It's here
Editor's note: You can find out more about each of these players by heading to our main event recap. Podcasts, videos, columns, chats and more are available for each of the November Nine.
The time is at hand.
Early in May, the World Series of Poker announced the drastic decision that divided a community in debate. The final table of the poker world's marquee event, the world championship, would be postponed after the final nine was set. It would allow the world to watch without knowing who the eventual winner would be, to build the hype of the WSOP to new levels and finally, to let the world know all of the players who'd be fighting to the end for poker's ultimate title.
We can now call the grandest of experiments a success. An amazing 6,844 players put up $10,000 apiece to enter the field, which was then whittled down to nine survivors by two grueling weeks of play. Viewership is up and interest renewed as the world debates which of the November Nine will emerge the winner. More importantly, no one knows the answer, and as a result, everyone will be watching to find out.
This weekend, the Nine and the media of the world will return to Las Vegas as the poker world's champion will finally be crowned. After interview upon interview -- and the induction of Dewey Tomko and Henry Orenstein into the Poker Hall of Fame -- the November Nine will finally sit at the table on November 9 at 10 a.m. to play out the most anticipated final table in years.
Once we're down to two, we'll pause again. Last time it was for almost four months; this time it will be for a day. During the early hours of November 11, the final two will play heads-up for a first prize of $9.1 million, the most desirable of all bracelets, the title of "World Champion" and ambassadorship to the poker world.
Now, a look at the Nine who would be king:
Ivan Demidov (starting stack: $24,400,000) -- The favorite according to many, Ivan Demidov achieved that status by accomplishing a remarkable feat: pairing his November Nine finish with a final table appearance in the main event of WSOP Europe, where he finished third. A win here from the 27-year-old Moscow native would cap off a remarkable 2008 WSOP insurgence from the Russian poker community, which seems primed to explode.
Peter Eastgate ($18,375,000) -- The youngest member of the Nine, the 22-year-old Eastgate is looking to become the youngest world champion in poker history. Phil Hellmuth set the record in 1989 at 24 years old and his mark has stood for 19 years. Eastgate looks to be as strong a challenger as anyone, with a strong reputation in online play and an above-average stack.
Kelly Kim ($2,620,000) -- More than anyone, the 31-year-old Californian understands what it means to be a part of the November Nine, fighting a war of attrition to make it this far. Now that he's here, he'll be hard-pressed to stay long given that his stack is barely a quarter the size of the next smallest.
Craig Marquis ($10,210,000) -- Marquis provided most of the action in the late goings back in July. He made an audacious bluff on the first hand of 10-handed play and eventually knocked out bubble boy Dean Hamrick, showing he has no fear regardless of the stakes involved. Marquis is being hailed the best player in the field by a number of big online names, who cite his million hands played last year as more than enough experience to overcome his starting chip deficit. Like Eastgate, the 23-year-old Texan is looking to become the youngest world champion. He'll also be looking to be the first champion from the Lone Star State since Hall of Famer Jack Strauss in 1982
Scott Montgomery ($19,690,000) -- This 26-year-old Canadian was teaching English in Japan when he started taking online poker seriously three years ago. Scott burst onto the live tournament scene when he finished fifth in his first $10,000 buy-in event at the WPT's LA Poker Classic this year. He followed that up with three WSOP cashes prior to the main event. While Montgomery's TV experience in LA gives him an edge over most of the opposition, only time will tell whether he'll have outgrown the nervousness that caused his blow up there.
Dennis Phillips ($26,295,000) -- The oldest member of the November Nine, the 53-year-old Phillips has been hailed for his everyman qualities and calm demeanor throughout the waiting period. Recognizable for his St. Louis Cardinals cap signed by the many professionals he played with throughout the main event, Phillips enters with the chip lead and a trail of good will acts in his wake.
Chino Rheem ($10,230,000) -- The best known member of the November Nine when its roster was set, 28-year-old Chino Rheem is carrying the torch for the professional community. Despite a relatively small stack, he's been a popular pick to win it all, thanks in part to a willingness to gamble, his two previous televised final tables and a stable of confidants including J.C. Tran, Nam Le, Tuan Le and Stu Patterson. Rheem credits poker with helping him straighten out after troubled times in his youth, a fact that has led many to believe he'd make an excellent ambassador for the game.
Ylon Schwartz ($12,525,000) -- No member of the November Nine was less interested in the spotlight it offered than Ylon Schwarz back in July, but he seems to have embraced it since. Schwartz has made his living playing games for the last 17 years, many of which were spent playing chess first in New York's Washington Square Park, then competitively. The enigmatic, 38-year-old Brooklyn native is known to love the high life and says he hopes to "Kill them all with love" at the final table.
There they are. One of these nine players will be crowned poker's world champion in the early hours of Tuesday, November 11. You can watch it all unfold on ESPN, with the final broadcast at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday night. History's going to be made. Be sure not to miss it.
Gary Wise is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. You can read more of his thoughts on poker in his blog at www.wisehandpoker.net.
