November Nine Final Table Day 1 | 2009 WSOP Main Event - The Final Table

11-07-2009 09:53 UTC-12

Hand #22 - Steve Begleiter

[user66118]

Kevin Schaffel has the button. Under the gun, Joe Cada raises to 750,000. Action comes all the way around to the small blind where Steve Begleiter sticks in a re-raise to 2,250,000. Cada frowns and folds out of the way.

Tags: Joe Cada Steve Begleiter

11-07-2009 09:53 UTC-12

Updated Chip Counts

donpeters

Darvin Moon - 62,305,000
Eric Buchman - 35,610,000
Steven Begleiter - 29,275,000
Jeff Shulman - 18,830,000
Joseph Cada - 13,355,000
Kevin Schaffel - 11,510,000
Phil Ivey - 10,795,000
Antoine Saout - 8,970,000
James Akenhead - 4,215,000

11-07-2009 09:51 UTC-12

Hand #21 - Kevin Schaffel

[user75032]

Phil Ivey has the button. Everyone folds around to the blinds. Kevin Schaffel completes the small blind and Steve Begleiter checks his option from the big blind. On a flop of {6-Spades}

, Schaffel takes the pot down with a bet of 600,000.

Tags: Kevin Schaffel Steve Begleiter

11-07-2009 09:50 UTC-12

Pay Structure Could Alter Play

donpeters

Don't think that the slow action early on is anything new here at the WSOP Main Event final table. Last year, it took until the 13th hand of action to see a flop. This year was a little faster with the first flop being seen on the 6th hand.

No one's been eliminated yet either, but that should be expected with what's at stake. In the return of the November Nine last year, it took 52 hands to send the first person packing, Craig Marquis. The prize jump is only $36,629 between 8th and 9th place this year. Last year it was a whopping $387,547! That's over 10 times the difference this year with the much more gradual pay scale. You won't see that big of a jump until the jump from 6th to 5th. That said, the players may be a little more willing to get their money in early as opposed to waiting to money up. Only time will tell though.

11-07-2009 09:46 UTC-12

Hand #20 - Eric Buchman

[user66118]

James Akenhead has the button. Eric Buchman makes it 800,000 from early position, and he finds no action.

Tags: Eric Buchman

11-07-2009 09:45 UTC-12

Hand #19 - Darvin Moon

[user75032]

Darvin Moon has the button. He raises to 1.2 million. After James Akenhead fold the small blind, Phil Ivey glances at Moon and then folds the big blind.

Tags: Darvin Moon

11-07-2009 09:43 UTC-12

Hand #18 - Darvin Moon

[user66118]

Jeff Shulman has the button. The action passes all the way around to the blinds where Darvin Moon limps in and James Akenhead taps the felt for a free flop.

It shows up {10-Diamonds}

, and Moon's leading bet of 700,000 earns him the pot.

Tags: Darvin Moon James Akenhead

11-07-2009 09:42 UTC-12

Everybody Can Breathe Again

Matthew

During the hand where Phil Ivey moved all in, the entire press box went absolutely silent. It was as if the whole poker community was collectively holding their breath. It was not so much that Ivey moved in over Shulman's raise, the anxiety was caused by Joe Cada going deep into the think tank. When he folded, Shulman could not have flicked his cards into the muck fast enough.

The press box began breathing again following the hand.

Tags: Joe Cada Phil ivey

11-07-2009 09:41 UTC-12

Hand #17 - Phil Ivey

[user75032]

Antoine Saout has the button. Phil Ivey opens the pot to 800,000. Nobody calls, allowing Ivey to win another pot. Darvin Moon says something to Ivey and cracks a smile, but we couldn't hear what it was.

Tags: Phil Ivey

11-07-2009 09:40 UTC-12

Hand #16 - Saout Shoves

[user66118]

Joe Cada has the button. One seat in front of him, Eric Buchman opens the pot to 800,000. Antoine Saout moves all in for 7,710,000 from the small blind, and that's enough to take down the pot right there.