WSOP Final Table Starts Tomorrow

The big WSOP prize…well, besides the $8.5 million dollars. (Image courtesy of IMPDI)

We’re finally there. After months of anticipation and way too much analysis on poker blogs, they’re finally going to shuffle up and deal on the final table of the 2009 WSOP main event. Action starts at noon tomorrow (PST), which means the first panicky all-in call from one of the short stacks should happen at about 12:05. 

Most pundits have long since weighed in with their opinions on who’s going to walk out of the Rio $8.5 million dollars richer. And, if history is any indication, most pundits will be proven wrong. After all, there are nine players, and eight of them ain’t going to win (well, they’ll each win more than a million bucks, which ain’t too shabby, but we’re talking bracelets). So far, most people seem to be picking either chip leader/logger Darvin Moon, or pro stud Phil Ivey to take the prize. Moon, because of his monster stack (35% of the chips on the table), and Ivey because, well, he’s Phil Ivey.

Of course history has shown that, like everything else in poker, final tables are hard to predict. For an illuminating peek back through time, check out some of the odds on the 2008 final table. The chip leader going into last year’s November Nine was Dennis Phillips. His big stack made him a 3/1 favorite going in. He finished third, when all was said and done. Last year’s second favorite was Scott Montgomery, due to his experience, and 2nd place stack. And where did he finish? Right in the middle of the pack, at fifth place. The guy who eventually won it all, Peter Eastgate, went in with the 4th most chips.

What will happen this year is anyone’s guess, of course. And since it all kicks off tomorrow, you don’t have much time to make your own prediction. And since you’ll probably get it wrong, here’s some advice… be sure to never, ever put your pick down in writing. And, on that note, I’m hereby guaranteeing a win by Steven Begleiter. Go Steve!