Darvin Moon stood out among the ’09 November Nine not for the play that got him 2nd place (and $5.2 million) … but because he stood alone. The logger who had never been on a “big airplane” before the WSOP refused to accept upwards of a half million dollars to simply wear a patch for the likes of Full Tilt, PokerStars, or anyone else … because, basically he didn’t wanna be anyone’s bitch. (I’m paraphrasing, of course.)

But soon to be announced and official, the hapless poker multimillionaire from western Maryland has apparently caved — signing a deal with the Heartland Poker Tour to serve as their “ambassador” and wear HPT gear in all tourneys, including the WSOP.

This comes from a plenty reliable source; however, said source would not confirm (nor deny!) that Darvin Moon is near-broke and thus rethinking his aversion to wearing poker-related patches … but did confirm that no poker agents were involved in signing the agreement.

Moon, of course, was the unsignable runner-up at the 2009 WSOP … making him pretty much the opposite of Dennis Phillips, and the only November Niner ever not to be patched up at the main event final table. He also snubbed the WSOP this past November by turning down repeated invitations to be part of 2010 November Nine festivities in Las Vegas, opting instead to play a $1k HPT event at the Meskwaki Casino Bingo Hotel in Tama, Iowa.

One of my favorite fights with Katkin is on the value of Darvin Moon as a sponsored player. I dig the dude as a character … and consider him good for … nay, great extra=solid for poker — while Katkin (clearly stuck in his ’06-’07ish glory-days poker-world mindset) I think believes his donk play and non-pro, non-online nature make him the wrong guy for the WSOP to celebrate in their commercials. To which I say … hater.

Wuh-oh, Dr. Pauly seems to be in the middle of a flashback … hang in there, bud, it’s OK. Drink some water and just find your happy place … remember, that tree doesn’t really want to eat you … because it’s a good tree.

Over on Tao of Poker, Pauly’s posted the complete Tao of Pokerati archives from the 2009 WSOP. Worth a listen without a doubt. I’m always amazed when checking traffic stats to see how much these short, 2-4 minute episodes continue to suck bandwidth play in reruns.

I know that other show I’m on is “award winning” and was named the “Top Poker Podcast” of 2009 in the Bluff Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards … and I love The Poker Beat, for sure. But Tao of Pokerati is different — and it’s more than just my little Porno for Pyros kinda side project.

Can’t really explain … but it’s way less slick, way more unplugged and unfiltered, and imho brings a whole new perspective to the summertime festivities as two seasoned, hardened WSOP vets give their instantaneous perspectives on what they are witnessing at the moment. And considering all the unforeseeable possibilities the 2010 WSOP promises to bring … well I just can’t imagine a better way for the cube-dwellers out there to understand what is really going on at the Rio.

Again, click on over to the Tao side of the equation to get your pre-WSOP juices flowing.

UPDATE: Oh right, and Benjo, too.

Here’s a preview of a prospective reality show/documentary called 6th Street: Life After the River, featuring Joe Cada and four of his friends from Michigan. The trailer features the highs and lows Cada and friends experienced over the past few months, with Cada’s agent Dan Frank, hip-hop party band LMFAO, Darvin Moon, and others. No word yet on when the full program will be available, but expect more details shortly.

A little more leftover podcast action … the not-so-pokery crew over at The Black Whole (“raw, uncensored, urban commentary on sports and life”) wanted to know: What happened to Phil Ivey at the WSOP?

Yours truly stepped in Tuesday eve with SuperDave, Cityslickers, and Moopbrown (as the WSOP aired on ESPN) to try and explain, starting at about 44:30 in:

Also joined by poker-playin’ lawman Ricky Green.

Jim McManus appeared on All Things Considered the morning the November Nine was getting underway, to offer a little cultural (and presidential) history of the game, based on his new book, Cowboys Full.

Not to be a spoiler, but the closing line features a sound clip from Darvin Moon, with weekend host Guy Raz saying, “That is Darvin Moon, and he’s about as far away as you can get from poker royalty.” That is a funnier line than Raz even realizes, considering Moon’s resistance to all things sponsorship.

