat 3 – Phil Ivey – 8,550,000
Seat 4
Seat 5 – Steve Begleiter – 45,150,000
Seat 6 – Eric Buchman – 51,725,000
Seat 7 – Joe Cada – 10,175,000
Seat 8 – Antoine Saout – 23,425,000
Seat 9 – Jeff Shulman – 15,625,000

19:00ET – Dinner Break

The WSOP staff told us that the dinner break would be at 7pm no matter the position of the tournament and that’s exactly what we are doing now. Very few dramatic hands over the last hour, since the “Darvin Moon fold”.

Phil Ivey took decent sized pots from Jeff Shulman and Steven Begleiter. Shulman was facing a preflop re-raise allin from Ivey and went deep in the tank. Up in the press box we all pretty much believed that Shulman was just looking for a reason to fold. After a long time making up his mind Shulman laid down the hand. Near the dinner break Begleiter raised UTG and Ivey quickly called from the big blind then checked called the scary looking KQJ two diamond flop. Check/check on the Jack turn, Ivey firing out a bet on the brick river that screamed “taking you to value town”. Begleiter tanked like Shulman before and found what he needed to make the fold.

7 players take off for their dinner break and will return in 90 minutes. We are still 5 eliminations away from calling it a day.

Seat 1 – Darvin Moon – 41,225,000
Seat 2
Seat 3 – Phil Ivey – 16,300,000
Seat 4
Seat 5 – Steve Begleiter – 37,550,000
Seat 6 – Eric Buchman – 55,125,000
Seat 7 – Joe Cada – 11,100,000
Seat 8 – Antoine Saout – 27,725,000
Seat 9 – Jeff Shulman – 8,525,000

21:30PT – Down to business

The 7 remaining players are returning from their dinner break and it’s time to get down to business. There is still plenty of work to get done before we determine who will play heads up for the title on Monday evening. Darvin Moon will be looking to rebound, Phil Ivey will try to continue his climb up the leaderboard. The railbirds for each player are already making plenty of noise and the French are singing their songs.

WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack introduced some Poker Hall of Famers to the crowd before play commenced including this year’s nominee Mike Sexton including Doyle Brunson, TJ Cloutier and Phil Hellmuth. Sexton gave a few words and then kicked everything off with the Shuffle and Deal command.

Cards and chips are in the air, I predict quite a few spectator dismissals over the next few levels.

22:30PT – The Joe Cada Roller Coaster

Joe Cada came back from dinner with a workable stack, lost most of it, climbed back up with a double up and then got healthy(ish).

Cada had the second shortest stack at the restart and raised it up preflop to have the shortest stack Jeff Shulman push all in over the top. Cada tanked for awhile before calling with AJ, far behind the AK of Jeff Shulman. Cada had some outs on the turn when he was opened but lost most of his stack. That left Cada with just 4 big blinds which went in immediately in the next hand against in a battle of blinds with Eric Buchman. Cada was ahead with J4 versus 54 and stayed head til the river for the double up.

A few later he re-raised all in over top of a Phil Ivey raise and was called down. It was just $4,300,000 more for the call and they were racing with Ivey’s A8 against the baby 4’s of Cada. No sweats on the board and now Phil Ivey is our shortstack and up to $12,500,000.

The roller coaster continues and we are still looking at 7 players with a chance for the title.

Seat 1 – Darvin Moon – 38,200,000
Seat 2
Seat 3 – Phil Ivey – 10,300,000
Seat 4
Seat 5 – Steve Begleiter – 46,350,000
Seat 6 – Eric Buchman – 46,100,000
Seat 7 – Joe Cada – 12,500,000
Seat 8 – Antoine Saout – 26,800,000
Seat 9 – Jeff Shulman – 15,000,000

23:30PM – Chips shuffling around the table

Steven Begleiter was our most recent player to take a big hit and ship his chips across the table. After calling the re-raise from Antoine Saout in the blinds, the flop came out 9 8 3 with two hearts. Saout opted to check instead of continuation bet but check-raised all-in after Begleiter bet out. After a long time in the tank he called with second pair holding 87c and was in a virtual coin flip with Saout holding AKh for two overs and the nut flush draw. Very little sweating as Begleiter was drawing dead after a heart in the turn.

That put Begleiter down under 20,000,000 in chips and Saout is out new chip leaders. The French contigent is very happy.

It has not been nearly 7 hours since we lost our 8th place player. The structure is setup to allow the players to determine the outcome with still very little pressure from the blinds. Ivey and Begleiter are our short stacks with Saout and Buchman leading the way. We have also seen the crowd outside the Penn & Teller Theater finally down to reasonable levels. They are no longer stacked up halfway to the Amazon Room although there are still close to 100 in the entrance area itself, as well as many spectators gathered around the lobby bar.

I am steadly losing my finish time prop bets as my first was under 2am. That is dead and my 4am rebuy is looking in trouble also.

Seat 1 – Darvin Moon – 376,725,000
Seat 2
Seat 3 – Phil Ivey – 6,600,000
Seat 4
Seat 5 – Steve Begleiter – 19,750,000
Seat 6 – Eric Buchman – 47,750,000
Seat 7 – Joe Cada – 16,650,000
Seat 8 – Antoine Saout – 52,550,000
Seat 9 – Jeff Shulman – 16,200,000

00:30PT – The best doesn’t always win, Phil Ivey eliminated in 7th place

The dream of watching Phil Ivey win his first World Series of Poker has come to an end. After finding himself on the shortstack coming back from the break he pushed all-in UTG for just over 6,000,000. It folded around to former chip leader Darvin Moon who rightly snap called with AQ. Ivey was far ahead with AK.

There was a short delay while Ivey chomped on his apple most of the crowd began chanting “Ivey! Ivey! Ivey!”. Eventually Jack Effel called for the flop as I turned to another member of the media and said “I don’t have a good feeling about this”. Sure enough the dealer peeled a queen right off on the flop and the room went crazy. Just like that the favorite player in the tournament has been eliminated making it just a little easier for the remaining 6 to make their way to the championship.

The Penn & Teller Theater now has far fewer seats occupied as the Phil Ivey fans take their leave. Somewhere Norm Chad is crying just a little inside.

He will collect $1,404,014 for his efforts but that will mean very little to the legend.

6 remain and here are the approximate chip stacks:

Seat 1 – Darvin Moon – 40,025,000
Seat 2
Seat 3
Seat 4
Seat 5 – Steve Begleiter – 16,825,000
Seat 6 – Eric Buchman – 54,975,000
Seat 7 – Joe Cada – 17,875,000
Seat 8 – Antoine Saout – 49,250,000
Seat 9 – Jeff Shulman – 17,200,000

01:00PT – Darvin Moon and AQ = nuts, Steven Begleiter eliminated in 6th place

Not 20 minutes after Darvin Moon eliminated Phil Ivey with a bad beat via the all powerful AQ, he turned around and did it once again to Steven Begleiter.

Begleiter opened the action UTG for a standard raise and it folded around to Moon in the big blind who shipped it in and was snap called by Begleiter. The flop was pure innocence as well as the turn. I decided to look away from the action and wait for the crowd to tell me what happened. Without ever a doubt the Ace dropped on the turn to eliminate our ex-Wall Street banker from the biggest game in poker.

Steven Begleiter will take home $1,587,160 for his 6th. He said he’ll enjoy a few glasses of wine then see how he feels in the morning after that beat. I also said it would be weird waking up and not preparing for the final table.

