The hk prize Main Event has already come and gone. The final table started with 9 players who would play 17 hours until the last two were left standing. The biggest story coming into the final table was Phil Ivey’s presence. Despite being short stacked, many felt if Ivey could accumulate chips, he could dominate the final table on his way to another bracelet.
Here is how the chip counts stacked up:
Darvin Moon – 58,930,000
Eric Buchman – 34,800,000
Steven Begleiter – 29,885,000
Jeff Shulman – 19,580,000
Joseph Cada – 13,215,000
Kevin Schaffel – 12,390,000
Phil Ivey – 9,765,000
Antoine Saout – 9,500,000
James Akenhead – 6,800,000
Out in ninth place was Englishman James Akenhead who finished runner up in a 2008 WSOP preliminary event. Akenhead got coolered early on, running K-K into A-A, and pushed his shortstack holding 3-3 into the 9-9 of 51 year old Kevin Schaffel. The board was no help to Akenhead, but the $1.2 million for ninth place had to of helped.
About twenty minutes after Akenhead’s exit, Schaffel was fortunate enough to get all-in preflop again with A-A. Eric Buchman showed K-K as the two players wait for the community cards to fall. The K-Q-J flop put 28 year old tournament grinder Buchman in the driver’s seat after being a 4-1 underdog preflop. Akenhead needed a T or an A on the turn or river, but no help came, sending Schaffel home to Florida with $1.3 million.
Darvin Moon – $58,000,000
Eric Buchman – 453,000,000
Steve Begleiter – $25,000,000
Antoine Saout – $22,000,000
Jeff Shulman – $16,000,000
Phil Ivey – $9,000,000
Joe Cada – $8,000,000
The players played two more hours until the dinner break at 10 PM.
Eric Buchman – $54,000,000
Darvin Moon – $41,000,000
Steve Begleiter – $38,000,000
Antoine Saout …