Pauly and I have some side-action … on which dealer is going to deal the final hand.

I’ve got homegirl Linda Tran, of course (who goes on in the third down) and Lou the old white guy.

He’s got Jena Phillips (2008 WSOP Dealer of the Year, who’s on now, in the first level), and Anthony Shawn the black guy.

All bets are off if the young white guy ends up pitching the winner/loser.

We’re thinking of additional side action based on whether or not the last hand is a bad beat, bad call, or a straight-up winner with cards falling the way they’re supposed to.

UPDATE: We’ve learned only three dealers are in play — Jenna, Linda, and Lou. Advantage Michalski.

ALSO UPDATE: Pauly and Otis have way more prop bets going on the types of hands that will win and lose the money, whether or not the opening hands of levels will be walks, etc. This prop bet is merely a little extra action for Dr. Baller — but hey, I don’t mind competing on a JV level in this world! (This world of final table heads-up action prop bets; not this world Earth.)

I wasn’t the biggest supporter of the WSOP delayed final table. I had many reasons to be against it, but in the end, I assumed it wouldn’t be popular with the fans. I was about as right-on there as I have been with most of my prop bets.

The Penn & Teller Theater is packed tonight. Sure, there are a handful of friends and family members of the Demidov and Eastgate in the building, along with a smattering of poker pros like Chris Ferguson, Jamie Gold, Jeff Madsen, Chris Moneymaker, “Miami” John Cernuto, Cyndy Violette, and Erick Lindgren, but the vast majority of this crowd filling the place to (or dang close to) capacity are simply fans of the game. They’ve come here to see history on giant plasma screens, and despite not being able to actually see the table with their own eyes, they seem happy enough to simply be here.

Even Erick Lindgren, upon accepting his Player of the Year award before play began, noted that he was happy to see the theater filled with fans, though he sarcastically wondered aloud why they all came to see poker.

I’m going to go out on a short limb here and say that this delayed WSOP final table is a success. Consider this eating my words for being so quick to dismiss the idea many months ago.

When the security guys came out with the money in silvery aluminum briefcases — 9 million semi-real American dollars — a few of us in media row joked about telling the story that the guys left at the final table had decided to chop up the remaining prize pool and play for it Deal or Ne Deal style. (Ha ha, we are so damn funny.) But on this episode of Tao of Pokerati, Pauly and I take the issue a bit more seriously, and break down what’s really at stake for Ivan and Peter — who became friends recently playing on the EPT on PokerStars’ dime — beyond just the $3.34 million in prize differential between 1st and 2nd.*

Book 4: WSOP Final Table
Episode 4.11: Deal or No Deal? 5:33

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*I don’t care what anyone says … that’s not enough money to justify an even chop, I don’t believe. And kudos to tourney organizers for breaking down the prize pool in such a way that it mathematically would mathematically make little sense (on the surface, at least).

Before things got underway here ate the final table, I was listening to an old podcast appearance I did with Andrew Feldman on ESPN’s The Poker Edge. We were talking about the action at the end of Day 2B, and discussing what kinda impact a weird blip in scheduling might have in outcome: There was a Day off between Day 1D and Day 2A, but not between Day 2B and Day 3. That was a little strange, because had the day off been between the former, then everyone woulda gotten a day off … however, because they took that break when they did … players who survived on 2B had to less than a half a day of rest before the fields converged.

Anyhow, I decided to take a look at the starting days for all of the November Nine, and while this is hardly enough data for a scientific sample, there was a noticeable difference between players who started early (Days 1A and 1B) and late (Days 1C and 1D). Here’s the breakdown:

Craig Marquis — 1A, 2A
Chino Rheem — 1A, 2A
Scott Montgomery — 1A, 2A

Ivan Demidov — 1B, 2A
Ylon Schwartz — 1B, 2A
Darus Suharto — 1B, 2A

Dennis Phillips — 1C, 2B
Peter Eastgate — 1C, 2B

Kelly Kim — 1D, 2B

As per the PPA and Al D’amato’s request, I made my call to the Feds to weigh in on tonight’s planned attempts to strengthen the UIGEA and extend its reach. The call kinda reminded me of calling PartyPoker Customer Service back in the day, with less of an Indian accent, of course … I can only hope someone was listening.

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Really, what a night we have in store … heads-up between two Europeans (one from a Socialist country, and another who was born into Communism) for the lion’s share of 14 million American dollars — and, of course, as said by Drew Barrymore two years ago, the World Championship of Poker! At the same time, the remnants (and some new blood) of the anti-democratic-process insurgents pro-UIGEA forces will be trying to further remove the poker industry’s foothold here in the country that gave birth to the game.

You gotta wonder … Is this part of that huge transfer of wealth out of America we’ve been hearing so much about?

(And if anyone knows where we might be able to follow this — right now I’ll be checking the PPA website, but maybe something’s on Cspan? — please let us know.)

Either that or Peter Hellmuth. As we wind down the day yesterday and look forward to tonight’s action, that’s what’s at stake — either we’ll have a new youngest main event champion ever, or the Ruskies will have a new national hero. Meanwhile, Dan gets his facts wrong, but does Pauly even care when he can’t see the final f-in table?