Jack Effel has now brought the WSOP cash table-side and play is about restart. We are now 12 hours into the final table action and still sitting with 5 players.

Seat 1 – Darvin Moon – 63,925,000
Seat 2
Seat 3
Seat 4
Seat 5
Seat 6 – Eric Buchman – 53,250,000
Seat 7 – Joe Cada – 10,350,000
Seat 8 – Antoine Saout – 51,725,000
Seat 9 – Jeff Shulman – 15,525,000

01:30PT – Suckout train keeps on rolling

It’s been a consistent run of suckout hands since the clock clicked over the new day. “Happy” Jeff Shulman was the latest victim when he found himself in the unforunate position of leading pre-flop when he called the all-in of Joe Cada. He could not feel comfortable when he saw his JJ was up against 33, no lead is safe until your opponent is drawing dead.

A 3-ball hits the flop to double up Cada and crush the stack of Shulman.

Darvin Moon then attempted to pull another rabbit out of his Saints hat. He opened on the button only to see Joe Cada re-raise from the big blind. Things went fast and furious as Moon insta-shoves and Cada calls even quicker. He immediately ran over to his crew and we knew he had Aces before they were tabled. Moon holding the monster K9 off. Cada had a few sweats when Moon flopped a 9 but for once the big hand help up.

Seat 1 – Darvin Moon – 39,375,000
Seat 2
Seat 3
Seat 4
Seat 5
Seat 6 – Eric Buchman – 49,350,000
Seat 7 – Joe Cada – 44,850,000
Seat 8 – Antoine Saout – 48,025,000
Seat 9 – Jeff Shulman – 13,175,000

02:30PT – A pause in the action

Not the good kind of pause, but the sort which grinds the play down to a series of open, 3-bets, and folds with the minimum amount of chips shifting from one stack to the other. Some of players now appear to be really feeling the strain of their 14th hour in the Penn & Teller Theater. As this table draws closer to the sunrise I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few player get the old head bobs.

Jeff Shulman continues to nurse his short stack, Moon is the second smallest but the other three are huddling around the same amount of chips. There truly is no end in sight for this table and we’ve already witnessed fans or family in the seating area grabbing some much needed sleep. The quote of the hour from another member of the media “Is there another dinner break scheduled?”

Seat 1 – Darvin Moon – 31,200,000
Seat 2
Seat 3
Seat 4
Seat 5
Seat 6 – Eric Buchman – 47,400,000
Seat 7 – Joe Cada – 59,350,000
Seat 8 – Antoine Saout – 53,125,000
Seat 9 – Jeff Shulman – 10,675,000

03:10PT – Time runs out, Shulman eliminated in 5th place

“Happy” Jeff Shulman spent the late hours of Saturday and early mornings of Sunday nursing a small stack, catching a double and abandoned pots when necessary. In the end he was unable to duplicate the feat of his father winning the WSOP-E Main Event.

Play resumed after a 20 minute break and Shulman was sitting With just over 5,000,000 chips. He was facing a raise in the big blind from Antoine Saout in the small blind but it was just a few hundred thousand more for the call and they were racing. Saout was holding A9o against 77’s. Saout hit a nine on the flop but Shulman had extra outs with a gutshot draw. Nothing got there on the turn or river and Shulman is our 5th place finisher.

Shulman was a very polarizing character as the November Nine was formed but in the end played a very solid game and would have been a worthy champion. He takes home $1,953,452 for his finish.

Your final 4 chip counts:

Seat 1 – Darvin Moon – 31,575,000
Seat 2
Seat 3
Seat 4
Seat 5
Seat 6 – Eric Buchman – 55,850,000
Seat 7 – Joe Cada – 45,450,000
Seat 8 – Antoine Saout – 62,925,000
Seat 9

04:15PT – The table the time forgot

I’d love to report in flowing prose how the last hour we have seen the remaing four players put on a clinic of spectacular poker and are all now worthy of the Hall of Fame. That would be overstating it a little.

Darvin Moon seems to be getting a little chippy, making huge overshoves before or after the flop. The rest of the players are going through the test of endurance with just a few chips being passed around from one stack to the other. All 4 remaining chipstacks are relatively equal and the blinds are not yet forcing the action, Darvin Moon has taken a small chip lead.

Sunrise is just a few hours.

Chip count update, blinds are at 500,000/1,000,000/150,000 ante:

Seat 1 – Darvin Moon – 53,875,000
Seat 2
Seat 3
Seat 4
Seat 5
Seat 6 – Eric Buchman – 43,450,000
Seat 7 – Joe Cada – 45,625,000
Seat 8 – Antoine Saout – 52,850,000
Seat 9

04:45PT – Biggest pot of the Main Event, Buchman eliminated in 4th

We were beginning to think we would see the sun come up across the desert before any of these players would play a significant pot. That thought was proven unfounded just 30 minutes after my previous update. Eric Buchman and Antoine Saout decided to get their chips in the middle for the biggest pot of the tournament.

After a series of raising, Buchman shoved all-in causing Saout to contemplate his action for so long the staff began to nod off. Saout eventually called with AK and was way ahead of Buchman’s AQ. Saout flopped a king but Buchman was now looking at a gutter ball draw. The king on the turn made no difference and the river blank saw the 89,000,000 pot pushed in the Frenchman’s direction with Buchman down under 10,000,000 in chips.

Buchman briefly found a way to double his stack over 20,000,000 by flopping a king with KT versus Moon’s A7. Just a few hands later these two players found themselves at it again, this time Moon coming in from his preferred position of behind in the hand. It was his KJ versus A5 of Buchman. A king on the turn and Buchman is our 4th place finisher.

We are just one small bustout from ending the day.

Chip count update:

Seat 1 – Darvin Moon – 75,925,000
Seat 7 – Joe Cada – 39,225,000
Seat 8 – Antoine Saout – 80,650,000

05:45PT – Crazy game of poker

This is a sick sick game we play, watch, study, and torture ourselves. After Eric Buchman was eliminated in 4th place there was talk around the press box about how long it would take to eliminate the 3rd and final player of the day. We came very close to just that on the very next hand.

After a short break, the players returned and Joe Cada immediately shipped his 39 big blinds in the middle with 22 with Antoine Saout immediately calling with Queens. A crazy way to start 3-handed play by overshoving with ducks but he was paid off with a 2 right there on the flop. Cada still enormous cheering section erupted behind him and he looked stunned. Saout looked equally stunned and has gone from the chip leader to the small stack. Still not short, they should be reminded.

Chip count update:

Seat 1 – Darvin Moon – 75,775,000
Seat 7 – Joe Cada – 78,600,000
Seat 8 – Antoine Saout – 41,425,000

05:45PT – Crazy game of poker, Saout eliminated in 3rd

This is a sick sick game we play, watch, study, and torture ourselves. After Eric Buchman was eliminated in 4th place there was talk around the press box about how long it would take to eliminate the 3rd and final player of the day. We came very close to just that on the very next hand.

After a short break, the players returned and Joe Cada immediately shipped his 39 big blinds in the middle with 22 with Antoine Saout immediately calling with Queens. A crazy way to start 3-handed play by overshoving with ducks but he was paid off with a 2 right there on the flop. Cada still enormous cheering section erupted behind him and he looked stunned. Saout looked equally stunned and has gone from the chip leader to the small stack. Still not short, but not horribly short with 40 big blinds.

