Browse > Home /

WSOP November Nine; From Unknown To Celeb Status In 117 Days?

July 17, 2008

In recent days, you may have learned that the 2008 WSOP Main Event’s final 9 competitors, affectionately termed the “November Nine”, will not return to battle it out until November. You’ve probably also heard that all 9 finalists are virtually unknown in the professional poker community.

If WSOP Commissioner Jeff Pollack’s reasoning behind the extensive delay in the final table holds true, each of these nine skilled competitors will not only become known, they will likely be household names with “Pro” player status at some of the top online poker rooms – Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars or UltimateBet, to name a few.

According to Jeff Pollack, the delay was integrated to increase the hype around the final WSOP Main Event table. He wanted so many people to anticipate the completion of the tournament, and subsequent awarding of the coveted bracelet and $9.2 million to the winner, that record breaking numbers would tune in to watch the final table go down in November.

Thus far, Pollack’s plan is working like a charm.

Everyone with any interest in the World Series of Poker, or playing poker in general, has learned the story of Dennis Phillips, the current chip leader of the November Nine. Phillips started playing poker as a hobby 4 years ago, works for a trucking company, and certainly never expected to get this far after winning a satellite tournament at his local casino that sent him to Vegas for the big event. Phillips has only cashed in two live tournaments over his non-career poker history, awarding a combined total of less than $5,000.

Next up is Ivan Demidov, the second highest chip leader in the 2008 WSOP Main Event Final Table. Demidov is a self-proclaimed “semi-professional” poker player hailing from Russia who has earned most of his cashes in online poker rooms. Demidov has seen only three live tournament cashes, though his earnings total a much more impressive $65,081.

Canadian Scott Montgomery, the third place chip leader, has a little more experience as a professional poker player. All of his live tournament cashes came in 2008 – 3 of those in the 2008 WSOP, no less – though it was his first live tournament cash, a 5th place finish, that awarded the highest prize just shy of $300,000. Montgomery’s total live tournament earning equal $406,585.

Peter Eastgate is another semi-pro from Denmark, claiming two live tournament cashes over the last two years worth $76,084.

Ylon Schwartz is perhaps the most seasoned competitor in the 2008 WSOP Main Event Final Table, earning 30 live tournament cashes in the last ten years, worth $255,851. As impressive as that sounds, I must point out that the first cash was in 1998, and the other 29 didn’t come until 2004+. Of those profitable endeavors, Schwartz has yet to place better than 3rd in any live poker tournament.

Darus Suharto, another Canadian poker player you’ve probably never heard of, has only produced one live tournament cash for $26,389. This was awarded for a 448th place finish in the 2006 WSOP Main Event, so at least he has some experience at the biggest game in Vegas.

Next we have David “Chino” Rheem, a name you might actually be familiar with. This California native has been playing professional poker for a few years now, topping the profits list with $634,657 over 15 cashes in the last three years. Five of those came from WSOP events, but this will be Rheem’s first WSOP Main Event cash. Unlike most of his fellow November Nine, Rheem has actually taken down at least one live tournament in his professional poker career.

Here’s an interesting story – Craig Marquis of Arlington, Texas. At only 23 years of age, Marquis began playing poker so recently that he remembers the exact date! January 1, 2007. Craig Marquis exhibits most of his skills online, but has pocket 3 live tournament cashes, all of which came from WSOP events; the first two in 2007 and another this year in Event #17. Young Marquis current earnings of $35,759 will certainly increase dramatically this November.

Rounding out the November Nine is poker pro and unlikely hopeful Kelly Kim, with a very small chip stack of only 2,620,000. That may seem like a lot of chips, but compared to the next lowest (Craig Marquis) stack of 10.2 million, and the highest (Dennis Phillips) of 26.2 million, it will be interesting to see if Kim can increase his stack size soon enough to stay in the final table. Kelly Kim’s first live tournament cash came in 2001, earning a measly $798, but those numbers have increased significantly to total 37 cashes and $351,744 in winnings.

Now that you are familiar with all of the 2008 WSOP Main Event hopefuls, let’s see just how famous the November Nine become before the 117 day delay comes to an end, and we all learn the answer to what will be the most overdue question in the gaming world – Who will win the 2008 WSOP Main Event?

    Score a Royal Flush with your pocket cards on any real-money Texas Holdem ring game at CarbonPoker.com and you will receive a bonus of 100 x the big blind!

