- November Nine
-
The November Nine is the name used to refer to the final nine contestants, or final table, at the Main Event of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) since 2008. The winner of the WSOP Main Event is considered to be the World Champion of Poker.[1]
Prior to 2008, the entire Main Event was played without interruption. Starting in 2008, in an effort to build excitement in the WSOP and to increase ratings for the tape-delayed televised shows, Harrah's Entertainment and ESPN decided to delay the final table until shortly before its scheduled broadcast. The reason for the delay was so that ESPN could cover the rest of the tournament leading up to the final table without viewers knowing the winner in advance.[2]
Contents
Reception and criticism
After the announcement was made to delay the final table, concerns arose as to how the delay would affect the tournament.[3] Ylon Schwartz, a 2008 November Nine participant, criticized the four-month delay by saying, "It ruins the integrity of the tournament. The purity of old-time Las Vegas is gone. The antiquity and purity of the tournament have been liquidated into pure greed and capitalism."[4] However, ESPN's Senior Director of Programming and Acquisition, Doug White, stated, "The movement of the final table has definitely helped in terms of creating buzz."[5]
When the 2008 November Nine was broadcast "almost live," ESPN received criticism because the network showed the winner's name prior to the broadcast. Poker journalist Dan Skolovy wrote, "It turned out to be a difficult task to avoid hearing the results. Especially since... ESPN scrolled the winner on its sports ticker long before the broadcast aired."[2] Nonetheless, coverage of the 2008 final table had more than a 50 percent increase in the number of viewers and the number of households that watched it.[6] The broadcast later received an Emmy Award nomination for "Outstanding Live Event Turnaround."[7]
Key
Name Name of the player (listed in order of starting chip stack). Starting chip count The starting chip stack at the start of the final table. WSOP
braceletsThe number of WSOP bracelets at the time the November Nine was determined.[a] WSOP
cashesThe number of WSOP cashes at the time the November Nine was determined.[a] WSOP
earningsThe total of WSOP earnings at the time the November Nine was determined.[a] Final
placeThe place in which the player finished the tournament. Prize The prize money awarded to that player for his or her finish at that year's Main Event. 2008
Main articles: 2008 World Series of Poker and 2008 World Series of Poker resultsOriginal field: 6,844
Total prize pool: $64,431,779
Final table minimum prize: $900,670
Final table maximum prize: $9,152,416
Final table total prize pool: $32,633,446
Name Starting chip count WSOP
braceletsWSOP
cashesWSOP
earningsFinal
placePrize Dennis Phillips 26,295,000 0 0 $0 3rd $4,517,773 Ivan Demidov[b] 24,400,000 0 1 $39,854 2nd $5,809,595 Scott Montgomery 19,690,000 0 3 $73,700 5th $3,096,768 Peter Eastgate 18,375,000 0 0 $0 1st $9,152,416 Ylon Schwartz 12,525,000 0 11 $124,580 4th $3,774,974 Darus Suharto 12,520,000 0 1 $26,389 6th $2,418,562 David Rheem 10,230,000 0 5 $474,863 7th $1,772,650 Craig Marquis 10,210,000 0 3 $35,759 9th $900,670 Kelly Kim 2,620,000 0 3 $45,191 8th $1,288,217 Dennis Phillips was an account manager for a commercial trucking company. Peter Eastgate, from Denmark, was one of only two non-North American players to make it to the final table (Russian Ivan Demidov was the other).[8] By making the final table, Eastgate and 23-year-old Craig Marquis threatened Phil Hellmuth's 19-year record as youngest person to ever win the WSOP Main Event;[8] Eastgate's victory gave him that distinction. Ylon Schwartz was a former professional chess hustler in New York City parks.[8] Two players, accountant Darus Suharto and poker professional Scott Montgomery, were originally from Canada. Kelly Kim, who had the fewest number of chips entering the final table, was an established professional player who cashed in numerous events but never won a major tournament.[8]
2009
Main articles: 2009 World Series of Poker and 2009 World Series of Poker resultsOriginal field: 6,494
Total prize pool: $61,043,600
Final table minimum prize: $1,263,602
Final table maximum prize: $8,547,042
Final table total prize pool: $27,220,989
Reference:[10]
Name Starting chip count WSOP
braceletsWSOP
cashesWSOP
earningsFinal
