Futures Odds up on WSOP's Illustrious Nine

Poker News - July 30th, 2009 - Written by Bruce

With the long wait between decision for the final table and the actual game itself, futures odds are of strict importance. Bettors may plug into their sportsbooks to start placing wagers on who they feel will win the World Series of Poker Main Event. For the 40th year running, players will once again square off for the biggest bracelet of the year.

Chip counts for the final table are the main determining factor, but those at the top are not well known players in the industry. The famous Phil Ivey is in the mix, but his chip stack falls very short of the current leaders. Ivey won two bracelets in 2009, and he is working hard on his third. His odds stand at +700 to win, as he has nearly ten million ships. The leader was Darvin Moon, and his stack towers over Ivey's at 58,900,000. The competition will be fierce, and Ivey will have to play carefully if he is going to take the win.

While Moon's odds stand at +325, Eric Buchman may be able to pull into the lead. Buchman, with 34,800,000 chips, maintains +400 odds. With some clever use of the blinds, Buchman can turn his stack into Moon's, as the blinds ended at 120,000 and 240,000 respectively. As the clock continues to run and blinds become more expensive, the smaller chip stacks will be pushed around by the current leaders.

Steven Begleiter is running with +450 odds, as his stack is just 115,000 shy of 30,000,000. Jeff Shulman and Joe Cada share Ivey's +700 odds, and they have 19,000,000 and 13,000,000 respectively. At the bottom of the charts we will see Kevin Schaffel (+1000), Antonie Saout (+1200), and James Akenhead (+1400). Though Schaffel has several million more chips than Ivey, Ivey's odds were set higher due to skill and expertise.

The final table commences on November 7th, and the competition is going to be fierce. The newcomers have plenty to prove, and Ivey is shooting higher, as he has flourished all series long. Some say he is a safe bet, but his chip stack speaks otherwise.

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