Posted by Andrew Feldman
Editor's note: Information below contains spoilers for Tuesday's TV show. The final table preview show will air at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, followed by the final table from 9-11 p.m. If you'd rather watch the action unfold on TV, consider yourself warned. If you're still with me, enjoy the ride. 5:35 a.m.: We have a champion!
On the very first hand after the break, Peter Eastgate finished off Ivan Demidov. Eastgate hit the wheel on the turn and induced an all-in bet from Demidov, who held two pair. An insta-call later, Eastgate was celebrating with his supporters and capping off one of the most amazing final tables in history. At 22, Eastgate becomes the youngest main event champion in WSOP history and there will be much more to look forward to from this young Danish pro.
As for Demidov, he has nothing to be ashamed of with this performance, although, as he put it, "Still no bracelet." Two WSOP main events, two final tables and a whole lot of cash. Congrats, Ivan, on an amazing run.
I was able to interview both players for the Poker Edge podcast and that should be posted in the morning.
Thanks for following all these hours and posts. It's been a fun couple days here in Las Vegas and I'm already counting down the days until the 2009 WSOP begins. Don't forget to watch the final table on ESPN from 9-11 p.m. ET Tuesday night (actually, 8 p.m. with the final table preview show). As weird as this sounds given the extent of this blog, I'll be watching! There are some hands I definitely need to see!
5:25 a.m.: A note from a friend
On this latest break I ran into the reporter who was sleeping next to me in media row last night (see 11 p.m. on Sunday). He wanted everyone to know that there's no way he's sleeping tonight and is looking forward to a big party -- that is if Eastgate can hold off Demidov and win this thing.
He also said that I'd be invited. Nice. Party at 4 in the morning (West Coast time), that's what I'm talking about. Maybe I'll do the podcast from the party. Oh wait … it's not over yet.
The players are coming back to the table any minute now. I'll keep you posted when Demidov moves all-in.
5:05 a.m.: Demidov down to $16 million
Eastgate hit a full house on the turn and made a great value bet on the river, which Demidov called. After failing to win that hand, Demidov is in desperate need of a double-up.
Players are now on a 20-minute break.
5:00 a.m.: Demidov doesn't learn
Once again, Peter Eastgate trapped Ivan Demidov. It seems that Demidov hasn't realized that when Eastgate checks to him on the river, he should probably check behind. Now I'm not going into strategy or anything because that's not fair. Obviously there's a lot more to the game than just that blanket statement, but I've seen Eastgate work this move to perfection time and again against Demidov. This time it was to the tune of $12 million. Eastgate snap-called Demidov's bet and showed a flush. Demidov had ace high and now we once again have a severely short-stacked Russian at $28 million.
If there's ever a time to put pressure on Demidov, this would be it, Mr. Eastgate.
4:40 a.m.: Signs of life from "Drago"
The "Drago" nickname for Demidov hasn't really stuck, but I'm going to give it another shot. Demidov has been picking his spots well, taking multiple pots away from Eastgate with reraises primarily on the preflop. On one hand, a pot-sized river bet raked in $16 million.
Chip counts:
Eastgate: $85 million.
Demidov: $52 million.
4:25 a.m.:
Some WSOP firsts:
• This is the first time that the big blind has ever reached $1 million.
• This is the longest WSOP main event final table in history -- 4 months. Seriously though, it really is the longest.
• This is the first time a 22-year-old has made it to heads-up play.
• This is the first time I've heard a group of people singing happy birthday at a final table and blogged about it.
OK, that last one is a stretch … bear with me, it's late.
4:10 a.m.:
As Eastgate continued to build his chip lead, members of media row have started to plan out headlines to lead tomorrow's features on the winner. I haven't come up with anything great just yet. Feel free to offer suggestions.
Demidov was down as much as $28 million, but has made his way back to $41 million by simply chipping away at Eastgate's stack. Both players are very focused with each and every decision, taking their time before acting on every street. One thing to note is that even with all the spectators in the room, it really is relatively quiet for heads-up play. There also seems to be more Eastgate supporters than Demidov supporters.