placePrize Darvin Moon 58,930,000 0 0 $0 2nd $5,182,928 Eric Buchman 34,800,000 0 9 $320,893 4th $2,502,890 Steven Begleiter 29,885,000 0 0 $0 6th $1,587,160 Jeff Shulman 19,580,000 0 15 $289,551 5th $1,953,452 Joe Cada 13,215,000 0 2 $28,214 1st $8,547,042 Kevin Schaffel 12,390,000 0 2 $92,166 8th $1,300,231 Phil Ivey 9,765,000 7 38 $3,843,018 7th $1,404,014 Antoine Saout 9,500,000 0 0 $0 3rd $3,479,670 James Akenhead 6,800,000 0 2 $525,867 9th $1,263,602 The final table's "rags to riches" story was Darvin Moon, a logger from Maryland.[11] Moon entered the Main Event after winning a $130 satellite tournament in Wheeling, West Virginia.[12]
Jeff Shulman, who entered the final table in fourth place, was the president for Card Player Magazine. Shulman openly stated that, if he won the bracelet, he would throw it away. Some initially speculated that this announcement stemmed from the fact that Harrah's Casino has partnered with Card Player Magazine's main competitor, Bluff Magazine.[11] However, an article on the Card Player website indicated that Shulman's supposed disdain for Harrah's Casino was not based on its partnership with Bluff Magazine. “My comments have nothing to do with that, and everything to do with my disappointment in how the World Series is run," said Shulman. "It used to be run by people who loved and really cared about poker, and had the players in mind, first and foremost. That mission's been derailed by a few executives who now head the Series."[13] He also indicated that, if he won the bracelet, he would not throw it in the trash, but instead would pursue one of four options: hold an auction and donate the money to charity, hold a tournament for the players shut out of the 2009 WSOP Main Event, give it away as part of a promotion on SpadeClub.com (an online poker site sponsored by Cardplayer), or give it to television personality Stephen Colbert.[13]
Other notable finalists included seven-time bracelet winner Phil Ivey and former Bear Stearns senior executive Steven Begleiter.[11]
At age 21, Joe Cada became the youngest player to ever win the WSOP Main Event.[14]
2010
Main articles: 2010 World Series of Poker and 2010 World Series of Poker resultsOriginal field: 7,319
Total prize pool: $68,798,600
Final table minimum prize: $811,823
Final table maximum prize: $8,944,310
Final table prize pool: $29,032,637
Name Starting chip count WSOP
braceletsWSOP
cashesWSOP
earningsFinal
placePrize Jonathan Duhamel 65,975,000 0 2 $43,000 1st $8,944,310 John Dolan 46,250,000 0 5 $105,340 6th $1,772,959 Joseph Cheong 23,525,000 0 2 $31,064 3rd $4,130,049 John Racener 19,050,000 0 10 $157,528 2nd $5,545,955 Matthew Jarvis 16,700,000 0 0 0 8th $1,045,743 Filippo Candio 16,400,000 0 1 $3,460 4th $3,092,545 Michael Mizrachi 14,450,000 1 23 $2,271,327 5th $2,332,992 Cuong Soi Nguyen 9,650,000 0 0 0 9th $811,823 Jason Senti 7,625,000 0 1 $17,987 7th $1,356,720 2011
Main articles: 2011 World Series of Poker and 2011 World Series of Poker resultsOriginal field: 6,865
Total prize Pool: $64,531,000
Final table minimum prize: $782,115
Final table maximum prize: $8,715,638
Final table prize pool: $28,469,161
Name Starting chip count WSOP
braceletsWSOP
cashesWSOP
earningsFinal
placePrize Martin Staszko 40,175,000 0 4 $22,875 2nd $5,433,086 Eoghan O'Dea 33,925,000 0 5 $37,516 6th $1,720,831 Matt Giannetti 24,750,000 0 10 $237,249 4th $3,012,700 Phil Collins 23,875,000 0 8 $48,769 5th $2,269,599 Ben Lamb 20,875,000 1 12 $2,157,249 3rd $4,021,138 Badih "Bob" Bounahra 19,700,000 0 1 $7,582 7th $1,314,097 Pius Heinz 16,425,000 0 1 $83,286 1st $8,715,638 Anton Makiievskyi 13,825,000 0 0 0 8th $1,010,015 Sam Holden 12,375,000 0 0 0 9th $782,115 Eoghan O'Dea's father, Donnacha O'Dea, made the Main Event final table in 1983 and 1991, making them the first father-son duo to make the final table.[15] In addition, Martin Staszko, Badih Bounahra, Pius Heinz and Anton Makiievskyi were the first players to make the Main Event final table from the countries of Czech Republic, Belize, Germany, and Ukraine, respectively.[16][17][18][19] With seven different countries represented, this was the most internationally diverse Main Event final table in WSOP history.[20]
Notes
a The number of bracelets, cashes, and earnings of the players is determined at the time they qualified for the final table of the Main Event. It does not represent any results from subsequent WSOP events including the WSOP-Europe, which occurs between the time the November Nine are determined and the time the final table is seated.
