The Weekly PokerNews Strategy Quiz: November Nine Edition

11-07-2015 75604 responses Top results

It’s Saturday, which makes it time again for another installment of “The Weekly PokerNews Strategy Quiz.”

Last week we recognized Halloween with a holiday-themed edition of the quiz, diverging from our usual method of culling questions from the week’s Strategy articles here on PokerNews. This weekend brings another holiday of sorts for poker fans as tomorrow begins — finally! — the final table of the 2015 World Series of Poker Main Event. So again we thought we’d provide something timely with a “November Nine” edition of the quiz.

After waiting nearly four months, the nine survivors from the 6,420 who entered the $10,000 buy-in tournament this summer finally return to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas to play out the rest of the this year’s Main Event. There remains nearly $25 million of the prize pool left to be divided among these last nine players, with a handsome $7,683,346 prize sitting up top for the eventual champion.

The practice of delaying the WSOP Main Event final table began in 2008, making this the eighth year of the “November Nine-era.” Here are nine questions derived from the previous November Nine final tables. Getting at least seven correct out of the nine is enough for a passing grade, and if you happen to miss any you will get an explanation of the correct answer.

Test your poker knowledge and get ready for this year’s November Nine by reliving recent exciting WSOP Main Event finishes.

Start Quiz

Question 1

At the 2008 November Nine, with nine left chip leader Dennis Phillips held Ah-Kc and faced a huge shove on a 8d-10c-Js flop by Ivan Demidov. Phillips chose to fold and was suddenly eighth of nine. As it happened, Demidov was holding Ac-Qc, meaning he had how many immediate outs?

Question 2

At that same final table with five players left, Scott Montgomery was all in before the flop and at risk with Ad-3d versus eventual winner Peter Eastgate’s 6h-6s, then the flop came Ac-Qs-4d. Montgomery’s percentage chance of winning the hand thereafter was about...

Question 3

In 2009, Phil Ivey made the November Nine and battled many hours with a short stack until there were seven left. That’s when he open-raised all in his last 11 big blinds or so with Ac-Ks and was called by Darvin Moon (then third in chips) who held Ad-Qs, making Ivey almost a...

Question 4

The most memorable hand from the 2010 WSOP Main Event came with three players left. The blinds were 600K/1.2M with a 200K ante. Joseph Cheong (with about 90M start the hand) raised to 2.9M from the button, then John Racener (with about 36M to start) folded the small blind. Jonathan Duhamel (with about 83M) then reraised to 6.75M. Cheong made it 14.25M to go, Duhamel reraised again to 22.75M, then Cheong went all in, leaving Duhamel to consider whether or not to call Cheong’s...

Question 5

The 2011 WSOP Main Event final table in which Pius Heinz eventually outlasted Martin Stasko heads-up to win featured some strong play and interesting strategy. Phil Collins lasted for exactly 100 hands at that final table (finishing fifth), and during the first few orbits that night could be seen entering hands several times not by raising, but rather by calling the big blind or...

Question 6

An interesting hand with six players left at the 2012 November Nine saw eventual winner Greg Merson min-raise from the button for 1 million with As-Ks, eventual runner-up Jesse Sylvia reraise to 2.6 million from the small blind with an unknown hand, then Andras Koroknai reraise again to 5.3 million from the big blind with Kh-Qd. Merson made it 9.2 million to go, Sylvia folded, Koroknai shoved for about 41 million total, and Merson called for just a little more. Alas for Koroknai, when the cards were tabled he saw his king-queen was...

Question 7

That 2012 WSOP Main Event final table lasted 399 hands (the most of the November Nine-era), with Jake Balsiger (who finished third), Jesse Sylvia (runner-up), and Greg Merson (winner) battling three-handed for an incredible 247 hands. Then Sylvia and Merson played just 17 more hands more heads-up. By the way, which player has the button during heads-up play?

Question 8

Speaking of heads-up play, Ryan Riess and Jay Farber would play 90 hands’ worth of heads-up at the conclusion of the 2013 WSOP Main Event final table. Eventual winner Riess opened with raises every single time he had the button, while Farber raised his button almost every time as well except for six times when he open-folded to give Riess a...

Question 9

A big hand during three-handed play at the 2014 WSOP Main Event final table saw eventual winner Martin Jacobson and runner-up Felix Stephensen battle back and forth on each street as the board ran out 7c-10c-5s-Kc-Qs. Jacobson had As-Ad, and on the river he led with a big bet of 15 million into a 36 million-plus pot. Stephensen called, showing Ks-Jh, and Jacobson collected the pot. Jacobson’s play on the river could be best described as a somewhat bold...