3:30 a.m.: Eastgate eclipses $100 million
Another Ivan Demidov river bet gone bad has left Peter Eastgate with a commanding chip lead, more than $100 million to Demidov's $36.6 million. After taking some time to think on a board of 9-7-6-J-Q, Demidov led out on the river for $7 million and was instantly called by Eastgate, who confidently flipped over his second pair (J-8). Demidov had only ace high (A-10) and will need to get his game back on track if he wants to win this bracelet.
3:07 a.m.:
After Peter Eastgate took down a very nice pot with aces up, the players went on a quick break.
There was another interesting hand just moments earlier as Demidov flopped a straight, only to see Eastgate catch his straight on the turn. After the river brought a third diamond, both players checked, turned up the same straight and exhaled simultaneously.
Eastgate has $86 million to Demidov's $51 million. I think we still have a long way to go, but the aggression has most definitely picked up from both players.
2:45 a.m.: Yeah, just kidding about that Eastgate advantage
The past couple hands have been all Ivan Demidov, who has now battled back to $65 million. Demidov's past three hands have been aggressive both preflop and postflop, maybe trying to send a message to Eastgate that he won't back down to his raises at this point.
2:30 a.m.: Eastgate winning crucial pots
It's been a back-and-forth battle over the past half hour and, through a couple of bigger pots, Peter Eastgate has regained the chip lead. There's been a few flops and we've noticed that Demidov doesn't like to release his hand to an Eastgate postflop bet. Instead, we've seen Eastgate win with queen-high and numerous uncalled river bets as Demidov fails to make another call.
These few pots have given Eastgate an $82 million to $54 million lead, essentially back to where we started play.
2:00 a.m.: Demidov wins pot, takes chip lead
After winning a pot of nearly $20 million with two pair (K-3 on a K-J-6-5-4 board), Ivan Demidov has taken over the chip lead and now is ahead $73 million to Peter Eastgate's $63 million. Before he could finish stacking his chips, Demidov rushed off the stage to take a bathroom break. Tournament director Jack Effel finished stacking Demidov's chips in his absence.
It also looks like Demidov's game plan was to keep the pressure on Eastgate. So far, it appears to be working.
1:40 a.m.: "Let's get ready to ..."
Cards are in the air after a cool introduction from Michael Buffer. Instead of his typical "Let's get ready to rumble," he gave a little poker love saying, "Let's get ready to shuffle." Rumor has it that this was the first time he's ever made an adjustment to his trademark line.
Blinds just went up to $400,000/$800,000 with a $100,000 ante.
1:15 a.m.: Lindgren is top player
Erick Lindgren has officially been awarded the 2008 WSOP Player of the Year.
"Wow, this is awesome," said Lindgren, looking up to the balcony. "I can't believe all you people are here to watch poker."
The players have been welcomed to the table and are stacking their chips at their seats. Play should begin very shortly.
Dennis Phillips has just made his way to the final table as well.
12:50 a.m.: The music is on, the screens are going and the fans are in their seats
After having a bite to eat and watching the 49ers play awfully at the end of the game, I made my way back to the Penn and Teller theater where, once again, there's a line to get in for spectators. Once inside, I saw that the DJ has regained her position in front of the final table and it feels like I'm in a club right now.
Right before dinner, I stopped by Dennis Phillips' party at McFaddens. Once again, all his friends are dressed up exactly alike and it was like playing "Where's Waldo" in trying to pick Phillips out of the crowd. I managed to find him and spoke to him for a second about his golf game (he won $600 playing this morning) and how completely exhausted he was.
Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack is ready and walking around, the fans are seated, the media is typing away and, most importantly, the players are about to take their seats. Cards will be in the air just after the Player of the Year presentation to Erick Lindgren.
10:30 p.m.: Welcome back
I left the Rio for about 10 hours before I returned for the boxing style weigh-in of the final two. Both players were all smiles in front of the bricks of cash and both ignored the superstition of never touching a bracelet before it has been won, staring at the bracelet in their hands and holding it up for all to see.
The news conference was another new step to market the WSOP this year and right in the middle of the Masquerade tower of the Rio, a stage was set up for fans all across the Rio to see. Quick interviews with the media led up to the two parting ways to think about what would come next. Eastgate told me he was going to sleep while Demidov seemed eager to pass the time any way possible.
