November Nine
Encyclopedia
The November Nine is the name used to refer to the final nine contestants, or final table, at the Main Event of the World Series of Poker
(WSOP) since 2008. The winner of the WSOP Main Event is considered to be the World Champion of Poker.
Prior to 2008, the entire Main Event was played without interruption. Starting in 2008, in an effort to build excitement in the WSOP and to increase ratings for the tape-delayed televised shows, Harrah's Entertainment
and ESPN
decided to delay the final table until shortly before its scheduled broadcast. The reason for the delay was so that ESPN could cover the rest of the tournament leading up to the final table without viewers knowing the winner in advance.
, a 2008 November Nine participant, criticized the four-month delay by saying, "It ruins the integrity of the tournament. The purity of old-time Las Vegas is gone. The antiquity and purity of the tournament have been liquidated into pure greed and capitalism." However, ESPN's Senior Director of Programming and Acquisition, Doug White, stated, "The movement of the final table has definitely helped in terms of creating buzz."
When the 2008 November Nine was broadcast "almost live," ESPN received criticism because the network showed the winner's name prior to the broadcast. Poker journalist Dan Skolovy wrote, "It turned out to be a difficult task to avoid hearing the results. Especially since... ESPN scrolled the winner on its sports ticker long before the broadcast aired." Nonetheless, coverage of the 2008 final table had more than a 50 percent increase in the number of viewers and the number of households that watched it. The broadcast later received an Emmy Award
nomination for "Outstanding Live Event Turnaround."
Total prize pool: $64,431,779
Final table minimum prize: $900,670
Final table maximum prize: $9,152,416
Final table total prize pool: $32,633,446
Reference:
Dennis Phillips
was an account manager for a commercial trucking company. Peter Eastgate
, from Denmark, was one of only two non-North American players to make it to the final table (Russian Ivan Demidov
was the other). By making the final table, Eastgate and 23-year-old Craig Marquis
threatened Phil Hellmuth
's 19-year record as youngest person to ever win the WSOP Main Event; Eastgate's victory gave him that distinction. Ylon Schwartz
was a former professional chess hustler in New York City
parks. Two players, accountant Darus Suharto
and poker professional Scott Montgomery
, were originally from Canada. Kelly Kim
, who had the fewest number of chips entering the final table, was an established professional player who cashed in numerous events but never won a major tournament.
Total prize pool: $61,043,600
Final table minimum prize: $1,263,602
Final table maximum prize: $8,547,042
Final table total prize pool: $27,220,989
Reference:
The final table's "rags to riches
" story was Darvin Moon, a logger
from Maryland. Moon entered the Main Event after winning a $130 satellite tournament
in Wheeling, West Virginia
.
Jeff Shulman
, who entered the final table in fourth place, was the president for Card Player Magazine
. Shulman openly stated that, if he won the bracelet, he would throw it away. Some initially speculated that this announcement stemmed from the fact that Harrah's Casino has partnered with Card Player Magazine's main competitor, Bluff Magazine
. However, an article on the Card Player website indicated that Shulman's supposed disdain for Harrah's Casino was not based on its partnership with Bluff Magazine. “My comments have nothing to do with that, and everything to do with my disappointment in how the World Series is run," said Shulman. "It used to be run by people who loved and really cared about poker, and had the players in mind, first and foremost. That mission's been derailed by a few executives who now head the Series." He also indicated that, if he won the bracelet, he would not throw it in the trash, but instead would pursue one of four options: hold an auction and donate the money to charity, hold a tournament for the players shut out of the 2009 WSOP Main Event, give it away as part of a promotion on SpadeClub.com (an online poker site sponsored by Cardplayer), or give it to television personality Stephen Colbert
.
Other notable finalists included seven-time bracelet winner Phil Ivey
and former Bear Stearns
senior executive Steven Begleiter.
At age 21, Joe Cada
became the youngest player to ever win the WSOP Main Event.
Total prize pool: $68,798,600
Final table minimum prize: $811,823
Final table maximum prize: $8,944,310
Final table prize pool: $29,032,637
Total prize Pool: $64,531,000
Final table minimum prize: $782,115
Final table maximum prize: $8,715,638
Final table prize pool: $28,469,161
Eoghan O'Dea's father, Donnacha O'Dea
, made the Main Event final table in 1983
and 1991
, making them the first father-son duo to make the final table. In addition, Martin Staszko, Badih Bounahra, Pius Heinz and Anton Makiievskyi were the first players to make the Main Event final table from the countries of Czech Republic
, Belize
, Germany
, and Ukraine
, respectively. With seven different countries represented, this was the most internationally diverse Main Event final table in WSOP history.
