WSOP Main Event Final Table Preview

Lights, Camera, Action! This is it, the World Series of Poker Main Event final table is ready to go! The members of the November Nine will soon make their way to the Penn & Teller Theatre at the Rio in Las Vegas…

TRAN TAKEOVER

All eyes are on JC Tran (GPI#201) who comes into Final Table play as the chip leader. Tran also holds most of the hardware between all of the players at the final table. Tran is one of two players at the Final Table who already owns a WSOP bracelet – Amir Lehavot is the other – in fact, Tran holds two bracelets to go along with his 2007 WPT World Poker Challenge title (Mark Newhouse also has a WPT win under his belt). Tran came this close from becoming the very first WPT Alpha8 Champion when he fell to Steven Silverman during heads-up play at the inaugural WPT Alpha8 Florida event in August.

Tran also has multiple other final table performances to his credit. There is no doubt that Tran is the favorite coming into tonight’s play, it would be a major upset if he didn’t make it to Tuesday’s finale.

BEWARE OF THE RAPTOR

It’s almost going to take a miracle for the Raptor, David Benefield (GPI#123) to win this event … but, stranger things have happened.

Also, it’s important to note that Benefield has been the hottest out of all of the November Niners since we ended play in July. Benefield has huge success at both EPT Barcelona and EPT London where he earned big High Roller and Super High Roller scores. Benefield currently sits second in the European Poker Tour Season 10 Player of the Year race, powered by the Global Poker Index.

Here is a closer look at the final table participants:

[table id=517 /]

• Known mostly as a high stakes online player
• Finished second at Winamax Poker Open Dublin in September
• WSOP Career: 1 cash, $733,224 USD in earnings
• Results since making Nov 9: 1 cash, $80,966 USD in earnings

[table id=518 /]

• Finished seventh in Limit Hold’em Championship at 2009 WSOP
• Earned fourth place finish in 25K High Roller event at 2010 PCA
• All three career wins have come at the Holland Casino in Amsterdam
• WSOP Career: 8 cashes, $907,394 USD in earnings
• Results since making Nov 9: 1 cash, $12,012 USD in earnings

[table id=519 /]

• Won 2006 Borgata Poker Open
• Finished 19th at 2008 WPT World Championship
• Finished fifth in 3K Limit event at 2006 WSOP
• Earned 182nd place finish in the 2011 WSOP Main Event
• WSOP Career: 7 cashes, $902,967 USD in earnings
• Results since making Nov 9: 2 cashes, $38,671 USD in earnings

[table id=520 /]

• Finished second at WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond in 2012
• Finished 11th at WSOP NLH 1K buy-in Event #30 this year
• WSOP Career: 4 cashes, $763,793 USD in earnings
• Results since making Nov 9: 1 cash, $8,828 USD in earnings

[table id=521 /]

• Won WSOP PLO Championship bracelet in 2011
• Finished fourth at 2011 WPT L.A. Poker Classic
• Earned 226th place finish in the 2009 WSOP Main Event
• Earned 448th place finish in the 2010 WSOP Main Event
• Earned 15th place finish in the 2011 WSOP Europe Main Event
• WSOP Career: 1 bracelet, 13 cashes, $1,548,880 USD in earnings
• Results since making Nov 9: 1 cash, $69,810 USD in earnings

[table id=522 /]

• Finished third in WSOP 1,500 NLH event at 2011 WSOP
• Finished 63rd at 2010 PCA
• Earned 30th place finish in the 2009 WSOP Main Event
• Earned 86th place finish in the 2011 WSOP Main Event
• WSOP Career: 8 cashes, $1,392,538 USD in earnings
• Results since making Nov 9: 1 cash, $20,146 USD in earnings

[table id=523 /]

• Recently finished second at WPT Alpha8 Florida
• Won WSOP PLO bracelet in 2009
• Won WOSP 1,500 NLH bracelet in 2008
• Won WPT World Poker Challenge in 2007
• Has made a total of five WPT Final Tables
• WSOP Career: 2 bracelets, 40 cashes, $2,571,791 USD in earnings
• Results since making Nov 9: 1 cash, $526,890 USD in earnings

[table id=524 /]

• Recently finished 7th at EPT London Super High Roller event
• Recently finished 5th and 8th in High Roller events at EPT Barcelona
• Finished eighth at 50K NLH High Roller event at 2012 WSOP Europe
• Finished sixth in WSOP 5K NLH event at 2010 WSOP
• Earned 73rd place finish in the 2008 WSOP Main Event
• WSOP Career: 13 cashes, $1,188,937 USD in earnings
• Results since making Nov 9: 5 cashes, $595,612 USD in earnings

[table id=525 /]

• Making the WSOP November Nine was the first cash of his career on the circuit
• Recently finished 34th in the WSOP Europe Main Event
• WSOP Career: 1 cash, $733,224 USD in earnings
• Results since making Nov 9: 1 cash, $27,371 USD in earnings

Cards will be in the air in just a few hours, best of luck to all participants!

More news and updates  on our facebook page. You can also follow us on Twitter!