Eric Newby/RawVegas.tv
Peter Eastgate and Ivan Demidov were all business during Monday's press conference
I had the opportunity to speak with both players on the Poker Edge 
podcast, posted just a couple hours ago (and in case you missed the one from overnight, you can find it here ). You'll hear that they're both excited for the opportunity and surprisingly, Demidov believed that at this point, it's all about the bracelet, noting that the pay differential is negligible. Another column that you can't miss is Gary Wise's on the two.
Play begins at 1 a.m. and I'm putting the line at 4:30 a.m. tonight, if we get started on time. Both players are ready for this and I love the fact that they were able to rest before this heads-up battle.
3:30 a.m.: Two For Tuesday
Dennis Phillips was caught.
Peter Eastgate raised preflop and Phillips made the call. The flop came J-3-4 and Eastgate led out. Phillips moved all-in for another $15 million with 10-9 and was instantly called by Eastgate, who held a set of threes. After an ace hit the turn, Phillips received a roaring ovation from his fans, as he would be drawing dead on the river. With a smile on his face and probably a ton of hidden disappointment, Phillips took a bow and walked off the stage earning $4.5 million.
For the second bust out in a row, I'm not sure if either Phillips or Ylon Schwartz saw something in Eastgate that would prompt that type of bluff, but it was still a great comeback from Phillips, who nearly 14 hours ago was a very short stack.
The one thing you can say about Phillips is that he had more fun over the past four months than anyone else. Listen to the interview on the Poker Edge podcast that will be posted in just a few hours to hear some truly emotional responses from a great ambassador of the game.
The heads-up battle is set, and Peter Eastgate ($79 million) will take a chip lead into an epic battle Monday night against Ivan Demidov ($57 million). In a very interesting note from my pokernews.com neighbor, it took the exact same number of hands to get to heads-up this year as last year -- 169.
Thanks for following along for the past 15 hours! It's been an amazing day here at the Rio. Tomorrow, a champion will be crowned and someone will make history.
3:05 a.m.: Ylon Schwartz all-in
In the words of one of my favorite movies, "Anchorman": "That escalated quickly."
Ylon Schwartz was eliminated with a very weird hand, leaving Peter Eastgate with the chip lead with three to go.
Eastgate raised preflop and Schwartz made the call. The flop was Kh-8h-2s, and both players checked. The turn was another king, and Eastgate led out for half the pot. Schwartz made the call. The river was a five and Eastgate led out again, this time for a little under half the pot. Schwartz moved all-in for an additional $12 million, and although visibly pained with the decision, Eastgate made the call and revealed a full house, fives over kings. Schwartz acknowledged that he had nothing but ace high and was eliminated from the tournament in fourth place. He earned $3.7 million for his performance.
I just don't get it -- there was no reason to make that move and I'm hoping to get a good answer from Schwartz shortly.
The big three -- Eastgate, Demidov and Phillips -- will now battle it out for a chance to come back Monday night and finish off the final table.
2:50 a.m.: We're back
The players are seated and the cards are in the air. During the break I had the opportunity to go talk to Dennis Phillips, who said he's holding up, despite the long hours. He looked tired on the screens during the last level, but maybe he found his second wind.
More poker players have also made an appearance. Chris Ferguson, Daniel Negreanu and Jennifer Harman have all come to show their support, and something very interesting that I noticed was a quick talk between Hevad Khan and Ivan Demidov. Whether it was about anything strategy-specific, I'm not sure, but it looked like Demidov was listening intently to what Khan had to say.
As for the crowd, it has thinned a bit, but there are still supporters for each of the players yelling and screaming after each hand. I commend the WSOP on a truly great environment for this final table. This arena added the feel of a true sporting event, and it far exceeded my expectations coming into this weekend.
2:25 a.m.: Break
As the players go on yet another break, here's a friendly reminder that you can watch the final table on ESPN Tuesday night from 9-11 p.m. ET. I hope it's done by then.
2:15 a.m.
Mmmm. SoBe.
There's been a lack of flops recently, and I figure that as soon as I post this, something interesting will happen. Well, that's what I'm hoping.
Here are the current chip counts:
Ivan Demidov $47.1 million
Peter Eastgate $46.3 million
Dennis Phillips $24.4 million
Ylon Schwartz $18.3 million
1:50 a.m.: A big tease?