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
(WSOP) since 2008. The winner of the WSOP Main Event is considered to be the World Champion of Poker.
Prior to 2008, the entire Main Event was played without interruption. Starting in 2008, in an effort to build excitement in the WSOP and to increase ratings for the tape-delayed televised shows, Harrah's Entertainment
Harrah's Entertainment
Caesars Entertainment Corporation is a private gaming corporation that owns and operates over 50 casinos, hotels, and seven golf courses under several brands. The company, based in Paradise, Nevada, is the largest gaming company in the world, with yearly revenues $8.9 billion...
and ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
decided to delay the final table until shortly before its scheduled broadcast. The reason for the delay was so that ESPN could cover the rest of the tournament leading up to the final table without viewers knowing the winner in advance.
Reception and criticism
After the announcement was made to delay the final table, concerns arose as to how the delay would affect the tournament. Ylon SchwartzYlon Schwartz
Ylon Schwartz is a chess master and professional poker player from Brooklyn, New York, and a fourth place finisher in the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Hold'em Main Event of the 2008 World Series of Poker , played on November 9, 2008...
, a 2008 November Nine participant, criticized the four-month delay by saying, "It ruins the integrity of the tournament. The purity of old-time Las Vegas is gone. The antiquity and purity of the tournament have been liquidated into pure greed and capitalism." However, ESPN's Senior Director of Programming and Acquisition, Doug White, stated, "The movement of the final table has definitely helped in terms of creating buzz."
When the 2008 November Nine was broadcast "almost live," ESPN received criticism because the network showed the winner's name prior to the broadcast. Poker journalist Dan Skolovy wrote, "It turned out to be a difficult task to avoid hearing the results. Especially since... ESPN scrolled the winner on its sports ticker long before the broadcast aired." Nonetheless, coverage of the 2008 final table had more than a 50 percent increase in the number of viewers and the number of households that watched it. The broadcast later received an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nomination for "Outstanding Live Event Turnaround."
Key
| Name | Name of the player (listed in order of starting chip stack). |
| Starting chip count | The starting chip stack at the start of the final table. |
| WSOP bracelets |
The number of WSOP bracelets at the time the November Nine was determined. |
| WSOP cashes |
The number of WSOP cashes at the time the November Nine was determined. |
| WSOP earnings |
The total of WSOP earnings at the time the November Nine was determined. |
| Final place |
The place in which the player finished the tournament. |
| Prize | The prize money awarded to that player for his or her finish at that year's Main Event. |
2008
Original field: 6,844Total prize pool: $64,431,779
Final table minimum prize: $900,670
Final table maximum prize: $9,152,416
Final table total prize pool: $32,633,446
Reference:
| Name | Starting chip count | WSOP bracelets |
WSOP cashes |
WSOP earnings |
Final place |
Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26,295,000 | 0 | 0 | $0 | 3rd | $4,517,773 | |
| 24,400,000 | 0 | 1 | $39,854 | 2nd | $5,809,595 | |
| 19,690,000 | 0 | 3 | $73,700 | 5th | $3,096,768 | |
| 18,375,000 | 0 | 0 | $0 | 1st | $9,152,416 | |
| 12,525,000 | 0 | 11 | $124,580 | 4th | $3,774,974 | |
| 12,520,000 | 0 | 1 | $26,389 | 6th | $2,418,562 | |
| 10,230,000 | 0 | 5 | $474,863 | 7th | $1,772,650 | |
| 10,210,000 | 0 | 3 | $35,759 | 9th | $900,670 | |
| 2,620,000 | 0 | 3 | $45,191 | 8th | $1,288,217 |
Dennis Phillips
Dennis Phillips (poker player)
Dennis N. Phillips is a poker player and an account manager for Broadway Trucks, a commercial trucking company in St Louis, Missouri. Phillips qualified for the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event through a $200 satellite tournament at Harrah's St. Louis, his local Harrah's casino...
was an account manager for a commercial trucking company. Peter Eastgate
Peter Eastgate
Peter Eastgate is a poker player from Denmark, best known as the winner of the Main Event at the 2008 World Series of Poker. At the time, he became the youngest player ever to win the event. He was consequently surpassed by Joe Cada in 2009.-Early life:Eastgate was raised in Dalum, a suburb of...
