ESPN Poker Blog

Posted by Andrew Feldman

After the completion of the Legends of Poker, a World Poker Tour event, there has been a common phrase used on just about every poker forum: "I bet they're using their run good up right now."

Translation: Can you really believe that two November Niners, Kevin Schaffel and Steven Begleiter, made the final table of a WPT event a month after making the WSOP final table?

In the words of Bluff's new editor-in-chief Lance Bradley, "This is getting out of hand."

Two players just about nobody had heard of before the WSOP main event are turning heads once again after putting on a show during the Legends of Poker main event that concluded Wednesday night. Although Prahlad Friedman was the well-deserving victor, the first four days of the tournament were focused on the names of Schaffel and Begleiter at the top of the leaderboard. Begleiter, who sat next to another November Niner, Joe Cada, held the top spot after Day 1 and Day 2, but Schaffel jumped him on Day 3 when the duo were second and third, respectively, heading into the final 27.

Begleiter was eliminated in ninth place when he was caught making a move with Kh-3h. Todd Terry raised from the button to $50,000, and Begleiter moved all-in over the top for approximately $400,000. Terry called with A-Q and the board held up for Terry, eliminating Begleiter who earned $39,240.

"We really wanted to get in together," said Schaffel to WorldPokerTour.com's Amanda Leatherman after Day 4. "I mean, it was a little sad, but that's the way it goes. … He fought hard, but he's in a better spot than me in November."

Here's how the action played out:

Schaffel entered the televised six-player final table holding the chip lead. Mike Krescanko lasted only five hands and was eliminated by Friedman while Schaffel became the massive chip leader by eliminating Sam Stein in fifth place. On the very next hand Schaffel hit a bump in the road named Toto Leonidas. The tour veteran doubled through Schaffel holding K-K versus Schaffel's 10-10. The hand kept Schaffel in the chip lead, but instead of having a $1 million chip advantage, he only edged out Friedman by $235,000. It didn't last for long, though.

While playing four-handed, Schaffel increased his stack all the way up to $3.9 million before doubling up Leonidas once again. This time around, Schaffel held the best hand with A-J on a flop of Jd-9d-8s, but Leonidas' Ad-5d spiked a diamond on the turn to take a piece out of Schaffel's stack. Friedman then took over the chip lead by knocking out Leonidas when his flush draw missed the second time around in almost the same exact situation.

Playing three-handed, the 31-year-old Friedman became the bully and chipped up and held more than half the chips in play. He eliminated Terry when he won a race with A-Q versus Terry's 4-4 and would hold more than a 3-1 chip lead over Schaffel going into heads-up play. Friedman has faced some of the toughest in the game heads-up and had the edge in the experience category, but Schaffel wouldn't go away and doubled up five hands into the action when his two pair held up against Friedman's flush draw. Fourteen hands later, Schaffel wanted to be the aggressor and re-reraised all-in holding K-J preflop. Friedman called with A-Q and with his hand holding up, earned $1,009,000 for his first World Poker Tour title. He has $2,326,066 in live earnings, a WSOP bracelet and countless "fans" of his rapping ability among all forums. He also finished 64th in the 2009 WSOP main event.

Schaffel earned $471,670 for second place, which I find simply amazing, since first place paid over $1 million. I'm not sure if the tournament needed to guarantee a $1 million first-place prize, but I think that second-place payout is a little short.

"I had a great night," said Schaffel in an e-mail. "Just got to do one better in November."

Even though neither Begleiter nor Schaffel won the title, it's great to see the players back on the felt after many of them proclaimed they wouldn't be playing for four months, which, as we all guessed, was just them being tired at the moment.

More World Poker Tour news

After accepting a bid from Gamynia Limited, many watched as WPT Enterprises entertained a second bid from an undisclosed company. With little information available, many were surprised to hear that Peerless Media, a subsidiary of PartyGaming (read: Party Poker), has, pending shareholder approval, purchased the WPT for $12.3 million. What does this mean for the WPT itself? As weird as this sounds, probably not much. Hopefully the brand will continue to grow and receive support from PartyGaming's online platforms, but the biggest impact will probably be seen in the coming months as all signs now point to a re-emergence of Party Poker in the United States. After leaving shortly after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was signed, many have waited for a Party Poker return, and given that the WPT is primarily a U.S. tour, it would seem that the new branding starting next season would be aimed at the American viewer.

More on the WPT sale on Tuesday's Inside Deal.

Small blinds: Betfair going public? According to Marketwatch.com, Betfair is reportedly weighing a $2.5 billion IPO. Interesting timing. … Maxim Lykov won the first European Poker Tour in Kiev, Ukraine. … Jeffrey Pollack is counting down the days to WSOP Europe on his Twitter feed. … November Niner Eric Buchman joined ESPN Inside Deal this week. … Steven Begleiter will join Phil Gordon on the Poker Edge Podcast on Thursday. … Billy Kopp signs an endorsement deal with Ultimate Bet. … 45 percent of the Durrrr Challenge against Patrik Antonius has been completed and Antonius holds a $76,104 lead. Still a long way to go. … G4's new show "Two Months, Two Million" is pretty entertaining. Clever idea.