Ylon Schwartz raised from the button and Peter Eastgate reraised him all-in from the big blind. Schwartz made the call for all his chips and both players immediately flipped up their cards, confident in their holdings. Schwartz showed As-Kc and Eastgate held Ac-Kd and it should've been a chop pot. For the second time today, the flop made things very interesting as it came all diamonds: 9-J-7. Schwartz was hoping to avoid a miserable beat and held out on the turn, the 7c. Schwartz would have to sweat it out one more time and he did, seeing the 5c on the river.
Just a quick level update, we have 1 hour and 20 minutes to go in Level 37 with blinds at $400,000/$800,000 with a $100,000 ante.
1:30 a.m.
As we inch closer to the final two players, here are a couple of things that I've noticed:
• Many of Dennis Phillips' fans are now hung over. No joke.
• Ivan Demidov and Peter Eastgate are starting to be aggressive and putting pressure on the two shorter stacks.
• Ylon Schwartz came out firing today and made his way up to $40 million. Since then, he's been very quiet and basically invisible, folding for the past six hours. If he wants to make the final two, he needs to awaken the Schwartz from 12 hours ago and get back in gear.
• Phillips might look a little tired, but his fans continue to put a smile on his face.
• I have hopes I might be asleep by 5 a.m. ET. Very debatable.
12:37 a.m. Ivan Demidov all-in and … what is Scott Montgomery doing?
Some major pots took place just minutes before the break. Scott Montgomery looks physically exhausted, and perhaps the fatigue finally got to him after nearly 12 hours of play.
Montgomery three-bet all-in into Ivan Demidov, who called instantly and revealed K-K. Montgomery sheepishly revealed Ad-9d and put his head in his hands. The flop was disastrous for Demidov -- 6d-4d-6c -- giving Montgomery a flush draw and 11 outs. The 10 of spades came on the turn and Demidov would have to fade one more card. He nervously awaited his fate and as the tension continued to build, the 3c landed on the felt and Montgomery was crippled, down to only $6 million.
We now have a massive chip leader, and of all the players left, Demidov will not relinquish this lead very easily. After the hand, Demidov went over to his supporters, who mobbed him with high fives and hugs. On the other side of the coin, Montgomery sat back down, staring into space, wondering how he got himself into a $32 million mess on that last pot.
On the very last hand before the break, Montgomery moved all-in for $6 million with Ad-3d and Peter Eastgate called from the big blind with 6-6. An ace on the flop (Ac-4d-Qs) gave Montgomery the lead, which he padded with the As on the turn. Eastgate needed a six to knock him out, and Phillips commented that he already threw one away, leaving Eastgate with only one out.
Guess what? It hit on the river. The 6d magically appeared for Eastgate, eliminating Montgomery, who earned $3 million for his fifth-place performance. Much to the dismay of those sitting around me, there will not be a Canadian winner in 2008.
I need another SoBe. I also just interviewed Darus Suharto, and let's just say that I had a little smoother reaction to my questions than what I received from Chino Rheem . He's a nice guy and quite honestly, dodged the blatant question about how he has a GAMMA-O patch on his arm. We're talking about a 130-pound guy here wearing a logo for a testosterone supplement. That makes complete sense, doesn't it?
Players are now on a 20-minute break and I'm more than happy to get up and walk around for a bit.
Here are the chip counts:
Ivan Demidov $49.1 million
Peter Eastgate $47.6 million
Ylon Schwartz $22.1 million
Dennis Phillips $17.3 million
12:00 a.m.: Darus Suharto all-in
Scott Montgomery got just the push he was looking for. After Montgomery raised from the cutoff, Suharto pushed with Ah-8c on the button and was eventually called by Montgomery with As-Qd. The flop was Ks-Js-2s, limiting Suharto to just a few outs, and after the 4s on the turn made Montgomery's nut flush, Suharto was eliminated in sixth place. Honestly, I don't even think they dealt a river card (I'm kidding, but the cameras panned away before it was shown to the crowd). Suharto earned $2.4 million, and the accountant from Toronto will have a good time counting his money on the plane back home.