, from Denmark, was one of only two non-North American players to make it to the final table (Russian Ivan Demidov
Ivan Demidov
Ivan Demidov is a professional poker player from Moscow, Russia.Demidov is one of the original 'November Nine', having made the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2008. He reached the heads-up stage along with Peter Eastgate, and took second place for $5,809,595...
was the other). By making the final table, Eastgate and 23-year-old Craig Marquis
Craig Marquis
Craig Marquis is a poker player from Arlington, Texas, and a final table participant in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event.He had three prior WSOP cashes, one in 2008 and two in 2007....
threatened Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth is an American professional poker player. He is best known for holding a record 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, for winning the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker and for his temperamental, "poker brat" personality...
's 19-year record as youngest person to ever win the WSOP Main Event; Eastgate's victory gave him that distinction. Ylon Schwartz
Ylon Schwartz
Ylon Schwartz is a chess master and professional poker player from Brooklyn, New York, and a fourth place finisher in the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Hold'em Main Event of the 2008 World Series of Poker , played on November 9, 2008...
was a former professional chess hustler in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
parks. Two players, accountant Darus Suharto
Darus Suharto
Darus Suharto is a poker player born in Indonesia and currently residing in Toronto, Canada, where he works as a Certified General Accountant at York University, and is a member of the Certified General Accountants of Ontario. Suharto finished 6th in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event. He...
and poker professional Scott Montgomery
Scott Montgomery (poker player)
Scott Montgomery is a poker player from Perth, Ontario, Canada who won his first bracelet at the 2010 World Series of Poker in the $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Event #36 and was one of the final table players in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event. He finished in fifth place earning $3,088,012,...
, were originally from Canada. Kelly Kim
Kelly Kim
Kelly Kim is a poker player from Whittier, California, primarily known for his 8th place finish at the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event, earning $1,288,217....
, who had the fewest number of chips entering the final table, was an established professional player who cashed in numerous events but never won a major tournament.
2009
Original field: 6,494Total prize pool: $61,043,600
Final table minimum prize: $1,263,602
Final table maximum prize: $8,547,042
Final table total prize pool: $27,220,989
Reference:
| Name | Starting chip count | WSOP bracelets |
WSOP cashes |
WSOP earnings |
Final place |
Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58,930,000 | 0 | 0 | $0 | 2nd | $5,182,928 | |
| 34,800,000 | 0 | 9 | $320,893 | 4th | $2,502,890 | |
| 29,885,000 | 0 | 0 | $0 | 6th | $1,587,160 | |
| 19,580,000 | 0 | 15 | $289,551 | 5th | $1,953,452 | |
| 13,215,000 | 0 | 2 | $28,214 | 1st | $8,547,042 | |
| 12,390,000 | 0 | 2 | $92,166 | 8th | $1,300,231 | |
| 9,765,000 | 7 | 38 | $3,843,018 | 7th | $1,404,014 | |
| 9,500,000 | 0 | 0 | $0 | 3rd | $3,479,670 | |
| 6,800,000 | 0 | 2 | $525,867 | 9th | $1,263,602 |
The final table's "rags to riches
Rags to riches
Rags to Riches refers to any situation in which a person rises from poverty to wealth, or sometimes from obscurity to fame. This is a common archetype in literature and popular culture ....
" story was Darvin Moon, a logger
Lumberjack
A lumberjack is a worker in the logging industry who performs the initial harvesting and transport of trees for ultimate processing into forest products. The term usually refers to a bygone era when hand tools were used in harvesting trees principally from virgin forest...
from Maryland. Moon entered the Main Event after winning a $130 satellite tournament
Satellite tournament
A satellite tournament is either a minor tournament or event on a competitive sporting tour or one of a group of such tournaments that form a series played in the same country or region.-Poker:...
in Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
Jeff Shulman
Jeff Shulman
Jeff Shulman is the editor of Card Player Magazine, and an American poker player with a record of success in tournament play, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is the son of Jan Shulman and Barry Shulman...
, who entered the final table in fourth place, was the president for Card Player Magazine
Card Player
Card Player magazine is an industry publication and web portal specializing in poker media, poker strategy and poker tournament coverage. The magazine was founded in 1988 by June Field. In 1998 it was bought by Barry Shulman, who is the current publisher and CEO...
. Shulman openly stated that, if he won the bracelet, he would throw it away. Some initially speculated that this announcement stemmed from the fact that Harrah's Casino has partnered with Card Player Magazine's main competitor, Bluff Magazine
Bluff Magazine
Bluff Magazine is an American magazine specializing in the game of poker. Separate editions are also published for Europe, Latin America, South Africa and Australasia....
