Las Vegas Weekly

November 7, 2008 · 10:24 AM

November Nine compete for $9 million WSOP title prize on Sunday

By Robin Leach

Dennis Phillips.

Photo: World Series of Poker

Back on July 3, some 6,844 poker players from 118 countries bought in for $10,000 apiece for the new-look, 39th annual World Series of Poker. It all comes down to this weekend’s final table of nine. The November Nine will enter Penn & Teller’s theater at The Rio for their own kind of magic Sunday morning at 10.

During the past three months of no play, the nine players have been not only studying one another’s skills, maneuvers, strengths and weaknesses, but they’ve also been kept in the public eye with ESPN airing highlights from the Main Event, which led up to Tuesday’s preview show of the Final Table.

Less than 24 hours after the winner is named -- after the two leaders go head to head Monday -- and receives the giant payday of $9.12 million, ESPN will broadcast the turn by turn on Tuesday. The KO’d players will divide up the $32 million prize pot.

Poker prince and three-time winner Daniel Negreanu, who didn’t make the final nine, said: “This 90-day delay, innovative step creates more buzz for the final table. The added time prior to the final table will help get poker mainstream media attention. The idea behind the decision is to allow the drama to build on television broadcasts.

“Instead of knowing who won and watching only how the tournament played out, viewers will not know who won. It’s another important innovation like showing TV viewers the whole card. This event grows poker, and that’s great for everybody.”

Meet the final nine before the sweat starts running Sunday morning:

*Dennis Phillips, with 26,295,000 chips, is the current leader. He is a 53-year-old account manager for a commercial trucking company in St. Louis, Mo. He started playing poker as a hobby just four years ago and has only cashed in two live tournaments, being awarded a combined total of less than $5,000. He plans to give some prize money to various charities, including Multiple Sclerosis because his brother is afflicted with the disease.

*Ivan Demidov, with 24,400,000 chips, is the second highest. The 27-year-old professional poker player hails from Moscow. Russian-born Demidov is playing at the WSOP for the first time.

*Scott Montgomery, with 19,690,000 chips, sits in third place. The 26-year-old Canadian received his bachelor’s of mathematics at the University of Waterloo and has been playing poker for only four years, winning $406,585.

*Peter Eastgate, with 18,375,000 chips, is only 22, and the Danish pro has played for just three years and has earned $76,084 to date.

*Ylon Schwartz, with 12,525,000 chips, is a 38-year-old from Brooklyn, New York, who used to play chess games for money in Manhattan’s public parks. Although it’s his 12th WSOP title attempt, he’s never placed higher than third in any live poker tournament.

*Darus Suharto, with 12,520,000 chips, is a 39-year-old -old accountant who was born in Indonesia and now resides in Toronto, Ontario. He attended both York University and the University of Central Arkansas. His only win in a major poker tournament was $26,389 for a 448th place finish in the 2006 WSOP!

*David Rheem, with 10,230,000 chips, is a 28 year-old professional poker player from Los Angeles who gave up seeking basketball fame for the cards 10 years ago. In the past three years, he has won $634,657, but this is his first WSOP main event.

*Craig Marquis, with 10,210,000 chips, has played poker for less than two years. He is 23, from Arlington, Texas, and has earned $35,759 to date. He plans to provide his sisters with scholarship money from his winnings.

*Kelly Kim, with 2,620,000 chips, rounds out the November Nine as the long shot. The 31-year-old Korean-born card player lives in Whittier, Calif., where he wrestled in high school. It was only during his sophomore year of college that he entered his first live poker tournament at a small Indian casino. It took him until 2001 to win his first cash -- $798. Since then, he’s had 37 other wins, totaling $351,744.

We’ll be at The Rio early Sunday for the first play. Early Monday, we’ll post all the photos and drama to bring you the final two players who will then sit Monday night at 10 and go head to head. One of them walks away with $9 million, and we’ll have the first winner’s words right here early Tuesday.

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