All smiles now, Scott Montgomery has chipped up to $32.7 million. He trails only Eastgate, who is stacked at $37.5 million. Ivan Demidov ($26 million) is third, followed by Phillips ($20.1) and Schwartz ($19.4).
11:35: A big time all-in
It was Dennis Phillips and Peter Eastgate mixing things up in the first major hand after the dinner break. Eastgate raised to $1.25 million and Phillips reraised to $3.5 million. Eastgate called and the flop was K-2-2, prompting him to bet $3 million. Phillips reraised to $7 million and Eastgate moved all-in over the top for another $15 million. Phillips folded and Eastgate has now moved into the chip lead with six players remaining.
Eastgate's supporters are now singing. I almost saw a smile from the 22-year-old, but not quite.
11:18:
He's snoring. Seriously, the action hasn't slowed down that much!
11:10: Play is underway, but on to more important things: The first member of the media has fallen asleep. Yeah, right next to me. He's from Denmark and apparently with such little action from Peter Eastgate, he decided to take a nap.
As for the players, Scott Montgomery looks exhausted. Darus Suharto might get blinded off and Ivan Demidov is just getting into the swing of things.
Finally, here's the much anticipated Poker Edge from the dinner break. Enjoy the Chino Rheem flip out on your faithful blogger.
10:30: OK, I'm back, full and angry about the football I watched. Doyle Brunson has taken the microphone to praise his good friend Dewey Tomko on his induction into the World Series of Poker Hall of Fame. Tomko has three bracelets and an amazing two runner-up finishes in the WSOP main event.
"Poker is such a great game," Tomko said during his induction. "What other game can you lose millions of dollars to someone and still have them as a lifelong friend?"
Tomko is a true class act. Congrats on a much deserved honor.
"A poker player never loses. He just runs out of chips," Tomko said.
The second hall of fame inductee was Henry Orenstein, who invented the hole-card camera. A Holocaust survivor, Orenstein went on to be a man of true creativity and owns more than 100 patents for numerous companies. He owns one bracelet and finished in the top five of the WSOP main event twice.
Orenstein, 84, couldn't make the trip to Vegas from his home in Edison, New Jersey, but sent a letter to be read at the feature table:
"It is with a great deal of gratitude that I accept the honor. It is a privilege to be part of the company of poker greats like Doyle Brunson and the late Chip Reese. When I was a young man I lived through acts of unbelievable cruelty. My mom, dad, sister and one of my brothers was shot by the S.S. This great country of ours provided me the opportunity to live in freedom and develop the skill that God gave me."
9:00 p.m.
Yeah, so Chino Rheem practically bit my head off and it will make for a great sound bite for the Poker Edge podcast later tonight.
Wait, more truck horns. They're cheering. All of them. I have to admit it is quite cool and the real Dennis Phillips is loving the cheers and support, smiling while raking in Ivan Demidov's chips.
Phillips just won a monster pot against Demidov holding kings full on a board of K-3-3-7-K. Phillips bet $5 million on the river and Demidov, after a good amount of time, made the call and dejectedly mucked his hand. It seemed as if Demidov was really taken back by the beat and we'll see how he'll react.
Here are the current chip counts:
Ivan Demidov $30.8 million
Dennis Phillips $27.5 million
Peter Eastgate $26.4 million
Ylon Schwartz $20.5 million
Scott Montgomery $20.3 million
Darus Suharto $10.6 million
Phil Hellmuth is talking now. Lots of boos. No, not booze, but boos. He's introducing Johnny Chan, who is representing All-In Energy drink which has apparently signed a sponsorship deal with the WSOP.
Dinner break until 10:15, time to watch the New York Football Giants take care of the Eagles.
8:15 p.m.: Chino Rheem all-in
In good position to double up, Rheem moved all-in for $3.8 million and was called instantly by Peter Eastgate (yes, he's at the table). Rheem held A-K against Eastgate's A-Q and pumped his fist when the cards were revealed -- usually a clear sign that you're about to lose the hand.
Eastgate flopped the best hand with a pair of queens and was way ahead on the turn, leaving Rheem with only three outs. The river was a four and Rheem finished in seventh place, earning $1.7 million.