Raz does a follow-up the next day, just on Darvin Moon:

For more academic intellect surrounding Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker, check out our favorite new older-than-25 Betfair blogger Shamus’ interview with McManus here.

And for a little low-brow historical perspective on McManus from a pre-Darvin Moon era, here’s my interview with the author of Positively Fifth Street from 2004.

(Yikes, 2004!?!)

A friend of mine who watched the WSOP final table with his 12-year-old son earlier this week sent me a note asking if I knew of any “poker little leagues” that he could enroll his son in. I don’t, but the question got me thinking. How young is too young to expose kids to the wonders of poker, and what’s the best way to teach them about the game?

With all of the coverage the November Nine has gotten – and will continue to get through reruns on ESPN – it should come as no surprise that a new, younger generation will become interested in poker, perhaps inspired by a 21-year-old world champion who got his start online years before he could play in American casinos.

The question is, what is the best, most responsible way to teach kids about poker and “gambling”?

For my part, I suggested my friend buy his son some chips and a number of quality poker strategy books that he must read before starting to play penny-ante games at the kitchen table. Anyone have better suggestions?

The RawVegas gang caught up with the new WSOP main event champ at the viewing party held at ESPNzone in New York, New York. Good little glimpse of what he’s all about, how he’s handling friends who will inevitably hit him up for money, and the process of amicably (presumably) parting ways with his backers Eric Haber (“sheets”) and Cliff Josephy (“JohnnyBax”) …

Watch WSOP 2009 Viewing Party at ESPN Zone on RawVegas.tv

Happened to run into “Darv” after all was said and done last night …

Friends and family waiting for him to cash out.

Signing a few autographs.

Really, more of us should have friends who wear KIX shirts.

A few $5 million hugs.

Dennis Phillips explaining to Moon how just because you didn’t win doesn’t mean you can’t represent that you did.

And really, what better way to finish out your WSOP experience than by playing Three-Card Poker ($25-$50 a hand on a $5 table) with AlCantHang?

It took 36 hands … back and forth for 34 of them … then came hands #35 and #36 (#s 363 and 364 of the whole final table).

From PokerListings:

Cada Wins It All!
12 minutes ago

After falling into an almost 3:1 chip deficit, Joe Cada grabbed control once again.

He made it 3 million preflop and Moon called.

The flopped rolled out Tc 9h 5d and both players tapped the table.

The 10d would bring some fireworks, however, as Moon check-raised all-in after a 3 million chip bet from Cada.

Cada leaned back in his chair for a few minutes pondering a call that would be for his tournament life.

Suddenly and decisively, he laid it all on the line making that call.

Moon showed 8s 7s for the open-ender and Cada’s Jh 9d was ahead.

Moon would need a six or a jack to win the Main Event title, but it was not to be as the 3h river fell, handing Cada the double-up and the chip lead.

Following the hand, Cada was up to 108 million and Moon ground down to 86 million.

A few hands later, the two got into a preflop raising war that saw Cada push in with nines and Moon make the call for his tournament life with Qd Jd.

The flop came 8c 7s 2c and chants of “Joey” filled the theatre. The turn brought the Kh and Cada needed to fade just one more card.

As the crowd murmured in anticipation, the river came the 7c and the Main Event title and $8.5 million was suddenly Cada’s.

A roar of approval could be heard all the way to Freemont Street.

Darvin Moon will take home $5.1 million for his second-place finish, but the World Championship and all the glory that goes now belongs to Joe Cada.

Level: 40
Blinds: 600,000/1,200,000
Ante: 200,000
Average Stack: $194,820,000
Players Left: 1
Tables Left: 1

Here are some pictures of what’s been going on off and around the table, during this $3mm+ heads-up match (because that’s really what they’re playing for) at the WSOP&T Theater:

You know how you would see fans at a baseball game watching the game live and on TV, usually with headphones? The poker version of that is this guy, who is watching the final update and following live updates on PokerNews.com.