But before you know it, the two of them were right back at it with all the chips back in the middle. This time it would be a race instead of one player needing a miracle. It took until the river but Cada’s fanbase can celebrate for a few days as their boy will now play heads up against Darvin Moon for the championship with a nice chip lead.

Antoine Saout will have to comfort himself with the $3,479,670 for his 3rd place finish.

Chip count update:

Seat 1 – Darvin Moon – 58,875,000
Seat 7 – Joe Cada – 136,925,000

Post from: Poker From The Rail

2009 November Nine Live Blog

Related posts:

1. 2009 World Series of Poker – November Nine Set
2. 2009 November Nine Live Blog – Heads up for the title
3. 2009 November Nine – Cada and Moon Heads Up for Championship

The big weekend is finally here. All the players are in town, ESPN is putting the final touches on the stage at the Penn & Teller Theater, spectators will soon begin queueing up to get the best seats in the house, people are starting to jockey the big wigs for prime access. The 2009 November Nine players will take their places tomorrow around noon and we will have a new World Series of Poker Champion by Tuesday morning.

It didn’t take long to get back into the swing of things as soon as my feet were on the ground. The cab drivers, bartenders, and dealers all have an opinion on who they think will win. Most seem to want Phil Ivey to win it all, many opinions about what he needs to do to get it done. WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack has already met with chip leader Darvin Moon and he is reportedly head-to-toe in New Orleans Saints gear. The exact same Darvin everyone saw on TV. Media credential request were from all over the globe and seems to be even more mainstream media showing an interest in the game.

I will be back on this space Saturday afternoon and bring hourly updates as the game proceeds down to the remaining two players. Those two will return Tuesday evening at 10pm PT to crown the champion. I will be tracking the three Full Tilt sponsored players, Phil Ivey, James Akenhead, and Steve Begleiter, as well as everything that happens until we have a victor.

Listed below you can find our 2009 November Nine Handicapping posts:

Poker from the Rail 2009 World Series of Poker November Nine Part 1
Poker from the Rail 2009 World Series of Poker November Nine Part 2
Poker from the Rail 2009 World Series of Poker November Nine Part 3

In Phil Ivey news, ESPN’s E:60 program ran a special on the most famous November Nine players to go along with the Insider article I wrote about earlier. After the jump you can find the clip from the episode.

Post from: Poker From The Rail

2009 World Series of Poker – November Nine On The Horizon

Related posts:

1. 2009 World Series of Poker – November Nine Set
2. 2009 November Nine – Cada and Moon Heads Up for Championship
3. 2009 World Series of Poker November Nine Part 3

This week I decided to wait until after ESPN aired their coverage of the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event before posting anything. the previous 90 episodes were full of nothing but big bustout hands, suckouts, or inane rants by players looking for their half second of TV exposure. There wasn’t a lot of action they could really cover outside of the two feature tables and the players were doing them no favors by busting out at an incredible rate. At the end of each day, which always ended earlier than anticipated, someone would say “tomorrow, that’s when the stacks and blinds will catch up”. During most tournaments this indicates that play will pick up pace as the blinds begin to force action on the shortstack, the WSOP Main Event was the opposite.

It was nothing to see a player shove 50 big blinds in the middle preflop with any Ace Face. You have a slim draw with an overcard? Ship it in and walk away. Holding a baby pair? It’s the nuts. We saw it over and over again. The last few episodes you can see some of that action but to witness in person was a sight to behold. Still waiting for the best hand of the tournament, it’s already queued up for next Tuesday’s broadcast.

We walked into the Amazon Room on Day 8 fully expecting a very long day/night/morning. Predictions were floating around amongst the media members that we’d be looking at a 2am…4am…sunrise finish with such huge chipstacks in relation to the blinds. A third of these players were going be all over the poker press from July til November, surely that would finally slow the action to a respectable pace of play. As an anonymous member of the media stated that day, “these players are making Jack Eiffel look like a genius”.

It took less than 10 hours of play to lose 18 players.

ESPN dedicated this week to the first 9 knockouts, next Tuesday will bring the field from 18 players to the November Nine. You can click below if you’d like to catch up on our series handicapping each of the final 9 players. While it is being broadcast I will be on a plane west to see which one takes home the bracelet.

2009 World Series of Poker November Nine Part 1
2009 World Series of Poker November Nine Part 2
2009 World Series of Poker November Nine Part 3

My favorite Main Event picture, the Amazon Room on Day 8
An oasis of light and poker

Post from: Poker From The Rail

ESPN 2009 WSOP Main Event Broadcast Day 8

Related posts:

1. 2009 World Series of Poker preview – ESPN Broadcast Schedule
2. 2009 World Series of Poker ESPN Broadcast
3. 2009 World Series of Poker ESPN Day 5 Broadcast (Continued)

Phil Ivey will grace the cover of ESPN the Magazine on November 2nd
Photo credits: ESPN

Our friends over at WickedChopsPoker.com broke this earlier today, we knew it was coming eventually and now it’s available to everyone.  Even though it looks like the mainstream media is far behind in picking up stories, ESPN will be featuring Full Tilt Poker’s Phil Ivey on the November 2nd cover of ESPN the Magazine now that the November Nine is just a couple weeks away. Chad Millman was the lucky ESPN writer who found himself bouncing around the globe in Ivey’s private Gulfstream, to Foxwoods then Montreal then Amsterdam then Austria. Just another week in the life of the best poker player on the planet.

During this jaunt he was able to see a side of Ivey that most only hear about in rumors or stories or those internet fables posted over every forum on the internet. Gambling at nose-bleed levels most can only dream about, or have nightmares. He is the classic whale when entering casinos and is treated as such. Custom-made craps tables, private jets, going anywhere on a whim, it’s all come to him from this unique gift that has some players calling him the best ever.

“I know it’s a lot of money, but I like to gamble,” Ivey says. “It’s just in me. I try to manage what I do playing craps or blackjack. At the end of the year, I don’t want the amount I gamble there to be bigger than what I win playing poker.”

But that’s just the world-traveling, gambling side of Ivey, few ever have the opportunity to see it. The article does bring up some points about his poker game. He’s always aware of what’s going on around him, picking up pieces of information that casual person would never think about in life or at the poker table.

Ivey sees tics and tells the rest of us don’t. This is one of his gifts. When he sits at the table unsmiling, headphones over his ears, he’s like a cyborg computing the vulnerabilities of his opponents. While some poker pros calculate the odds of hands, Ivey doesn’t classify himself as a numbers guy. “At the level I play, it becomes more psychological than mathematical,” he says. “You really have to get in your opponents’ heads and figure out what they’re trying to do to you in pots and what they’re saying and why, what is the meaning behind it all.”

“Everyone dreams of winning the Main Event; anyone who plays poker and tells you differently is lying,” says Ivey. “It would by farbe my biggest accomplishment in poker.”

The article is a great look inside the private world of the most dangerous November Nine member, the player who has nothing to prove other than winning his first World Series of Poker Main Event. It’s definitely worth a read when the magazine comes out, if you have an ESPN Insider account you can find it online right now by clicking here.

Also out this week, the fine group over at PokerRoad.com have a video out now where Barry Greenstein goes in search of Phil Ivey in his self-imposed exile. It’s a fantastic video and yet another look behind the curtain of his life. He’s sitting around his house in Cabo chatting and playing a little online poker. By far my favorite line is

“…we lift weights for half hour then we do yoga, for an hour, then we go golfing. That’s how I prepare for the Main Event. I’m not getting no poker coaches or any of that s#$t.”