So now there's six players left, and still 300 Dennis Phillips. The truck horn continues to be sounded …
8:00 p.m.: Dennis Phillips all-in
It doesn't look like Phillips wants to hit the road just yet. Ylon Schwartz did his best, but couldn't send the trucking sales managers packing. Phillips just doubled up holding A-Q against Schwartz's Q-Q and this crowd has just erupted once again. Phillips hit an ace on the flop and avoided the case queen on the turn and river to get some momentum back after the latest break.
Phillips is now in third place with $21 million and Schwartz is just behind him with $20 million.
7:10 p.m.: Darus Suharto all-in, Chino Rheem all-in, Darus Suharto all-in
Darus Suharto has been busy since Kelly Kim's elimination and has taken some solid pots against Chino Rheem, but most recently got involved in a gigantic pot with Ivan Demidov which resulted in a drop to near the bottom of the chip counts.
Suharto raised from the cutoff and Demidov reraised him. Suharto made the call and after a flop of 9s-7c-Kc, Demidov led out for half the pot.
Suharto reraised and Demidov pushed all-in and Suharto reluctantly folded his hand.
Just a few hands later, Rheem moved all-in for his dwindling short stack and Demidov called instantly. Rheem showed Ac-Kh and Demidov held pocket nines. The flop was 7h-8s-5d, giving Demidov a gutshot straight in addition to his overpair and Rheem would need some help to survive. He got that help on the turn, hitting the Kd, but it wasn't over quite yet. With six outs (any six or nine), Demidov could have eliminated Rheem, but the jack of diamonds hit the river and Rheem doubled up to get back in the hunt.
Although he's still short-stacked, Rheem now has some chips to play with. Demidov's loss barely made a dent in his stack.
Before I could finish this post, there was another all-in for Suharto, who was called by Ylon Schwartz. Suharto showed A-K against Schwartz's Q-8. A queen was in the door of the flop, but on the turn Suharto caught up with a king and rivered an ace to double up.
The players now go on a 20-minute break. Here are the current chip counts:
Ivan Demidov $41 million
Ylon Schwartz $35.2 million
Peter Eastgate $21.8 million
Scott Montgomery $16.7 million
Dennis Phillips $10.1 million
Darus Suharto $8.5 million
David "Chino" Rheem $5.9 million
Water count: 2
Gatorade count: 1
SoBe count: 1
6:30 p.m.: Kelly Kim all-in
A four-way all-in between Ivan Demidov, Ylon Schwartz, Darus Suharto and Kelly Kim brought a flop of 9h-6s-2s. Demidov bet postflop and Suharto called. An ace on the turn prompted both players to check the turn and river (2d).
Unfortunately, it was the end of the road for Kim, who showed 4-4. Suharto had a pair of nines (9-10) which was good enough for both pots. Kim stood up, thanked his fans who were on their feet cheering and walked away from the final table. Kim earned $1.2 million for eighth place.
Seven players left and the action is just starting to pick up.
6:15 p.m.: Craig Marquis all-in
Scott Montgomery called Marquis' all-in preflop move and we were off to the races. Marquis showed 7-7 against Montgomery's A-Q.
The hand appeared to be over when a seven hit the flop (7-A-10), but a jack on the turn gave Montgomery a gutshot straight draw. Sure enough, a king hit the river and Marquis exited the final table in ninth place, falling to a straight.
Wow. Montgomery is on a good run. This is a cruel game, and now we're down to eight players for the bracelet.
5:50 p.m.:
We're back from break, during which Phil Gordon and I recorded a quick podcast. If we can get it posted, great. If not, sorry for the tease.
Here's a look at chip counts right after the break:
Ylon Schwartz $39.9 million
Ivan Demidov $28.4 million
Peter Eastgate $21.2 million
Scott Montgomery $11.5 million
Darus Suharto $11.4 million
Dennis Phillips $10.7 million
Craig Marquis $5.9 million
David Rheem $5.9 million
Kelly Kim $1.2 million
5:10 p.m.: Dennis Phillips all-in
Dennis Phillips came over the top of a Chino Rheem preflop raise and Rheem had a tough decision to make. He rose to his feet and joined Phillips, who was already standing, having pushed in his remaining $6.6 million. It would only be $3.7 million for Rheem to call and it almost seemed like he had to, given the price. Rheem did make the call, and Phillips showed Q-Q to Rheem's J-J.