Book 4: WSOP Final Table
Episode 4.10: Ivan Moneymaker 3:29

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Ylon Schwartz check-raises with nothing into the nuts of Peter Eastgate, and Pauly and I begin the countdown and begin speculating on what two Eurokids (and maybe even Dennis Phillips) will mean for poker/PokerStars … and where poker is in Europe these days. But are Russians dead money or just scary? Maybe a little bit of both? Plus advanced blogging strategy by Dr. Pauly.

Book 4: WSOP Final Table
Episode 4.9: The Novembrists 5:31

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Upon reaching the Final Four, Pauly coins Dennis Phillips as “Mr. F-in’ Rollercoaster”, and from there we look at the strategy in play, make assessments of the time (and playing styles) it will take to get to the final two, and officially declare victory for PokerStars.

Book 4: WSOP Final Table
Episode 4.8: Livin’ on a Prayer 4:57

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… are here in (small) force, supporting their man Ivan Demidov:

It seems like just about everyone here is wearing a distinctively red St. Louis Cardinals hat … pretty cool … as the night goes on, you’re starting to see them all over the casino. And the way tons of these people have been getting them autographed by the pros, a la Dennis Phillips, you gotta wonder if you’re gonna see these hats speckling the fields in future WSOPs — letting opponents know they are one of Dennis’ peeps:

At this moment, Dennis Phillips is drawing dead with one card to come. That will be 3rd place for him — his boisterous crowd and his Red Hat Brigade are honoring him the way friends of someone who has just won $4.5 million should. (That’s Greg Raymer money.) Lots of applause.

Heads-up will be Ivan Demidov vs. Peter Eastgate (who stands to be the youngest player ever to win the main event).

Year of the European Young Guns, it turns out to be.

Most of the under bets, by the way, regarding time, win … except for Jen, who took the under on 10 pm. (What was she thinking!)

Chip Counts

Peter Eastgate – 79,425,000
Ivan Demidov – 57,800,000

Clearly anybody’s game. Russians vs. Scandis. I’m going with Demidov, though. As we know, the Russians were the ones that really made a showing at the 2008 WSOP, regardless of how tomorrow turns out. Scandis were like so 2007.

It’s over … at least in the minds of various online poker execs. With Scott Montgomery’s elimination in 5th place, there are now more Full Tilt players alive. It’s all PokerStars, and now, I guess, they’ll be having their primary … which is a little odd, seeing it after the general election.

Courtesy of PokerStars blog

Wow! It was an all-in moment, good instinct moment, and big whoop-tee-doo all in one.

Eastgate made the initial raise, and short-stacked Montgomery pushed all-in from the small blind. Eastgate called with pocket sixes, and Montgomery showed A-3 of diamonds.

Flop: Ac-Qs-4d
Ace for Montgomery gives him the advantage.

Turn: As
Trips are even better for Montgomery. And according to Jack Effel, Phillips folded a six, so there was only one out for the Scandi…

River: 6d
Oh yeah, the case six. The miracle six. The one-outer. Bam!

Montgomery left in fifth place with a little over $3 millie, and Eastgate jumps into a tight second position on the leaderboard. And Eastgate kept all of us in the media from falling asleep in our after-dinner comas. Thanks, Peter!

Dallas-to-Vegas transplant Linda Tran is one of five dealers dealing the final table. While there’s a wee-bit of hubbub from the usual featured-table dealers who weren’t invited to pitch … I know Linda is one of the best dealers I’ve ever sat/worked with, whether that was at charity tourneys in Dallas, or as a player in WSOP cash games in previous years. Kinda exciting to see her throwing Kems in such a big game — she’s earned it, imho.

She was at the Rio last night working with the TV table felt — something about the grain affecting the speed of the slide … and think about it, if she messes up here, sure, flipped cards and the like are part of the game, but still … can you imagine working on stage, in the spotlight, knowing if you make one of those mistakes that is inevitable … it potentially affects a player’s personal outcome by a million dollars or more? No pressure.

NOTE: She’s on the felt now, and kept Ivan Demidov alive by not cracking his pocket kings (despite flopping a nut-flush draw for his opponent, who I believe was Scott Montgomery). Meanwhile, in the crowd, Dennis Phillips’ fans have started chanting college-hoops style: “Let’s – Go – Den – Nis – [clap] – [clap] -[clap][clap][clap]!”

UPDATE: Whoa!!!! A one outer-on the river, compliments of Linda, to knock out Scott Montgomery in 5th place. $3,096,768. (Still pretty good money — more than Moneymaker won.)

CURRENT CHIP COUNTS

Ivan Demidov — 49,100,000
Peter Eastgate – 47,635,000
Ylon Schwartz — 22,175,000
Dennis Phillips – 17,325,000

At dinner break, Dr. Pauly and I discuss Chino Rheem’s bustout interview and its political inspiration, along with PokerStars’ domination over Full Tilt. (Four Stars players left, one Full Tilter.) In fact, there’s even a rumor we start discuss about PokerStars’ intentions to start its own country — which would be theoretically feasible, and would probably have the best prisons.

Book 4: WSOP Final Table
Episode 4.7: Pokerstarzistan 2:04

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