    Written by Donna Norman · Filed Under High Stakes Poker, Poker News, Poker Tournament Results, WSOP News 

    Dennis Phillips In-Depth: 2008 WSOP Main Event Leader

    July 16, 2008

    When the 2008 WSOP Main Event was whittled from 6,844 participants to the final ‘November Nine’, the anticipation to unveil a champion emanated from the rafters of the Rio Casino’s Amazon Room. So, whilst we wait out the agonizing 117-day break until the final table actually occurs, let’s take an in-depth look at the current 2008 WSOP Main Event chip leader, Dennis Phillips.

     

    Passing the time with confidence, current leader Dennis Phillips holds the largest stack with 26,295,000 chips in his corner, nearly 2 million higher than his closest rival, Ivan Demidov at 24,400,000. But how did Phillips, an amateur poker player from Cottage Hills, Illinois, earn such a prestigious position in the most influential live tournament of our time?

     

    Apparently the televised broadcast has done even more for the poker gaming community than we had previously realized, having brought the sport back into the limelight in such a fashion that even poker enthusiasts who’ve never cashed in a live tournament have attained astounding skills for the game; enough to rival those of the professional poker players we’ve come to expect such spectacular performances from.

     

    Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Dennis Phillips is a 53-year-old account manager for the Broadway Truck Centers trucking company. Phillips only took up the game of poker four years ago, as a mere hobby more than anything else. He has been spending a good deal of time earning frequent cashes at the local Harrah’s Casino in St. Louis, and one particular win has brought him further than he could have ever imagined.

     

    Handing over the $200 buy-in to a Satellite tournament at Harrah’s, Dennis Phillips battled some of the toughest poker players in the region, finally taking down the 2006 WSOP Main Event final tablist Dan Nassif in heads-up action to win a seat in this year’s WSOP Main Event.

     

    As far as previous WSOP tournaments are concerned, Dennis Phillips had only cashed in two events, both being WSOP Circuits held in the nearby city of Robinsonville. On September 7, 2007, Phillips bought into a WSOP Circuit NL Hold’em tournament at the Grand Casino Tunica for $550, finishing in 9th place for $2,386. Only two days later, Dennis reinvested his winnings for another $550 buy-in, this time taking 7th place for $2,192.

     

    Now finding himself holding the largest chip stack at the one and only World Series of Poker Main Event, Dennis Phillips couldn’t be more pleased with his performance. Phillips stated that he couldn’t have been more calm as he offered a perfect poker face, staring into the eyes of his strong-willed competitors while the final three tables took place.

     

    According to Phillips, as he went ever deeper into the WSOP Main Event, he resisted numerous offers from online poker companies, making every effort to get him to don their logos. Full Tilt Poker offered a large sum to Phillips simply to wear a Full Tilt Poker cap backwards, but Phillips declined, preferring the bright red cap depicting his favorite St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. Another offer came for him to wear a logo T-shirt, but again, Phillips rejected, choosing to keep his own shirt displaying his employment company logo, Broadway Truck Centers. “Those are my friends. I’m not going to do that to them.” Eventually, PokerStars was able to convince Dennis to wear a logo patch on his company shirt, as well as another on the side of his red baseball cap.

     

    One lingering question that had to be on the minds of Phillips co-workers and employers had to be, “Is Dennis Phillips going to retire?”

     

    Phillips cleared that question up immediately as the media swarmed in his direction upon discovery of the November Nine. He stated that he will not retire, and will be back to work Thursday. Of course, Phillips may not quite realize the fate in store for him, as the immaculately skilled poker player will be returning a home town hero and local celebrity; his face already plastered across the St. Louis Today newspaper.

     

    Dennis Phillips is a modest man; not one easily lured by the camera lights. He didn’t even bother to tell his friends that he had won a seat in the 2008 WSOP Main Event until weeks later, and even then required a few drinks to spill the beans.

     

    As much as the world wishes to see a winner crowned, it will unfortunately be another 116 days – Final Table Day 1 and 2, after a 117 day break from the end of the final table setting – before a true winner shall emerge, claiming the coveted WSOP Bracelet and Championship title, along with about $9.2 million.

     

    When asked why the WSOP determined it necessary to invoke such a long delay before the WSOP Main Event Final Table, WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack replied, “Now fans will ask ‘who will win’ our coveted championship bracelet and millions of dollars instead of ‘Who won? The excitement and interest that will surround our final nine players will be unprecedented.”

      Written by Donna Norman · Filed Under 2008 WSOP Results, Poker News, Poker Tournament Results, WSOP News 

      Close
      E-mail It
      Socialized through Gregarious 42