Rheem would need to get lucky and avoid falling down to $6.66 million if he lost. The flop was 3s-5d-Kc and no flush was possible. Rheem was looking for one of the two remaining jacks but didn't get any help on the turn, the 9d. The river brought the 6h and Phillips celebrated with his look-alikes, getting a much-needed double up.
The Phillips entourage took a deep breath, and now all eyes will be on Rheem to see how he reacts.
On that note, a 15-minute break has begun for the players, and I'm sure Rheem will meet with some of his friends who will try to get his head on straight before play resumes.
5:00 p.m.: Kelly Kim all-in again
Both players held A-K: Chino Rheem held Ah-Kc, Kim held Ad-Ks and all suits were live for a four flush. But the flop came 8h-Jh-10h, giving Rheem an amazing opportunity to knock out Kim. The turn was the Qc and Kim exhaled, for a moment. Chants of "heart" and "blank" came out of the crowd and another queen hit the river, splitting the pot.
Chants of "Kelly" erupted and Kim once again took his seat, smiling about the fact that he avoided a bad beat that would have ended his WSOP hopes.
4:50 p.m.: Kelly Kim all-in
Ivan Demidov raised Kelly Kim's big blind and unfortunately ran into Kim's pocket kings. Demidov held K-10 and was absolutely dominated. The good thing for Kim: He was in great shape to double up. The bad thing: Even a double up would leave him with fewer chips than what he had to start the day.
The flop came 6-7-7, pretty safe for Kim, but a 9 on the turn made things interesting as it gave Demidov some additional outs. Not ready to leave yet, Kim witnessed a 3 peel off on the river, putting him back to nearly $2 million. He's by far the short stack, but still has some life.
4:40 p.m.: We have a new chip leader -- by a big margin. Ylon Schwartz has played this final table beautifully so far and has eclipsed the $40 million mark. He took a big pot off of Ivan Demidov when he flopped top two pair with K-10. Demidov held A-K and turned a flush draw, but failed to hit after investing more than a couple million in the pot.
Meanwhile, Kelly Kim is under a million. He hasn't played a hand since the very first one of the day. …
4:10 p.m.: Ylon Schwartz continues to make moves and he's made his way to third place. His latest victim, Scott Montgomery, called Schwartz's bet on an all-spade flop. After the 8s hit the turn, Schwartz looked disgusted and immediately moved all-in. Montgomery folded and Schwartz's fans erupted as the Brooklyn native pulled in another pot.
On a side note, Phillips lost another pot, this time to Chino Rheem. It looks like he's really unraveling quickly.
I've also went for a coffee instead of a SoBe Adrenaline, but in terms of drinks for energy, I'm going to say that the count is now one.
3:20 p.m.: I really can't believe it. A big, big, big, big, big pot between Dennis Phillips and Ivan Demidov just took place. Demidov reraised Phillips preflop, and to almost everyone's surprise, Phillips made the call. With nearly 10 million in the pot preflop, this pot would surely put one of the two in a solid position for the rest of the day.
After a flop of 8d-10c-Js, Phillips put out a bet of $4.5 million and Demidov moved all-in. The crowd rose to its feet, and Phillips took about five minutes before folding. Down to less than $9 million, Phillips and his fans have gotten visibly anxious … and for good reason. Demidov is hovering near $36 million and now has a commanding chip lead.
Just before that hand, Media Row was discussing the idea that the other players are pressuring Phillips. Looks like it could be true. Could we get another chip leader blowup like Philip Hilm last year? We'll see, but first a 15-minute break for the players.
3:00 p.m. We had just a little bit of action, with Ylon Schwartz as the beneficiary. Our first flop, between Ivan Demidov and Scott Montgomery, was A-Q-9, and Montgomery took it down with a $1.1 million bet. Shortly afterward, Schwartz raised from the button and Montgomery reraised from the small blind. Schwartz then moved all-in -- a major overbet -- and Montgomery folded. Continuing to add chips to his stack, Schwartz got involved in a big pot with Dennis Phillips, taking nearly $3 million away from him with a postflop reraise.
After that pot, Ivan Demidov is now the chip leader and Schwartz is in fourth place.