References
- ^ "Final Table Set at World Series of Poker Main Event; Nine to Compete at Rio for $12 Million and Title of World Champion". Business Wire. Business Wire. 2006-08-09. http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060809005375&newsLang=en. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
- ^ a b Skolovy, Daniel (2009-07-14). "How ESPN Can Improve the November Nine". Pokerlistings. http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/how-espn-can-improve-the-november-nine. Retrieved 2009.
- ^ "The November Nine". ESPN. 2008-07-18. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/poker/columns/story?columnist=wise_gary&id=3486632. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ Cypra, Dan (2008-10-30). "WSOP Changes Venue for Main Event Final Table". Poker Daily News. http://www.pokernewsdaily.com/wsop-changes-venue-for-main-event-final-table-618/. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ Cypra, Dan (2008-11-01). "ESPN Senior Director Comments on WSOP Main Event Broadcast". Poker News Daily. http://www.pokernewsdaily.com/espn-senior-director-comments-on-wsop-main-event-broadcast-629/. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ Cypra, Dan (2008-11-14). "ESPN Ratings Up 50% for WSOP Main Event Final Table". Poker Daily News. http://www.pokernewsdaily.com/espn-ratings-up-50-for-wsop-main-event-final-table-684/. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ "Media Center". National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. http://www.emmyonline.tv/mediacenter/sports_30th_nominees.html. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ a b c d e Polson, Sarah (2008-07-15). "2008 WSOP: Introducing the November Nine". Pokerlisting. http://www.pokerlistings.com/2008-wsop-introducing-the-november-nine-29219. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
- ^ "World Championship No-Limit Texas Hold'em (Event 54)". 2008 39th Annual World Series of Poker. Harrah's Entertainment Inc. http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/tourney/tournament-payout.asp?tid=4948&grid=411. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ "World Championship NL Texas Hold'em (Event 57)". 2009 40th Annual World Series of Poker. Harrah's Entertainment Inc.. http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/tourney/tournament-chip-counts.asp?tid=7283&grid=607. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ a b c Silver, Steve (2009-07-21). "ESPN to devote record amount of time to Main Event". Las Vegas Sun. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/jul/21/espn-prepares-record-setting-broadcast/. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ Burton, Earl (2009-07-20). "Darvin Moon – Poker Player Profile". Poker News Daily. http://www.pokernewsdaily.com/darvin-moon-poker-player-profile-3443/. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
- ^ a b "Jeff Shulman Explains Controversial WSOP Comments". Cardplayer Magazine. 2009-07-17. http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/7213-jeff-shulman-explains-controversial-wsop-comments. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ Willis, Brad (2009-11-10). "WSOP Crowns Joe Cada, Youngest Main Event Winner". PokerStarsBlog.com. http://www.pokerstarsblog.com/wsop/2009/wsop-crowns-joe-cada-youngest-main-event-061007.html. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
- ^ Wise, Gary (2011-09-23). "Eoghan O'Dea creating his own legacy". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/poker/story/_/id/6993280/eoghan-odea-stepped-shadows-father-legacy-wsop-main-event-final-table. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
- ^ "Martin Staszko: 2011 WSOP November Nine". PokerListings. 2011-07-19. http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/martin-staszko-2011-wsop-november-nine. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
- ^ "Badih "Bob" Bounahra: 2011 WSOP November Nine". PokerListings. 2011-07-19. http://www.pokerlistings.com/badih-bob-bounahra-2011-wsop-november-nine. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
- ^ "Pius Heinz: 2011 WSOP November Nine". PokerListings. 2011-07-19. http://www.pokerlistings.com/pius-heinz-2011-wsop-november-nine. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
- ^ Holloway, Chad (2011-10-31). "Preparing for the 2011 World Series of Poker November Nine: Anton Makiievskyi". PokerNews'. http://www.pokernews.com/news/2011/10/2011-world-series-of-poker-november-nine-anton-makiievskyi-11305.htm. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
- ^ "Official Report, Event #58". WSOP.com. 2011-07-20. http://www.wsop.com/pdfs/reports/11497-final-report.pdf. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
Categories:- World Series of Poker
- Sports in the Las Vegas metropolitan area
- Poker television programs
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
