The final table of the 2015 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event kicked off Sunday night as nine championship hopefuls – the November Nine – embarked upon the final chapter of their quest to poker immortality. It was slow going as everyone played quite deliberately and after nearly six hours, only three players were eliminated. Thus, the remaining six will return to play Monday afternoon at 4:30pm PST.
Pennsylvania’s Joe McKeehen had a massive chip lead going into the final table; little has changed in that regard. McKeehen took a while to get going, but when the chips were bagged at the end of the night, he was still atop the chip counts with an even larger advantage than he had several hours earlier.
Here’s a look at the chip counts to begin the night:
Joe McKeehen — 63,100,000
Zvi Stern — 29,800,000
Neil Blumenfield — 22,000,000
Pierre Neuville — 21,075,000
Max Steinberg — 20,200,000
Thomas Cannuli — 12,250,000
Joshua Beckley — 11,800,000
Patrick Chan — 6,225,000
Federico Butteroni — 6,200,000
As one might have expected, the two short stacks, Chan and Butteroni, were the first to go. Perhaps interestingly, though, one was eliminated almost immediately, while the other lasted quite some time before finally capitulating.
On just the second hand of the evening, McKeehen shoved from the button with A-4 to put pressure on the blinds and Patrick Chan, sitting in the small blind, decided it was time to take a stand, so he called off his stack with K-Q. The only flop Chan saw didn’t help him, nor did the turn or river, and he was eliminated in ninth place. He didn’t make any more money last night, but he still cashed for a cool million, so hey, not all that bad.
Somehow, after that, even with blinds prohibitively high, Federico Butteroni lasted three hours. Though he needed to make a move, he was also card dead the entire time and couldn’t find the right opportunity. He finally took his shot with A-J, but unfortunately was called by McKeehen and A-K. The rest was academic and Butteroni was knocked out in eighth place.
Pierre Neuville, despite being one of the more comfortable stacks going in, was the one eliminated in seventh. He ran into a couple tough hands and before he knew it, found himself as the short stack at the table. It was apparent watching him that he knew he had to get his chips in sooner or later, but he couldn’t find the right time. Finally, the oldest player to ever make the November Nine shoved with A-J and ended up called by – guess who – Joe McKeehen. Neuville was actually in fantastic shape, as McKeehen only had J-6 of hearts. As fate would have it, though, McKeehen hit runner-runner hearts to make a flush.
Joe McKeehen has now eliminated every player from eleventh through seventh place.
As mentioned, the final table will resume at 4:30pm Pacific. It will be broadcast with a 30-minute delay on ESPN2 beginning at 5:00pm Pacific/8:00pm Eastern. The plan is to go until just three players remain.
2015 World Series of Poker Main Event November Nine – End of Day 1 Chip Counts
1. Joe McKeehen – 91,450,000
2. Ofer Zvi Stern – 32,400,000
3. Neil Blumenfield – 31,500,000
4. Max Steinberg – 16,000,000
5. Josh Beckley – 10,875,000
6. Thomas Cannuli – 10,425,000