. However, an article on the Card Player website indicated that Shulman's supposed disdain for Harrah's Casino was not based on its partnership with Bluff Magazine. “My comments have nothing to do with that, and everything to do with my disappointment in how the World Series is run," said Shulman. "It used to be run by people who loved and really cared about poker, and had the players in mind, first and foremost. That mission's been derailed by a few executives who now head the Series." He also indicated that, if he won the bracelet, he would not throw it in the trash, but instead would pursue one of four options: hold an auction and donate the money to charity, hold a tournament for the players shut out of the 2009 WSOP Main Event, give it away as part of a promotion on SpadeClub.com (an online poker site sponsored by Cardplayer), or give it to television personality Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
.
Other notable finalists included seven-time bracelet winner Phil Ivey
Phil Ivey
Phillip Dennis "Phil" Ivey Jr. is an American professional poker player who has won eight World Series of Poker bracelets, one World Poker Tour title and appeared at nine World Poker Tour final tables...
and former Bear Stearns
Bear Stearns
The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. based in New York City, was a global investment bank and securities trading and brokerage, until its sale to JPMorgan Chase in 2008 during the global financial crisis and recession...
senior executive Steven Begleiter.
At age 21, Joe Cada
Joe Cada
Joseph "Joe" Cada is an American professional poker player from Shelby Charter Township, Michigan, best known as the winner of the Main Event at the 2009 World Series of Poker ....
became the youngest player to ever win the WSOP Main Event.
2010
Original field: 7,319Total prize pool: $68,798,600
Final table minimum prize: $811,823
Final table maximum prize: $8,944,310
Final table prize pool: $29,032,637
| Name | Starting chip count | WSOP bracelets |
WSOP cashes |
WSOP earnings |
Final place |
Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65,975,000 | 0 | 2 | $43,000 | 1st | $8,944,310 | |
| 46,250,000 | 0 | 5 | $105,340 | 6th | $1,772,959 | |
| 23,525,000 | 0 | 2 | $31,064 | 3rd | $4,130,049 | |
| 19,050,000 | 0 | 10 | $157,528 | 2nd | $5,545,955 | |
| 16,700,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8th | $1,045,743 | |
| 16,400,000 | 0 | 1 | $3,460 | 4th | $3,092,545 | |
| 14,450,000 | 1 | 23 | $2,271,327 | 5th | $2,332,992 | |
| 9,650,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9th | $811,823 | |
| 7,625,000 | 0 | 1 | $17,987 | 7th | $1,356,720 |
2011
Original field: 6,865Total prize Pool: $64,531,000
Final table minimum prize: $782,115
Final table maximum prize: $8,715,638
Final table prize pool: $28,469,161
| Name | Starting chip count | WSOP bracelets |
WSOP cashes |
WSOP earnings |
Final place |
Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40,175,000 | 0 | 4 | $22,875 | 2nd | $5,433,086 | |
| 33,925,000 | 0 | 5 | $37,516 | 6th | $1,720,831 | |
| 24,750,000 | 0 | 10 | $237,249 | 4th | $3,012,700 | |
| 23,875,000 | 0 | 8 | $48,769 | 5th | $2,269,599 | |
| 20,875,000 | 1 | 12 | $2,157,249 | 3rd | $4,021,138 | |
| 19,700,000 | 0 | 1 | $7,582 | 7th | $1,314,097 | |
| 16,425,000 | 0 | 1 | $83,286 | 1st | $8,715,638 | |
| 13,825,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8th | $1,010,015 | |
| 12,375,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9th | $782,115 |
Eoghan O'Dea's father, Donnacha O'Dea
Donnacha O'Dea
Donnacha "The Don" O'Dea is an Irish professional poker player. In his youth he was a swimmer, and represented Ireland in the 1968 Olympics. He was also the first Irish swimmer to swim 100m in less than one minute...
, made the Main Event final table in 1983
1983 World Series of Poker
The 1983 World Series of Poker was held May 9th to May 12th, 1983 at Binion's Horseshoe.-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 108 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. Doyle Brunson fell just short in his attempt to win the main event for a third time when he...
and 1991
1991 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 215 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. This was the first Main Event to offer a top prize of 1 million dollars.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:...
, making them the first father-son duo to make the final table. In addition, Martin Staszko, Badih Bounahra, Pius Heinz and Anton Makiievskyi were the first players to make the Main Event final table from the countries of Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, respectively. With seven different countries represented, this was the most internationally diverse Main Event final table in WSOP history.