The Joe Cada Michigan fan contingent. Alas, Rio security soon made them put on a little more clothing, despite Las Vegas’ general fondness for body paint counting as non-nudity.

HAND NOTE: The crowd tends to go rather nuts anytime a coordinated flop is followed by a related turn card.

Hey, look, it’s Annette_15 — presumably taking a special interest in any youngin’ looking for a big-time bracelet. We love Annette_15! Favorite 21-year-old young lady Betfair blogger! (Sitting with a Poker Royalty agent, plausibly interestingly.)

Joe Navarro would tell me this means Darvin Moon has the goods. However, when Cada re-re-raised him here, Moon folded.

UPDATE: Cada just doubled up, as Moon failed to get there moving all-in with an open-ender … (Cada called with two-pair, the second being his alone) … Cada dodged 8 outs to rake in 108 million chips, to Moon’s now 86 million.

Fans taking in the action.

Somebody forgot to tell this guy that Allen Kessler did not make the November Nine.

Not sure what to tell you off the bat … they’re about six hands in … and Darvin Moon has chipped up … he now has 90some million to Joe Cada’s 101ish million.

The WSOP&T Theater is packed-packed again … with plenty of folks lined up outside waiting to fill any empties.

So far I think I’ve seen the best ever rail-fan prop — about 10 rows from the stage, in Darvin Moon section of fans, a guy is holding up a toy chainsaw every time something positive for Moon occurs on the felt. Poker Loggers unite! Crap/LOL: domain name long taken/abandoned.

Lots of heckling, too … which gotta say, much to my surprise, Jack “Link’s” Effel is deflecting quite well.

MORE in this spot TK, at least for a while … keep refreshing.

— Everything intensified with such an audience watching. Even “checks” get gasps from the crowd … and mucks get “whoop whoop whoops!”

— Frat boy chants: “Let’s Go CA-DA! Let’s Go CA-DA!”

— Darvin now has the chip lead.

UPDATE: New level … and Linda “Tranwreck’ is the dealer … bad beats on the way?

NOTE: Blinds at 600k/1.2mm … exceeding the level where the 2008 WSOP main event came to a close.

STATING THE OBVIOUS: Barry Greenstein is a big fan of Linda Tran. @barrygreenstein tweets:

Linda Tran is the current dealer and she is beautiful and Asian. More incentive for me to final table next year.

via @WickedChops

–The gaming agents (not to be confused with gaming-agents) that Pauly loves to talk about are here … but either they have little business to attend to and are simply supporting their client Joe Cada … or they have learned how to prevent people like me from taking pictures of them looking devious by saying things like, “hey, how’s it goin’?” (Foiled!)

— Blinds are 600k/1.2mm … and with 195 million total chips in play, that means an average stack has roughly 81 BB

UPDATE CHIP COUNT:

Darvin Moon – 97,650,000
Joe Cada – 97,150,000

From the Twitter of Washington Post reporter blog-shadowing Darvin Moon (@jfdulac) comes a story from the Baltimore City Paper, detailing Darvin’s numerous past transgressions over the past few years. It includes him pleading guilty and receiving probation for forgery and theft, along with three counts of passing bad checks. Court records also show Moon posting bail for others on two occasions, in 2002 for a man who plead guilty to drug dealing and is serving a 10-year sentence, and once for an apparent relative on assault charges.

From the BCP’s look at his financial and legal past:

But it is Moon’s record of civil judgments against him that may come into play in the future, given the kitties he’s been winning in Vegas. Court records show liens filed against Moon for nearly $20,000 owed to City National Bank of West Virginia, a little over $1,000 owed to Miners and Merchants Bank, nearly $13,000 owed to Pasadena Receivables, and about $1,000 owned to Southern Auto Supply in Moon’s own community of Mountain Lake Park, near Oakland in Western Maryland.

His creditors, no doubt, will be much obliged to share in his recent winnings.