It’s definitely worth the time to check out their video. The video is embedded after the jump below.

Click here if unable to view the video.

Post from: Poker From The Rail

Phil Ivey in ESPN the Magazine

Related posts:

1. 2009 World Series of Poker – Phil Ivey wins Number 6
2. Reader Mail: Phil Ivey is Crazy!
3. Heads Up: Phil Ivey Versus Perry Friedman

2009 World Series of Poker Bracelets
Photo credit: Pokerati.com

There are just over two weeks remaining before the poker world once again focuses it’s attention upon the Rio Hotel and Casino where the 2009 November Nine will gather around a table and play for the world championship. The players are preparing themselves in different ways. Some with coaches, others trying to stay as lowkey and relaxed as possible, still others are practicing non-stop. Or if you are Phil Ivey you continue to pound away at the dead money sitting around the Bellagio poker room.

Today brings our third and final installment of the November Nine preview. I am joined by two bloggers to help handicap the 9 players at this year’s Main Event final table and we end it with the three smallest chip stacks. Phil Ivey is by far the biggest name but starts with just 9,765,000 in chips. “Those-in-the-know” have set his official odds more along the lines of the bigger stacks around the table, a credit to the experience and talent he’ll bring along.

This post also highlights the two non-US born players in Antoine Saout and James Akenhead. Saout is the unknown Frenchman while Akenhead is regular figure around the UK tournament scene with his poker playing friends. Both have plenty of work ahead of them if they wish to make a big run for the title.

Our two guest bloggers, “Spaceman” the consummate professional writer and “Riggstad” the half-breed poker player/gambler, give you their opinions below. Once again odds and lines are strictly for informational and educational purposes, any loses due to our information is on your head. If you use this information to win, we will accept any credit/reward.

Don’t forget to check out the ESPN broadcast over the next two weeks as the field goes from seven tables to just one. Day 7 will be shown on October 20th at 20:00ET and Day 8 on October 27th at the same time.

2009 November Nine chip counts:

Darvin Moon – 58,930,000
Eric Buchman – 34,800,000
Steven Begleiter – 29,885,000
Jeff Shulman = 19,580,000
Joe Cada – 13,215,000
Kevin Schaffel – 12,390,000
Phil Ivey – 9,765,000
Antoine Saout – 9,500,000
James Akenhead – 6,800,000

2009 World Series of Poker November Nine Part 1
2009 World Series of Poker November Nine Part 2
2009 World Series of Poker November Nine Part 3 after the jump:

Phil Ivey – Seat 3 – 9,765,000 chips (M = 15.5)
Current odds from 4/1 to 7/1

What is there I can really add to the biography of Phil Ivey? If you are coming here you probably know all there is about this player who avoids the spotlight like it’s his job. He has been called “the best poker player in the world”, in just about every various of the game, at any stakes, cash games or tournaments. He already has two WSOP bracelet for 2009, trying for his 3rd of the year and 8th bracelet overall. It was no secret that Ivey had several big bets with other players based on his performance this year, he backed up everything he said coming into the series.

His credentials are easy enough to track down. He earned his poker chops playing in the smokey Atlantic City card rooms before moving out to Las Vegas. His 7 WSOP bracelets ties him with poker legend Billy Baxter. If he wins the Main Event it will be the second time in his career he’s won 3 WSOP bracelets in the same year, he accomplished that feat back in 2002. His 8th bracelet would tie him with fellow Full Tilt pro Erik Seidel for 5th all-time. He has over $3,800,000 in WSOP career earnings and has gone over $12,000,000 overall. It is nearly impossible to judge how much money he has taken away from those poor fools willing to play with him at the nose-bleed Bellagio cash game tables. Away from the WSOP, Ivey also holds the record for most final tables in World Poker Tour events with 8 total and 1 title.

An interesting twist between Ivey’s bracelets and those held by 11 time winner Phil Hellmuth. While Hellmuth has yet to win a single bracelet in a non-Hold’em tournament, none of Ivey’s have come in Hold’em.

2000 – $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha
2002 – $2,500 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo
2002 – $2,500 S.H.O.E.
2002 – $1,500 7 Card Stud
2005 – $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha
2009 – $2,500 No-Limit 2-7 Draw
2009 – $2,500 Omaha/Stud Hi/Lo

Even with one of the shorter stacks remaining in the field, no one can feel terribly comfortable with Ivey still sticking around. The lines reflect this as he’s listed between 4/1 and 7/1 despite sitting so low in chips.

Here is what our bloggers have to say about Ivey’s chances.

From Spaceman:

Throughout the Main Event, Phil Ivey had the incredible good fortune of seeing player after player gift him with their stacks because they picked the wrong time – usually when they were drawing dead or close to it – to try and outplay him. (It seems that a couple of big bluffs from his past television appearances – including that nasty one against Paul Jackson at the Monte Carlo Millions – have paid big dividends for Ivey.) I like to call this the Rounders Effect – everyone’s Mike McDermott and they just have to know if they can bluff Johnny Chan. When the pro actually picks up a big hand he’s going to get paid for sure. One or two of those type of hands could make Ivey a big contender in a very short period of time.

As great as the Rounders Effect is for pros like Ivey, the flipside of it is that it makes these less-experienced players much harder to bluff; the cards become that much more important when someone is willing to call down with a pair of deuces on a Broadway-heavy board. That means that, all other things being equal, continuation bets with air are more likely to get called from Ivey than anyone else at the table. If he wants to become a factor in this tournament he’ll need to pick up some good cards when other players have slightly worse, but still playable, cards.

If Phil Ivey had just double the chips that he has coming into the final table I’m pretty sure I’d have to consider him a favorite in this tournament. But as it stands he’s in seventh place, so assessing his chances of winning are a lot more difficult. I think that this really rides on one question: just how aggressive will the world’s greatest poker player be in trying to double up early? If he puts on his Pro Face and attacks the table mercilessly, I think the Rounders Effect will come into play – and I think in the right situation it could even bite more experienced players like Jeff Shulman who can still get roped into wanting to be a hero on TV.

One big double-up through the right player could be huge for Ivey, but taking hands to showdown in big confrontations means risking your tournament life. If Ivey prefers to play some small-ball rather than going for the home run, I almost like his chances better. Still, his chance to win all hinges on doubling that stack a few times, and even when you’re Phil Ivey that can be a tall order. If he does manage to begin accumulating chips, the only thing that can stop him is bad luck.

Overall, I’d peg Ivey’s chances at about 9/1.

From Riggstad:

Well well, it comes down to this guy. The one attraction that most people are talking about. Phil Ivey. the greatest player to have played the game. The “Tiger Woods” of poker (which I think is an insult to Tiger). Phil is undoubtedly the one person on this table who has the skill set to win this tournament. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the chips. Yet Phil being Phil is the one most expect to walk away with this.

Jason wrote about his travels through the main event being very lucky. Not in the sense of being behind but being fortunate, if you will, to get action when he needed it. Possibly by players wanting to down the giant. Which is a feasible point to make. This, however, will not happen at the final table. Ivey will have his work cut out for him. He has outward pressure to win, none that are his own however. I don’t believe Phil is sitting at home planning out his best way to attack this table. If you look at his 2009 WSOP track record, you’ll see a top player who played extremely well and who ran extremely well.

