Posted by Andrew Feldman
Finally, it's here.
That's about all I really need to say in this blog because after four months of wondering, the final table will finally play out on Saturday and Monday. For those who have been watching all the episodes online and have been avoiding the coverage here on ESPN.com, I welcome you and encourage you to take a look at everything we've posted regarding the November Nine and the final table. If you've been sticking with us the entire way, thank you! In any case, ESPN.com will be on site in Las Vegas at the final table covering the action and everything else that surrounds the final table weekend.
The nine players will take their seats at noon on Saturday and play until there are two players remaining. If last year was any indication, they'll probably be in action until 3 a.m. PT. The final two players will then return Monday night at 10 p.m. PT to play until we have a champion. Those who are wondering about ESPN TV's coverage of heads-up play will be relieved that there will be more than two hands this time around.
AP Photo/Laura Rauch
The guys were last together on July 16. It'll be quite a reunion at the Rio on Saturday.
While all that is going on, you can expect this blog to fill all your poker needs as I'll be updating directly from the final table. Now, some people might want minute-to-minute updates, but since live poker can be brutally slow at times, you'll catch the highlights here. We'll also have the Inside Deal team out in Las Vegas airing a preview show on Friday, a wrap of nine-to-two play on Sunday and a final wrap on Tuesday. The Poker Edge podcast will also feature daily updates starting on Friday and will run straight through until we have a champion on Tuesday.
The newest addition to the ESPN.com poker portfolio is Poker Pick 'Em and it gives every fan a chance to follow along in a new way. Simply enter the free game, answer 20 prop-like questions regarding the final table and the winner will be heading to the Bahamas courtesy of PokerStars.net. It's easy to play and where else can you prove that you know this final table better than anyone else?
Of course all the action leads up to the final table broadcast on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 9 p.m. ET. If you want to follow the action as it happens, ESPN.com will have you covered. If you'd rather watch the show and read about it afterward, that's cool, too. If you're a Twitter user, you need to start following @ESPN_Poker for instant updates throughout the weekend. If you don't want to find out what happens, I'd probably un-follow me.
The players
It's interesting that after four months I still have no concept of whom I can actually predict winning this thing. After interviewing each of the players, I can say they are all prepared and know what they're in for. In my opinion there is no weak spot, which I know might go against popular belief. On the last Poker Edge podcast I made a prediction of the four who might finish at the top. I honestly said after the show that I think I'm wrong.
After all, this is a game that is impossible to predict, which is why I'm going to leave the analysis (at the moment) to ESPN's co-host of the WSOP, Norman Chad, who released his thoughts on each of the nine.
Darvin Moon: "Can a logger emerge out of the woods of western Maryland, strike gold in Sin City and then submerge himself back into the woods of western Maryland? If he wins, it's the stuff of storybooks."
Eric Buchman: "Not an intimidating table presence, but his reads and instincts are sharp and, with plenty of chips, the 30-year-old New York pro won't do anything outlandish to lose them."
Steve Begleiter: "From his final days at Bear Stearns to the final table here, it's been an odyssey for the 47-year-old amateur. He might have more gamble in him than anyone left -- he won't shy away from mixing it up."
Jeff Shulman: "Until now, the Card Player magazine publisher has avoided big pots and played stay-out-of-harm's-way poker. He likely will continue to avoid the big misstep -- unless he's already made one hiring Phil Hellmuth as his coach."
Joe Cada: "At 21, he could become youngest Main Event champion ever. He's even-keeled and selectively aggressive -- sort of like last year's youngest Main Event champ ever, Peter Eastgate."
Antoine Saout: "He's an engineering school dropout who took up poker seriously only a couple of years ago and now -- in his first World Series of Poker ever -- can become the first Frenchman to win the Main Event. Only in America."
Phil Ivey: "He's Phil Ivey. Next case. Can the game's greatest player navigate a field of 6,494 to win the game's greatest event? Yes. He's Phil Ivey -- short of stack but long on skill, and in his prime."
Kevin Schaffel: "At first glance -- at age 51, the oldest player left -- the affable amateur is outclassed by this group. But then how do you explain that this is the third time in six years he's cashed in massive Main Event fields?"
James Akenhead: "He hopes to be the first Brit to win it all. The good news for him is that he's level-headed; the bad news is that he's short-stacked. He'll need some luck early for any chance to be around late."
ESPN.com has featured each of the nine in numerous stories, videos and podcasts. Just click on the player's name above to take a look at what we had to say about each player.
Cool Poll
Many of you might remember that during the WSOP main event I put in this blog some really cool polls courtesy of Voices Heard Media. Well, I couldn't let the November Nine wrap up without another go. Take a look below and vote, comment, etc. I'll have many of these throughout the weekend and of course, they'll be interactive, giving you the chance to ask these players what you want to know.
The more the merrier
If I know anything about the poker industry it's that the media always works together, not against each other. Maybe it's because the "sport" is young or maybe it's because everyone usually gets along in an effort to build poker awareness. That said, here's a look at some of my other favorite sites that you should visit during this weekend. Just type the name in Google to get to the sites and no, these aren't in any order whatsoever.
The official ones: WorldSeriesofPoker.com, Pokernews.com, Bluffmagazine.com, Cardplayer.com, PokerRoad.com.
Blogs to follow: Tao of Poker featuring the one and only Dr. Pauly McGuire, Pokerati written by Dan "The Wolfman" Michalski (and many others) and Wicked Chops Poker written by three entities.
Poker
