2013 WSOP: A First Look at the November Nine

One week after the lights in the Amazon Room faded to black, we take a our first look at the nine players who will be making their way back to the Rio on November 4th and 5th to determine who will be the next WSOP World Champion.

As the total field of 6,352 dwindled, there were concerns from many as plenty of big name pros were making their way to the payout line but what we’re left with could be one of the deepest group ever assembled for the November Nine – here is our first look at the participants:

[table id=194 /]

Veteran poker pro J.C. Tran is most likely the biggest name left in the Main Event and he will be starting the November Nine as the chip leader. At this point, Tran has to be the odds-on favorite to win.

Tran is no stranger to the limelight having previously won two WSOP bracelets,a WPT title and the winner of the PartyPoker Premier League III … although his last victory on the live tournament was at APT Macau back in 2009.

WSOP Career: 2 Bracelets, 40 Cashes, $1,843,946
Best Main Event Finish: 108th in 2009

[table id=195 /]

Amir Lehavot is another experienced pro and has collected his fair share of deep runs in 10K buy-in events including a bracelet victory back in 2011 in the 10K Pot Limit Omaha Championship.

Lehavot also finished 15th at the 2011 WSOP Europe Main Event. Most recently, Lehavot won a side event at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star in San Jose, good for a 140K USD payout.

WSOP Career: 1 Bracelet, 12 Cashes, $818,414
Best Main Event Finish: 226th in 2009

[table id=196 /]

Although he’s still very young, this isn’t French-Canadian Marc Etienne McLaughlin’s first crack at a deep run in the WSOP Main Event. At the age of 21, McLaughlin was playing in his first ever WSOP back in 2009. Amazingly, he finished 30th that year.

He followed that performance up two years later – in 2011 – finishing 86th in the Main Event … given the fact that he seems to run deep every other year, it’s only natural that McLaughlin is still alive in this tournament!

WSOP Career: 0 Bracelets, 6 Cashes, $639,168
Best Main Event Finish: 30th in 2009

[table id=197 /]

He wanted to become a professional poker player but ended up working in the nightclub industry in Las Vegas instead … but that hasn’t stopped Jay Farber from continuing to play poker on the side including several events this summer at the WSOP.

Farber earns his first ever cash on the live tournament circuit, he sured picked a perfect time to do so!

WSOP Career: 0 Bracelets, 0 Cashes, $0
Best Main Event Finish: Never cashed

[table id=198 /]

Better known as a WSOP Circuit grinder, Ryan Riess has set his sights on the big time this time around entering the Main Event with the fifth best chip stack.

Riess’ previous big finish was at the 2012 WSOP Circuit stop in Hammond, Indiana, right outside Chicago where he finished 2nd in the Main Event.

WSOP Career: 0 Bracelets, 3 Cashes, $30,569
Best Main Event Finish: Never cashed

[table id=199 /]

French poker player Sylvain Loosli seems to be the loose cannon at this final table – no pun intended – especially since we don’t know much about him.

What we should know is that Loosli is no random amateur. He plays high stakes cash games online from his home in London and the fact that he played the mystery man as the final table neared only adds to the legend.

Loosli finished 24th in a side event at EPT Deauville last January.

WSOP Career: 0 Bracelets, 0 Cashes, $0
Best Main Event Finish: Never cashed

[table id=200 /]

Dutch player Michiel Brummelhuis will have many people cheering him on but will also have the pressure of a nation on his shoulders all hoping he becomes the first ever player from the Netherlands to win the World Championship.

Brummelhuis won a side event at the Master Classics of Poker in Amsterdam last November … he also finished fifth in the High Rollers event at the PCA in 2010.

WSOP Career: 0 Bracelets, 7 Cashes, $174,170
Best Main Event Finish: Never cashed

[table id=201 /]

You may recognize the name Mark Newhouse … and you should. Newhouse took home the WPT Borgata Poker Open back in 2006, defeating Chris McCormack heads-up. David Sklansky and Chris Bell were also at that final table.

Should Newhouse have more chips, he could easily be one of the favorites to win the event. Newhouse will need to pickup a lot of chips early in order to get back into contention.

WSOP Career: 0 Bracelets, 6 Cashes, $152,725
Best Main Event Finish: 182nd in 2011

[table id=202 /]

Like Newhouse, David “Raptor” Benefield would absolutely be a top pick to win the Main Event should he not be the short stack.

There was a time where saying the name Raptor would be enough to scare many players away – Benefield was one of the top high stakes cash game players in the world at one point. He then decided to leave poker behind and return to school although he has never missed a WSOP!

Benefield enjoyed a deep run in the 2008 Main Event where he finished 73rd overall.

WSOP Career: 0 Bracelets, 12 Cashes, $455,713
Best Main Event Finish: 73rd in 2008

The 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event November Nine will return to Las Vegas on November 4th and play down to the final three players – those three will return the next night to determine a winner!