One of the writers who covered the event told me there are two distinct Phil Ivey’s based on what he witnessed during the whole series. One who sits down at a table and hunkers down and plays to win. Everytime. He focuses, he plans, he strategizes, and plays every aspect of the table from stacks to position to opponent to even cards. Then there’s the other Phil Ivey who comes in just to take a shot. Like it’s a cold Wednesday at work and you go in just cause you have to.

I think this final table becomes historic not because Phil Ivey is there, but because HOW Phil Ivey will play. Stating that can only be done by assuming how he will play. So here it goes. I think Phil will take this table very slow at first, and try to grab an inclination of how others will proceed. He will test the waters with 3 and 4 bets just to see how his opponents respond. With that knowledge he will gain an even bigger edge against the table and have a real shot at overcoming such a chip deficit. That all being assumed bodes well for Phil. That’s the problem with assumptions. They are easy, and can be manipulated to further your forgone conclusions. I’m still going with it though.

Let me then assume that Phil does make it to the final 4. This is where History will be made. If Phil gets that deep, he will by far have his greatest advantage. History will be made when Phil wins or how he goes out with such a close shot of winning.  For him to get so close yet let it slip away with only 3 or 4 players left will be historical because whether his elimination comes via a huge bad beat or some hand where is he out played on, or even just a cooler, it will be remembered as the tournament that Phil lost. It will be a shame for the guy who does win it. It won’t be remembered as the WSOP that “x” won. It will be remembered as the WSOP that Phil Ivery lost. History. Harrah’s might even have to put a poster up in the Amazon room of the 2009 WSOP Champion pictures as an inset with Phil Ivey looking defeated.

Ok, maybe that’s a little silly. But truly, his presence will add a level of competition to this table which will make it truly fun to watch. That being said I will set Ivey’s money line at +$500

Antoine Saout – Seat 8 – 9,500,000 chips (M = 15.08)
Current odds from 12/1 to 20/1

There is not much information to be found on one of our two final table players born outside the United States, this was the young Frenchman’s first trip to the World Series of Poker. Thanks to our friends at The Hendon Mob we do see he had a few small cashes before making his big run at the 2009 WSOP Main Event but it was nothing huge. Following his November Nine invitation he has several other results with his biggest being a final table appearance at the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event, repeating Ivan Demidov’s final table feat of last year along with James Akenhead.

My friends tell me Saout is a monster online grinder but he will have his work cut out for him and will need to get lucky to take down this title. Working with very few chips, he has two big stacks to his left in Jeff Shulman and Darvin Moon.

The bloggers have this to say about Antoine Saout.

From Spaceman:

Antoine Saout is one of two players at this table who has no pressure on him whatsoever. He’s essentially freerolling at this point after having won his initial $10,000 buy-in to the Main Event through a cheapie online satellite, and as the second-shortest incoming stack there’s nobody out there who’s really going to expect very much of him. Saout has also made a few deep runs in big tournaments since July, giving him a chance to enjoy the spotlight away from the Rio as a member of the November Nine. I expect him to come in feeling loose and ready to pick a spot for making a move or two in an attempt to jump up the pay ladder a bit, since he won’t lose much if he’s the first one out.

Saout should get a few opportunities to make those kinds of moves, too. He’s sandwiched between Joe Cada and Jeff Shulman at the table, and both of them are stacked enough that they can fold to Saout in pressure situations without hurting their chances too much. And two spots to his left is the chip leader, Darvin Moon, whom I would characterize as the player at the table most likely to make a bad call for two reasons (he’s an amateur and he can afford to lose a few chips). If Saout can pick up a big hand and do a good enough acting job he might just double up at Moon’s expense.

Of course, the key here is picking up a big hand. Saout isn’t going to be able to afford to get involved in a lot of pots so he’ll have to be choosy about which ones he gets involved with. That doesn’t necessarily mean big cards, as he might find a good spot or two for getting involved with a speculative hand in late position. But what it does mean is he’ll be passing more often than he gets involved, and a player who’s sitting on the outside looking in when the final table begins often stays on the outside. If he doubles through a big stack I like his odds of jumping a few spots up the pay ladder, but I still think he has to be one of the biggest underdogs at the table to win the whole thing.

Overall, I’d put Saout’s chances at about 20/1.

From Riggstad:

Saout has about the same chip stack as Ivey does. But he’s no Ivey! That is, he doesn’t posses the experience that Ivey has. He most likely doesn’t possess the gamesmanship that Ivey has. My guess is that he will sit back and wait for a hand, and when he gets it, will play it fast.

That will lead to several things. Quick double ups or flat out elimination will be his fate. I don’t know much about him at all. He could be a fantastic seasoned player that nobody knows and he may have some chops outside of what he has proven already just by getting to the final table.

Poker isn’t golf though, and just getting to a final table could have been everything from luck to skill to a combination of both. You would like to think all skill, and most likely falls within a combination of both. But let’s face it. Luck could be the leading cause here. I know players who are very very good. Ones you have never even heard of. Ones that I would personally stake in a heads up match against Tom Dwan or Patrick Antonius. Maybe Antoine is that guy. Still given the information I have, I gotta see him as one of the least to make any noise here. Which means he will most likely win it all. I’ll set his mojo at + $1200.

James Akenhead – Seat 2 – 6,800,000 (M = 10.79)
Current odds from 17/1 to 22/1

Your official 2009 WSOP November Nine shortstack is James Akenhead, the UK player who is no stranger to the poker world. Akenhead came one spot away from winning his first WSOP bracelet during last year’s series when he lost heads up to Grant Hinkle. He’s primarily known on the Euro-side of the pond crushing the UK poker tours with a group of his poker playing friends. Prior to making the final table he signed on as a member of Team Full Tilt and has already made a final table in the $1,000,000 Guarantee.

When Bluff Europe asked him if poker came naturally to him, this is what he had to say:

“No. It didn’t. But I think I’m really good at learning. When something comes into my life that I’m interested in, I’m really determined to be good at it. It was the same with pool. When I started I was a really bad player, but two years later I was number 15 in the UK.”

When PokerNews interviewed him in September, Akenhead provided just a little foreshadowing with this statement:

“I am really excited, I’m not feeling the pressure at all, as soon as I get there I will be 100% focussed (sic) and playing the best I can. I really want to do well at the WSOPE this year; I want to do what Demidov did last year, not just for the money and the confidence but also for my profile. I really can’t wait for November, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Akenhead did indeed go on to final table the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event along with Antoine Saout, duplicating the WSOP and WSOPE final tables of Ivan Demidov in 2008. He was unable to go any deeper finishing in 9th but it must be a boost to his confidence and chances when the November Nine kicks off. With the smallest stack at the table, Akenhead will have to find a place to double up to give him a chance to move up the payouts or the longshot title.

Here’s what our bloggers have to say about the shortstacked James Akenhead.

From Spaceman:

If Antoine Saout has no expectations place on him, James Akenhead should be the freewheeling spirit at this final table. With an M just over 10 to begin the night (and one which will dip into single-digit territory when the level goes up a half-hour into play) he’s certainly at a disadvantage next to everybody else, and he knows that. But he also proved at the WSOP Europe Main Event final table that he can nurse a short stack for a while and still choose his spots carefully.

If Akenhead does manage to pick up chips he can be one of the more dangerous players at the table. He’s proven repeatedly that he has the chops to go deep in big no-limit hold’em events, and he only missed a WSOP bracelet two years ago through misfortune. Of course, all the points that apply to Antoine Saout above hold true for Akenhead as well – and the key among them is that he’s the shortest stack at the table. In the end, I think the short stack is just far too much for Akenhead to overcome. He’s a very talented player with a bright future ahead of him, and the Main Event title might very well lie in that future – it just won’t be from the 2009 event.

