Larrabe Gets Involved
11/11/2014 01:20:50
Andoni Larrabe opens for 800k with 10♦ 9♦ and gets two callers, Daniel Sindelar with 5♥ 5♠ and Felix Stephensen in the big blind with J♣ 2♣.
The Spaniard continues on the 8♥ 9♣ A♦ flop and gets two folds.
Tonking Takes First Pot of the Day
11/11/2014 01:08:15
Newhouse opens the button with Q♥ 2♣ and Will Tonking defends with A♦ 9♦
Tonking flops aces up on the A♥ K♥ 9♥ and check-calls Newhouse's bet. It looks like it could be a big hand but the 7♠K♠ runout sees the first pot of the day shipped to the New Jersey pro.
...and the crowd goes wild!
Cards Are in the Air
11/11/2014 01:04:31
The waiting is over. 2013 champion and self-styled 'best player in the world' Ryan Riess gets the final table of the 2014 World Series of Poker underway.
Almost There
11/11/2014 01:00:35
Lon and Norman are in position, the players are ready, and we're about to get going at the final table
Who's Your Favourite?
11/11/2014 00:41:15
There's plenty of play left at this final table, with even the shortest stacks on more than 30 big blinds. As you can imagine, there's little to choose between the nine as far as the bookies are concerned.
Chip leader Jorryt van Hoof is the favourite at 3/1, but with no one at odds of longer than 11/1 we can't rule anyone out.
As of November 5th, the odds were as follows
Jorryt van Hoof 3/1
Mark Newhouse 7/2
Felix Stephensen 7/2
Billy Pappaconstantinou 5/1
Daniel Sindelar 5/1
Andoni Larrabe 11/2
Martin Jacobson 7/1
William Tonking 7/1
Bruno Politano 11/1
Seat 9: Bruno Politano
11/11/2014 00:24:20
Age: 30
From: United States
Pre 2014 Main-Event Career Earnings: $335,962
Chips: 21,200,000 (5/9)Finally, in Seat 9 is Bruno Politano, who is another player to make history – this time as the first ever Brazilian to make the November Nine. Finishing 3rd or higher would catapult Politano to the top of Brazil's all-time money list, and the vast majority of his tournament cashes have been on home turf, with his biggest score being a 3rd place worth $47k in the 2013 Brazilian Series of Poker Main Event. He's also got a wealth of experience online under the moniker 'Foster18', with over $300k in profits.
Politano has been involved in poker for over a decade, but is not a professional player, simply commenting that it is only a nice supplemental income for him. Although he is the shortest stack, it's not by much – he only needs three million to shoot up two places in the chip counts, giving him a decent chance if he manages to come off well in any early tussles.
Seat 8: Martin Jacobson
11/11/2014 00:22:04
Age: 27
From: Sweden
Pre 2014 Main-Event Career Earnings: $4,807,316
Chips: 14,900,000 (8/9)Jacobson is by far the most successful player in terms of career earnings out of the nine. He is a big face on the European circuit, having had more EPT cashes than we've had hot dinners, including a runner up finish in EPT Deauville 2011 for €560,000. He also final tabled last year's One Drop High Roller event, netting him $807,427. Although he has the second shortest stack on the table, if there's anyone who can turn it round, it's Jacobson – he is the pro's favourite, and almost certainly the best all-round player left. He also has plenty of experience in playing final tables for big money, meaning he's likely to be cool and collected playing under the spotlight.
Seat 7: Daniel Sindelar
11/11/2014 00:19:02
Age: 30
From: United States
Pre 2014 Main-Event Career Earnings: $335,962
Chips: 21,200,000 (5/9)Square in the middle of the chip counts sits Daniel Sindelar, a professional player hailing from Nebraska. His poker CV boasts a score of WSOP cashes over the years, but he's never yet made a final table – until now, that is. Sindelar has plenty of experience both online, where he plays as 'dsindy' or 'sindy2', and live, where he has an ample list of tournament results (with a career best score of $105,312 after winning the $1,000 Fall Poker Classic in 2007).
Coming up to the final table, Sindelar told the press how he rejoiced at having positional advantage over Martin Jacobson, who he considered to be a formidable opponent. He might be less pleased to see that the tables have now turned when it comes to the final table seat draw, since Jacobson is set to be on his left. Currently, Sindelar is neither a favourite nor an underdog to win: he's certainly no amateur, but will have to pick up some lucky spots in order to grow his middle-of-the-pack stack into something more fearsome. One thing in his favour is that he has a sizeable, and raucous, rail – and look what that did for 'Riess the Beast' last year.
Seat 6: William Tonking
11/11/2014 00:17:03
Age: 27
From: United States
Pre 2014 Main-Event Career Earnings: $93,306
Chips: 15,050,000 (7/9)William Tonking may be among the short stacks of the final table, but he's already guaranteed what is by far his biggest cash (his current largest score is from a Sands Bethlehem Deepstack event, where he placed 5th for $28,000). One of the four Yanks on the table, Tonking is familiar with the WSOP, with a few small cashes under his belt from previous years. However, he claims to be more of a cash game player than anything else, and seems less confident in his tournament abilities. Finally, Tonking has commented more than once that he wasn't looking for fame, so whether the flashbulbs and media circus will affect him playing his A-game remains to be seen.
Seat 5: Andoni Larrabe
11/11/2014 00:14:27
Age: 22
From: Spain
Pre 2014 Main-Event Career Earnings: $341,266
Chips: 22,550,000 (4/9)Spaniard Andoni Larrabe may be the table's youngest player at 22, but his youth does not equal inexperience. On the contrary, his career earnings are on par with or even surpass a few fellow November Niners who are almost a decade his senior. Larrabe's big break first came in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure's $5,000 side event, in which he defeated Justin Bonomo heads up to take the trophy and $218,710.
His journey to the final table wasn't a smooth one – indeed, it looked for a while as if he was circling the drain as the short stack in the final 10. Fortunately, he found a good time to wake up to Aces, doubling up through eventual November Nine bubble boy Luis Velador, and now sits comfortably 4th in chips. Although his previous achievements suggest he definitely knows what he's doing, Larrabe has swerved the media the most out of the nine, making him something of an unknown quantity – but definitely one to keep an eye on.