The day that the poker community has been waiting for has finally arrived, as the November Nine reunite to determine this year\’s \”World Champion\”.
Has the 100+ day delay been a success? ESPN says ratings are the highest they\’ve been in two years, but that was when Hellmuth and Matusow were heavily featured in the coverage. The hoped for mainstream coverage talked about when this all began never really came through, as Lou Krieger mentions.
Play is scheduled to start today at 10am PT at the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio in Las Vegas. For those that want to listen to the coverage, Bluff Magazine and worldseriesofpoker.com will provide an audio stream along with constantly updated chip counts, using their Poker Tracker software. Nick Geber, Lacey Jones and a bunch of other guests will be in on the action. Jeffrey Pollack even writes a rare blog about tonight\’s Hall of Fame ceremony, which will take place at about 7:15, just before play resumes from the dinner break. When heads-up play resumes Monday at 10pm PT, Erick Lindgren will receive his WSOP Player of the Year award (and whatever comes with that).
It was decided earlier last week that they will NOT redraw for seats, so here\’s how they\’ll be situated when cards go in the air (in case you forgot):
Dennis Phillips – 26,295,000
Craig Marquis – 10,210,000
Ylon Schwartz – 12,525,000
Scott Montgomery – 19,690,000
Darus Suharto – 12,520,000
David \’Chino\’ Rheem – 10,230,000
Ivan Demidov – 24,400,000
Kelly Kim – 2,620,000
Peter Eastgate – 18,375,000
Kelly Kim will start on the button, there is 21:50 remaining in level 33 (30k ante, 120/240k blinds).
Some questions before play starts:
How long will Kelly Kim last at the final table?
Will Dennis Phillips regain his momentum, and did the coaching of Roy Winston (?) and company hurt his game?
Will Peter Eastgate or Craig Marquis replace Hellmuth as the youngest ME winner?
Will Ivan Demidov improve on his finish at the WSOP Europe Main Event?
Do Darus Suharto and Ylon Schwartz try to fold their way up the payout ladder?
Can Chino Rheem do his numerous backers proud with a high finish and return the ME to the pros?
Will Scott Montgomery flame out in a blaze of glory, or will his aggressive play overpower the other players?
As to who wins this damn thing, I\’m going with Ivan Demidov in a brief headsup match with Peter Eastgate (with Hellmuth looking on).