I put Akenhead’s odds of winning at 23/1.

From Riggstad:

It really is a shame that Akenhead only has 10 bb’s left. He is a player that could prove a thorn in everyone’s side. He has proven time and time again that he has the chops to dominate at this level. There’s not really too much you can predict with this guy because of such a short stack and his chance have to be huge because it will basically come down to a few lucky flips, or 2 live cards even if he is to have a chance.

I would like to rewrite this if James managed to luck his stack up to about 18million with some chip accumulation but we don’t have that luxury. Or maybe we will in this game!

Aside from that I gotta put his line at + $2500. Good money if you can get it though because if he does chip up, he’ll be dangerous and give you a huge return on your dollar!

Post from: Poker From The Rail

2009 World Series of Poker November Nine Part 3

Related posts:

1. 2009 World Series of Poker – November Nine Set
2. 2009 World Series of Poker – November Nine On The Horizon
3. 2009 World Series of Poker November Nine Part 2

It’s the worst kept secret in poker. Not that it’s really a secret but there are some who like to watch the World Series of Poker on ESPN without knowing how it’s going to end or who’s making the November Nine. That audience is pretty small at this point and those who follow already know that poker monster Phil Ivey is a member of this year’s November Nine and will be battling it out for the WSOP Main Event title in under a month.

Now Full Tilt is offering a chance to own a piece of Ivey’s action. He is already guaranteed to win over $1,200,000 for his progress so far with the big prize waiting for this year’s Champion. $8,500,000 and a shiny new piece of jewelry. Now you have a chance to make money along with Ivey as he tries for his first Main Event title.

The new promotion Piece of Ivey gives you three different ways to earn big money for doing nothing extraordinary. Just continue playing in your normal cash ring game, SnG or multi-table tournament to earn tickets. These tickets will go into the virtual hat and on November 6th Full Tilt will draw names to participate in two huge tournaments for a big chunk of free money. 9 players will be drawn to play in the “5% of Ivey” Sit N Go where the prizepool with by 5% of what Ivey earns with first place being 3% of his money. If Ivey busts out in 9th place, that would be a freeroll SnG with $60,000 in the prizepool and $36,000 for winning. Not a small boost most bankrolls. Another drawing will see 30,000 name drawn into a “1% of Ivey” $50,000 freeroll where the winner will receive 1% of Ivey’s earnings on top of the regular payout. That is a lot of free money for doing nothing outside your normal grinding.

If that wasn’t enough, Full Tilt is also giving away free money in a Daily Cash Draw. No tournament or freeroll to win, just get your tickets in the drawing and wait for the email saying money was added to your account. There will be a dialy drawing between October 8th and November 4th where 625 players will see between $5 and $100 added to their bankroll. On November 5th, Full Tilt will be giving away over $7,000 to more than 800 players.

The opportunity is there for players to pad their bankroll with very little effort and just another reason to cheer Phil Ivey on as he attempts to win his 3rd bracelet of the 2009 World Series of Poker.

Details of the Piece of Ivey promotion can be found here or after the jump:

Piece of Ivey – Rules

Promotion Name: Piece of Ivey (the “Promotion”)

Promotion Dates: 00:00 ET Thursday, October 8th, 2009 to 23:59 ET Thursday, November 5th, 2009

Full Tilt Poker.com (the “Company”) will conduct the Promotion substantially as described in these rules and by participating, each participant agrees as follows:

Description of Promotion/Participation

Players who take part in Full Tilt Poker’s Piece of Ivey promotion will have the chance to play for cash prizes and exclusive tournament entries. To take part, players must elect to participate as follows:

• Log in to Full Tilt Poker
• Click on Cashier and select My Promotions
• Click on Piece of Ivey
• Click Accept This Promotion

Once a player has opted in, all prizes are awarded by drawings. Entries for these drawings (“tickets”) are earned based on play in real-money games at Full Tilt Poker as described below.

Earning Tickets

From 00:00 ET Thursday, October 8th, 2009 to 23:59 ET Thursday, November 5th, 2009, players will earn tickets (or partial tickets) for play in real-money ring games, multi-table tournaments (MTTs) and Sit & Gos as follows:

Ring Games: Players will receive five tickets for each Full Tilt Point earned in a winning hand during ring-game play. For example:

• If a player earns 1.5 Full Tilt Points in a winning hand, they receive 7.5 tickets
• If a player earns 0.6 Full Tilt Points in a winning hand, they receive 3 tickets

Tournaments or Sit & Gos with at least 30 players: Players will receive 20 tickets for each Full Tilt Point earned in a tournament or Sit & Go with at least 30 players when they finish in a paid position. For example:

• If a player earns 2 Full Tilt Points and finishes in a paid position, they receive 40 tickets
• If a player earns 3.5 Full Tilt Points and finishes in a paid position, they receive 70 tickets

Players who finish in a paid position at the final table of a tournament or Sit & Go with at least 30 players will also receive a bonus of 50 tickets.

Tournaments or Sit & Gos with fewer than 30 players: Players will receive five tickets for each Full Tilt Point earned in a tournament or Sit & Go with fewer than 30 players when they finish in a paid position. For example:

• If a player earns 7 Full Tilt Points and finishes in a paid position, they receive 35 tickets
• If a player earns 2.5 Full Tilt Points and finishes in a paid position, they receive 12.5 tickets

Each morning at 10:00ET, participants’ tickets from the previous day’s play (all tickets earned for play started between 00:00:00 ET and 23:59:59 ET) are added together and rounded up to the nearest whole number. For example, if a player earns a total of 79.5 tickets for the day, the number is rounded up to 80 tickets. Draws will then take place and winners will be posted on the Daily Cash Draw Results page.

The time and day that tickets are awarded for tournaments is based on the tournament start time. For example, if a tournament starts at 23:50 ET, October 9th and the player finishes at 02:00 ET, October 10th, tickets earned for that tournament will be added to the ticket total for October 9th, the day the tournament began.

Please note that a tournament fee must be collected for any game to award tickets. Tournaments that play in a heads-up format, Heads-Up Sit & Gos and Private Tournaments do not award tickets.

Prizes

Players who earn tickets will be entered into prize drawings as follows:

5% of Ivey

Full Tilt Poker will hold a draw on Friday, November 6th at 10:00 ET where nine players will be selected to play in the 5% of Ivey Main Event. This will be a standard No-Limit Hold ‘em Sit & Go that will award cash prizes to the top three finishers as follows:

• 1st place will win an amount equal to 3% of the amount Phil Ivey wins in the WSOP Main Event
• 2nd and 3rd places will each win an amount equal to 1% of the amount Phil Ivey wins in the WSOP Main Event

The nine participants will be drawn from a pool consisting of all tickets awarded during the promotion and the tournament will be held on November 7th at 14:00 ET. Winners will be notified by email.

Prize money will be paid directly into winners’ Full Tilt Poker accounts within two business days of the completion of the WSOP* Main Event.

1% of Ivey

Full Tilt Poker will hold a draw on Friday, November 6th at 10:00 ET where 30,000 players will be selected to play in the 1% of Ivey Freeroll. Players will compete for a share of $50,000, with the winner receiving an additional prize equal to 1% of the amount Phil Ivey wins in the WSOP Main Event.

