November Nine WSOP Main Event Final Table Analysis: Part 1

The World Series of Poker is now at an end for most players, but not for nine poker players who will fight it out for the event recommencing in November for the $8.5 million first prize on offer. All of the participants are toasting their success as we speak as they are guaranteed $1.26 million from their final table run. The “Tiger Woods of Poker” Phil Ivey is at the final table and UK professional James Akenhead is hoping to rebound from the shortest stack. Whilst the pros sign massive endorsement contracts, let us discuss the final table and who might be successful. Here is part one of the two part article.

Phil Ivey must be the first player we discuss as he is the legitimate star of the final table. He is arguably the best poker player at the final table and will be the only player not fazed by the huge prizes on offer. Ivey sometimes wins and loses millions of dollars gambling so this final table is just another day at the office for him. He is one of the few players that make so much money from poker; the actual potential win or loss needs to be astronomical before it affects him in any way. There is just no way he will play scared, which makes him dangerous. One double-up from his current stack of $9,765,000 will see him have a good chance to win.

Darvin Moon is the massive chip leader with $58,930,000 in chips. He hit hand after hand leading into the final table and definitely would have preferred to play to a finish as luck was on his side. He now has to sit on his huge chip advantage and hope that his card rush continues. Four months is a long time in poker, we may see a redressing of the chip balance by the poker gods once play resumes. Darvin owns a logging company and said he would be back at work following his great run. He won his seat playing in a tournament in West Virginia and has only played poker for three years. Moon is an amateur player with no major cashes before this and the Americans will be behind him as the true working class hero. My thoughts are that he will need to continue hitting cards to beat the table.

Jeff Schulman is a well-known professional who has threatened to throw the WSOP winners bracelet into the trash if he wins. He feels his magazine Card Player, of which he is the editor, was unfairly treated by the WSOP when they gave media rights to pokernews exclusively. After a meeting with Jeffrey Pollack he toned down his comments but there is still great interest in just what will happen should he go on to be victorious at the final table. His stack of $19,580,000 gives him plenty of room to play. Jeff is an excellent player and apart from Ivey is probably the most well-known player at the table.

UK poker player James Akenhead is sitting to the right of Darvin Moon in Seat 2 and to the left of Phil Ivey. This means he will have to be aware of the biggest stack and the best player when making his moves. James is also the short stack at $6,800,000 so things are not looking great for him on paper. James plays a short stack well but will need at least two double ups to get into contention. The blinds are not super high but he will need to make a move sooner rather than later. If he catches a hand early then expect him to make a move as he will be playing to win and is a fearless player. Readers should know that James has been compared to Stu Ungar by some players and has accomplished brilliant results in his short poker career. One to watch for this event if he can double up and certainly in the future.

Check out the second part of this article to read about the rest of the players, their chances to win and my prediction on who will win it all.

By Malcolm Clarke

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