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The November Nine Begins

Delaying the Final Table to November

Throughout its history, the World Series of Poker had always been a continuous event, with the tournament progressing without interruption until a winner was decided. However, in 2008, a significant change was made. The decision was made to delay the action at the final table for several months, moving the championship from July to November. Thus, the group that survived to the final table became known as the November Nine.

Changing the dynamic of the final table

This delay significantly altered the dynamic of the final table. Instead of immediately continuing the tournament, the players were awarded ninth-place money, almost a million dollars, and given nearly four months to prepare for the big event. This was especially significant for the amateur players, who now had both the time and resources to seriously work on their game. With so much money on the line, it was well worth their while to do so.

One of the primary reasons for this delay was to accommodate ESPN, the event’s main broadcaster. The idea was to build more hype leading up to the final table and to allow ESPN to broadcast highlights from the earlier stages of the main event throughout the summer and fall. This also permitted them to broadcast the action from the final table much closer to the event’s conclusion. The live event took place on November 9, with the broadcast only two days later.

The November Nine

The November Nine were set on November 9. With a small stack amounting to only about 2% of the total chips, Kelly Kim hoped to outlast one player to improve his expected ninth-place finish. The other players seemed to wait for Kim to exit, hoping to bump up their payouts. Amazingly, Kim survived for three hours, eventually outlasting Craig Marquis, who started with 10.2 million chips to Kim’s 2.6 million. Kim’s patience earned him an extra $388,000. Marquis, hoping to become the first Texan to win since Bill Smith in 1985, regretted going out ahead of Kim but stated he was playing to win, not just to survive.

Kim eventually went out in eighth place, followed by David “Chino” Rheem, who exited in seventh. The bottom three at the start of play had all departed. This left Dennis Phillips of St. Louis, the chip leader, Ivan Demidov of Russia, who started second, Scott Montgomery of Canada, starting third, Peter Eastgate of Denmark, starting fourth, Ylon Schwartz of New York City, starting fifth, and Darius Suharto, also from Canada, starting sixth.

The final six

Suharto, aiming to become another full-time accountant world champion like Chris Moneymaker, finished sixth. Despite winning over $2.4 million, he returned to his accounting job in Toronto. Scott Montgomery followed, eliminated in fifth after a devastating bad beat where the only card that could have knocked him out appeared. Despite this, Montgomery remained a gentleman and took home over $3 million.

Ylon Schwartz, a former chess pro, finished fourth with over $3.7 million. He had joked about running away like Andy in the Shawshank Redemption if he won, but that decision was not required. Dennis Phillips, the chip leader at the start, exited in third place, earning over $4.5 million.

The final showdown

This left Ivan Demidov and Peter Eastgate to battle for the title. Demidov, 27, aimed to become the first Russian champion, while Eastgate, 22, sought to be the first Danish winner and the youngest champion, potentially breaking Phil Hellmuth’s 20-year-old record of 24 years.

Initially, Demidov held the lead, but Eastgate’s relentless aggression turned the tide. In the final hand, Demidov went all-in with two pairs, a strong hand in heads-up play. However, Eastgate had hit a runner-runner straight, securing the title. Demidov was gracious in defeat, earning almost $6 million. Eastgate’s victory, with a payout of over $9.1 million, was the second highest in poker history.

The introduction of the November Nine brought a new level of excitement and preparation to the WSOP, further solidifying its status as the premier event in the world of poker.