The 30,000 participants will be drawn from a pool consisting of all tickets awarded during the promotion and the tournament will be held on November 7th at 14:00 ET. Winners will be notified by email.

The 1% of Ivey prize money for the winner of the tournament will be paid directly into their Full Tilt Poker account within two business days of the completion of the WSOP* Main Event.

Daily Cash Draw

Full Tilt Poker will hold daily draws that will award over $150,000 in cash prizes over the course of the promotion. Draws will be held on the morning following each day of the promotion and award prizes as follows:

For play on October 8th through November 4th:

• 5 tickets will be drawn awarding $100 each
• 25 tickets will be drawn awarding $25 each
• 200 tickets will be drawn awarding $10 each
• 400 tickets will be drawn awarding $5 each

For play on November 5th:

• 10 tickets will be drawn awarding $100 each
• 50 tickets will be drawn awarding $25 each
• 250 tickets will be drawn awarding $10 each
• 500 tickets will be drawn awarding $5 each

Only tickets earned during a single day are eligible for daily draws. For example, if a player earns 20 tickets on October 9th, they will have 20 tickets entered for the October 9th draw. Cash prizes will be credited to winning players’ accounts within one business day.

Please note that Full Tilt Poker.com reserves the right to change or modify this promotion at its sole discretion. No members of Team Full Tilt, Full Tilt Poker Pros, Friends of Full Tilt Poker or any “Red Pro” are eligible to participate in the Promotion.

Please see Site Terms and Site Rules for more information.

Post from: Poker From The Rail

Piece of Ivey

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1. Biggest Online Pot, Ever – Ivey vs. Juanda
2. Phil Ivey in ESPN the Magazine

Things are starting to get interesting on the ESPN broadcast of the 2009 World Series of Poker now. The field has been reduced considerably by this point and you’ll begin to see the leaders emerge as well as some of the spectacular flame outs. There is no doubt that we will see a healthy dose of Phil Ivey as he continued his push to what would eventually be his inclusion in the “November Nine”. Chris Ferguson, Gavin Smith, and Roland De Wolfe should see some TV time as well. 2009 Player of the Year Jeff Lisandro will be primary focus of the broadcast which will have him on the feature table.

I was out there during the WSOP along with fellow FTP blogger Michael Craig. You can check out his archives as well as my Main Event live blogs here. Also listed below are some links to my Pictures of the day. The two ESPN broadcast will run today at 20:00ET and 21:00ET.

2009 World Series of Poker Day 1c and 1d in Pictures
2009 World Series of Poker Day 2a in Pictures
2009 World Series of Poker Day 2b in Pictures

Post from: Poker From The Rail

2009 World Series of Poker ESPN Broadcast

Related posts:

1. 2009 World Series of Poker preview – ESPN Broadcast Schedule
2. 2009 World Series of Poker ESPN Day 5 Broadcast (Continued)
3. ESPN 2009 WSOP Main Event Broadcast Day 8

It seems the entire poker world sat back and took a really deep breath on Thursday, still holding it after all this time.  Yes, it’s true that one on of the biggest names in poker battled through nearly 6,500 players to make the final table of the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event.  Phily Ivey will now find himself the center of attention for the next few months as every poker outlet and ESPN look to capitalize on his participation.

Just about the exact opposite kind of thing Ivey would be looking for.  But he’s getting exactly what he set out to do.  Phil Ivey came into this tournament from Day 1 looking to win it all. I’ll certainly be bringing you more details as we creep closer to November.

Until then I’m finally starting to come out of the WSOP fog.  120 degree temperatures, severe laptop hardware issues on the final day, travel nightmares, and post-WSOP celebrations left a gaping hole where my poker soul once resided.   It took a few days with the creature comforts from home to get my mojo back.

I’ll be back all week with forgotten stories from throughout the series, one that never quite made it to these pages but worth the time.  I’ll also be previewing the November Nine with my thoughts from actually being in front of each at some point during the Main Event.  I’ll even try out my hand at a little handicapping, purely for entertainment sake.

That all starts tomorrow, I think today I get back on the Full Tilt tables for a little low level donkey-crushing button-mashing.

Post from: Poker From The Rail

2009 World Series of Poker – Deep Breath

Related posts:

1. 2009 World Series of Poker Day 37 – Deep Breath
2. 2009 World Series of Poker – November Nine Set
3. 2009 World Series of Poker Day 44 – Breaking Tables

12:00pm:

It’s our final day sitting in the Amazon Room and bound to be the longest of the entire series.  The stakes for the players are daunting, 9 of the remaining 27 will be guaranteed at least $1,000,000 and 3 months of publicity and scrutiny.  One of these players will be crowned the new World Series of Poker Champion and over $8,000,000.

Most predictions have us playing out at least 6 levels of play before we know who those players will be.  That will take us into the very early morning.  Phil Ivey himself said he thinks it will take 8 levels of play.  Things will get loopy here before we are done.

There are few that would say they would love to see Phil Ivey make the final 9 players, as the WCP boys say, it’s good for poker.  The amount of interest and publicity generated for the game would go be tremendous.  He will start the day on the ESPN feature table in front of a packed audience.  Fellow red letter Full Tilt pro James Akenhead will be sitting at the outer table looking to join his teammate.

As happens in these situations, Full Tilt also will also following a few new names throughout the day.  Andrew Lichtenberger, Marco Mattes, Steve Begleiter, Eric Buchman, and Warren Zackey.

The instructions have been handed out and cards are in the air.  Look for regular updates throughout the day.  Starting chip counts after the jump.

1:00pm:

Surely I won’t jinx this but we lost 3 players during that first hour including the last woman in the field Leo Margets.  There seems to be little action other than those bustout hands.  Phil Ivey doubled up one player, Nick Maimone, with a dominating hand that didn’t hold up. All the money went in pre-flop with Ivey holding JJ and Maimone Q5 soooted.

Other than those hands, the Full Tilt players are feeling everything out and still hanging in there.

Eliminations this hour:

25 – Francois Balmigere – $352,832
26 – Jesse Haabak – $352,832
27 – Leo Margets – $352,832

2:15pm:

Players are heading off on their first break of the day.  Ivey and Akenhead took some hits, Akenhead battled back, Steve Begleiter knocks out a favorite, and things are getting testy.

When this episode of the 2009 World Series of Poker is broadcast, there will be a new name filling the internet with his lucksakery. Nick Maimone pulled a rabbit out of his hat against Phil Ivey then turned around and hit another double up with a two outer. On a Q84 board, he insta-called Jordan Smith’s all-in with the almighty baby pair of sevens. He was up against Smith’s pocket tens but we all know what happens. A black seven on the turn for another suckout.

Phil Ivey double up another shortstack, once again with pocket jacks.  This time his opponent held more the a naked queen, holding two of the ladies.  It was a monster stack but it was another hit to the favorite.  James Akenhead has took a beating early this hour but battled back from a low of 3 million back up to 10 million.

The only elimination of the hour came at the expense of Antonio Esfandiari, one of the few famous faces left in the field.  He collects $352,832 but would rather be playing in November.  I’m sure the ESPN gang feels the same way.