2:36 p.m. The blinds have just increased and now we're at $200,000/$400,000 with a $50,000 ante. There still hasn't been a flop yet and the winner so far looks to be Darus Suharto, who picked up two pots in the first 21 minutes.
2:00 p.m.: Introductions finally started, with Dennis Phillips coming out first to deafening cheers. Following Phillips was Craig Marquis in Seat 2, and Marquis is extremely happy that there was no redraw because he likes his table position greatly. Ylon Schwartz in Seat 3 has a solid following, as does Scott Montgomery in Seat 4. Darus Suharto came out to Seat 5 with a Gamma-O patch on his shoulder -- weird marketing, but good to see him have a logo. Chino Rheem is in Seat 6 and sporting a Barack Obama pin on his sweatshirt. Following Rheem, Ivan Demidov is in Seat 7, and he looks confident, which he should be, as Jack Effel sang his praises during his introduction. Even with a short stack, Kelly Kim might have a louder crowd than Dennis Phillips! Wow, a good two-minute cheer with signs and chants. Effel could barely get out what he needed to say about Kim. Kim is also very well-branded, and you can't try to wipe the smile off his face. In seat 9 the youngest player at the table, Peter Eastgate, looks calm and collected -- something that we've come to know so well.
With introductions over, a "Let's go Darus" and a "Let's go Dennis" chat picked up … and yes, another truck horn.
Without further delay, Jerry Yang grabbed the microphone and told the dealer to get the cards in the air.
1:30: After a quick yell from tournament director Jack Effel, the TV screens changed over to a custom-made intro that I'm sure will be the opening to Tuesday night's final table show on ESPN. It was awesome and probably reason enough to watch the TV show. The video concluded and Jeffrey Pollack took the microphone and introduced the final nine.
More truck horns, "Kelly" chats, and yells when each player hit the screen. All of them look a little nervous, but stand stoically as the chants of the crowd increase. Taking their seats, many of them are wearing additional logos as expected, and that is something I like to see. The chips have been brought out, and for some weird reason, silence has hit the room … immediately followed by a "CHHIIIIINNNOOOO" and of course a truck horn.
In typical poker media form, there must be some sort of side bet and this year is no exception. Yeah, I got Kelly Kim. Ship it. As usual, the donation has been made.
Play is about to begin with 21 minutes left in Level 33 and the blinds at $150,000/$300,000.
Let's go KK. Time to double up … a couple of times.
12:47 p.m.: This is nuts. Plain and simple. Instead of the Amazon Room here at the Rio, the final table will take place in the Penn & Teller Theater with a very interesting setup. Right now I'm sitting in the orchestra section with the majority of the media. Unfortunately, for all of us, that means a restricted view of the table. However, with gigantic TV screens on all sides, there will be no problem seeing what's happening.
The biggest problem I've had so far is the fact that there are 300 Dennis Phillips walking around. No, I'm not kidding. Phillips decided it would be entertaining if all his friends and family dressed up exactly alike, and without question, everywhere you look there's a Dennis Phillips. I spoke to the real Phillips as he walked in to his seat at the final table and told him to have fun.
"Having fun is a guarantee," the chip leader said, with a big smile across his face. I would expect nothing less from the man who has truly embraced this break more than anyone else.
Out of nowhere I just heard a truck horn, followed by cheers from Phillips' fans. Chances are I'm going to hear a lot of that today, and a massive headache will probably result as the day goes on. Now chants of "Let's go, Dennis." He's got chips and fan support. That's a winning combination.
Wait … OK, now a chant of "Kelly, Kelly" for the short stack Kelly Kim. Is this really a poker tournament? I think it's awesome to have a crowd like this, but I'm sure by midnight Vegas time they'll be tired.
Also in the crowd are many professional players here, to show their faces … and their support. I've seen Barry Greenstein, Hevad Khan, Amnon Filippi and Hasan Habib, among others, and they seem to be here cheering on Chino Rheem. While Rheem may have an uphill battle, he certainly has the support from the pros.
It's going to be an interesting day for sure, and the over-under is being set at midnight and 2.5 SoBe Adrenalines.
Welcome to the final table. It's going to be one heck of a ride.
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