World Series of Poker Final Table Down to the Wire

Poker News - November 8th, 2009 - Written by Glen

The World Series of Poker's Main Event has come down to two players - two of a field of over 6,000. The Main Event reconvened on November 7th, with the illustrious Nine battling it out for the crowning jewel of the WSOP - the Texas Hold 'em World Championship bracelet, as well as the $8 million dollar grand prize.

Over sixteen hours of play left two unexpected chip leaders - average joe Darvin Moon, a logger from Maryland, and Joe Cada, the man who could become the youngest player ever to win the WSOP main event.

At just twenty one years of age, Joe Cada was not expected to dominate in the final table, especially with such veterans as Phil Ivey and Steven Begleiter. Cada, 21, may take the title as the youngest main event winner, sending Peter Eastgate's title down the drain. Like a Phoenix rising from ashes, Cada bounced back from thirteen million chips to become the chip leader with 135,950,000 chips.

Darvin Moon sat at the final table with 58,930,000 chips, securing his lead over his closest runner-up, Eric Buchman, who held 34,800,000 chips. Moon ended the night with 58,850,000 chips after having lost a great deal to other players doubling up through Moon's chip stack. Moon's great fortune and luck seemed to have disipated since the Main Event's primary run, leaving him in a middle ground of stationary chip counts. He will enter heads up play against Joseph Cada's 135,950,000 chips.

Akenhead, who was sent to the rail in 9th place, was eliminated with a middle position shove while sitting on pocket threes. Kevin Schaffel called Akenhead and turned over pocket nines. Putting Akenhead into a bind ended when the flop showed Ten-Two-Seven, another Deuce on the turn, and finally a Nine on the river, eliminating Akenhead with a full house, nines full of deuces. Luck would have it that Schaffel would be the next to leave the battlefield, performing the walk of shame with a mind paralyzing loss of pocket rockets against Eric Buchman's pocket kings. Buchman called Schaffel's shove, and watched as a third king dropped on the flop just to make quads on fourth street.

As the night continued, fan favorite Phil Ivey ended up as the short stack. With merely 8 million chips and feirce competition, Phil Ivey was staring down the barrel of a gun regardless of his position from the button. Ivey's Main Event run ended when his A-K off suit was called by Darvin Moon's A-Q. Moon, who had admitted his fear of Ivey, hit a queen on the flop. Ivey was sent to the rail as he drew dead through the river, sending him home off of a big slick.

Steven Begleiter, a former corporate executive, has turned to poker to make a living and has done so quite successfully. Though he went home in 6th place, he took down over $1.5 million dollars in winnings. After Darvin Moon calmly shoved all-in with A-Q off suit, Begleiter made a quick jump to call with ladies in his pocket. When the Ace came on the river, Begleiter had to follow Phil Ivey and the others, leaving the tournament in a disgruntled sixth place.

Jeff Shulman was next to leave the arena, losing his chip stack to Antoine Saout. Shulman shoved his entire stack in on a pocket sevens, hoping to hit trips before Saout would hit anything at all. Saout revealed an A-9 offsuit, but took a nine on the flop to give him the lead. Shulman could not come up with a saving seven and ended up going home nearly $2 million dollars richer.

With only four players remaining, tensions were beginning to rise. The final four, Saout, Moon, Cada, and Buchman held 88M, 54M, 42M, and 9M chips respectively, with an average chip count of 48,705,000 chips.

Eric Buchman was the next to go, walking with $2.5 million dollars. Buchman shoved on the 271st hand of the night, holding a relatively weak hand. Hoping either for the Ace or a wheel, Buchman showed A-5 off suit when Moon, with a nonchalant shrug, called with a K-J of diamonds. When fourth street paired up Moon's kings, Buchman's hopes were shattered - he only managed a pair of fives.

The final three passed off only five hands before Antoine Saout was sent home, leaving the two finalists to their game. On the final hand of Saout's run, Joe Cada made a 2.5 million chip bet from the button. Saout re-raised with everything he had, forcing Moon out of the hand. Cada flips over his A-K offsuit, while Saout had a pocket pair of eights. The flop came 5-4-5, a rainbow across the board. The turn dropped a ten, leaving the pocket eights held by Saout in a strong position. In another river elimination, a King dropped on fifth street, sending Saout home and Cada's chip stack beyond the atmosphere.

The main event will finish on Monday, with the final two battling for glory. Darvin Moon's impressive run of luck has not held as strong during the final table as it had during the entire summer, and Joseph Cada is aiming to make history. With $8 million dollars and the title of World Champion on the line, both players will be bringing their all to the table.

Even if this WSOP is about to come to an end, USA online poker rooms will soon be offering satellites into the games for the next year.

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