Some unofficial chip counts at the first break:

Steven Begleiter – 15,200,000
Eric Buchman – 12,000,000
James Akenhead – 10,000,000
Andrew Lichtenberger – 8,400,000
Phil Ivey – 6,300,000
Warren Zackey – 4,100,000
Marco Mattes – 795,000

3:30pm:

Nick Maimone continues to run like god.  This should make for some great TV and even better fodder for the forums.  The player who got him money in bad against Phil Ivey has been hitting big hands and bigger flops as the day progresses.  The lastest victim of Maimone was George Caragiorgas who had the misfortune of running into his pocket Kings, flopped set and turned quads.  Maimone may never fold a hand again the rest of this tournament.

Ivey and Akenhead continue to struggle and it will be a grind from here on out. We’ve just lost out 9th player of the day getting us down to the final two tables. Steve Begleiter and his posse are making quite a bit of noise at the secondary table and has moved to third place in chips with 1,600,000.

The clock has been paused as they re-draw for the final 18. Players will also now see a jump in pay to $500,577 for 16th to 18th.

Unofficial chip counts midway through the level:

Steven Begleiter – 16,600,000
Eric Buchman – 16,000,000
James Akenhead – 9,600,000
Andrew Lichtenberger – 6,650,000
Phil Ivey – 5,435,000

Eliminations this hour:

19 – Tommy Vedes – $352,832
20 – George Caragiorgas – $352,832
21 – Jonathan Tamayo – $352,832
22 – Warren Zackey – $352,832
23 – Marco Mattes – $352,832

4:45pm:

Players are heading off on their second break of the day at the end of Level 31 and there was a lot of action as the clock ran down. We lost Andrew Lichtenberg early in the hour then things slowed down. Pots were being shipped around with very few all-ins. On the last hand of the level we had all-in and calls on both tables.

On the feature table Steve Begleiter knocked out Ian Tavelli when they both got the chips in the middle after a ragged flop, unfortunately for Tavelli his pocket 9’s were way behind the kings which held up. On the secondary table Ludovic Lacay and Jeff Shulman were all-in preflop racing with 77 versus AKo. The flopped king was enough to knockout our 16th player.

All four remaining Full Tilt players find themselves sitting at the ESPN feature table. Phil Ivey (6,800,000), James Akenhead (10,100,000), Eric Buchman (16,000,000), and Steve Begleiter (27,890,000) who appears to have the chip lead at this time.

3 players dropped this level leaving us just 6 eliminations from the November Nine. There has also been a bump in the payouts with 13th through 15th receiving $633,022.

16 – Ludovic Lacay – $500,577
17 – Ian Tavelli – $500,577
18 – Andrew Lichtenberg – $500,577

For seven weeks the Amazon Room was full of donkeys and lemurs, sharks and fish
On the last day it’s just a small bright light in the corner

6:00pm:

My wish for everyone to see monster lucksack Nick Maimone at the final table has not come true.  The broadcast will show you some of the action but 3 months of analyzing his play would be worth it.  He became a victim of his own actions when he snapped-called all his chips with two overs and a gutshot draw, with one of his overs no good.  If there was to describe it faster than “snap-call” I would try.  He couldn’t wait to get his chips in the middle.  Full Tilt sponsored player Eric Buchman had top pair with a open end straight draw which turned into trip on the turn and a straight on the river.  Maimone is out of the event but takes away $633,022 and the knowledge he’ll be the talk of the forums for months to come.

With that hand, Full Tilt now occupies the top two spots on the leaderboard with Phil Ivey and James Akenhead still very much in contention.  That was the only player we lost during the first hour of Level 32.  Below are the unofficial chip counts for the four remaining Full Tilt players.

Steven Begleiter – 28,400,000
Eric Buchman – 25,280,000
James Akenhead – 9,460,000
Phil Ivey – 6,540,000

Elimination this hour:

15 – Nick Maimone – $633,022

Eric Buchman has been making moves all day and goes to dinner close to the chip lead

7:00pm:

We’ve finished the 3rd level of play for the evening and the players are heading off on their dinner break.  14 players still remaining after 6 hours of play and things have definitely slowed down.  We still have four Tilters in the field with Steve Begleiter and Eric Buchman still leading the field, James Akenhead climbing the leaderboard until a pre-break hit, and Phil Ivey lurking in the background.

I’d love to tell stories about Ivey pushing the other players around and making big moves but he’s simply been playing a patience game with his stack.  In a tournament that he’s seen so many players disregarding their chipstack in relation to the blinds with overbets and calls, Ivey has been taking his time and picking spots to grab pots.  While he’s in the bottom half of the leaderboard, no one is counting him out.

Unofficial chip counts:

Steven Begleiter – 26,400,000
Eric Buchman – 25,950,000
Phil Ivey – 7,100,000
James Akenhead – 2,600,000

Eliminations this hour:

NONE!

9:30pm:

The talk during dinner break was how quickly we would lose somebody coming back from the dinner break, belly full of food and confidence.  We came close to a knockout almost immediately when shortstack Jamie Robbins three-bet allin straight into aces.  Robbins tens were toast up until the 5%-er ten hit the river.  The room erupted and we continued on with 14 players.

In a very “Dewey Defeats Truman” moment, a colleague pointed out an Associated Press story on ESPN.com which oddly enough states that Phil Ivey has been eliminated from the 2009 World Series of Poker.  Screenprint on the left.

“Among those eliminated on Wednesday was Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari, who was one of only two prior World Series of Poker tournament winners left as play began Wednesday, along with seven-time gold bracelet winner Phil Ivey.”

Odd considering I am currently watching him play on the ESPN table at the moment.  I’m sure the article will be corrected, removed, annihilated before long.

Before the end of this level’s first hour we did find ourselves with two knockouts leaving just 3 away from the November Nine.  We’ll also see a new bump in payouts with $896,730 for 10th through 12th.

13 – James Calderaro – $633,022
14 – Ben Lamb – $633,022

Unofficial Full Tilt chip counts:

Eric Buchman – 35,980,000
Steven Begleiter – 27,730,000
Phil Ivey – 8,400,000
James Akenhead – 6,150,000

10:00pm:

Well that certainly didn’t take very long.  Within 30 minutes of my last update we dropped two people in a hurry.  On the secondary feature table, Billy Kopp put 80BBs in the middle drawing completely dead.  He was involved in the hand with Darvin Moon who felted him with QJd versus 53d on an all diamond flop.  No card could save him and he was gone from the side stage before the river.

Almost immediately after Phil Ivey called the all-in of Jamie Robbins.  Ivey’s ATh help up against Robbins’ KQo to suddenly get us looking for one more elimination to form the November Nine.  Both tables will now combine to play 10-handed until that person is gone.

Full Tilt is represented by four players.  Phil Ivey, Steve Begleiter, Eric Buchman, and James Akenhead guarantee Tilt will have at least 3 faces when the final table is played.  Akenhead enters 10-handed play as the shortstack.

Chip counts for the final 10:

Darvin Moon – 44,300,000
Eric Buchman – 36,780,000
Steven Begleiter – 26,495,000
Jeff Shulman – 17,900,000
Jordan Smith – 15,430,000
Joseph Cada – 13,400,000
Kevin Schaffel – 13,080,000
Phil Ivey – 10,210,000
Antoine Saout – 10,200,000
James Akenhead – 5,100,000

10:45pm:

Unbelievable!  Just like that we lost Jordan Smith (his aces versus Darvin Moon’s set) and we have our November Nine.

Phil Ivey makes the final table!

I’ll be back tomorrow with a complete rundown after everything settles down.

Day 8 starting chip counts:

Post from: Poker From The Rail

2009 World Series of Poker Day 49 – Main Event Day 8 Live Blog

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