DAY 6 - Darvin Moon

Tournament Notes:

Tournament Highlights:

Day Eight Headlines

1. The November Nine -- 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table is Now Set!

2. Darvin Moon (Oakland, MD) is the Chip Leader in 2009 WSOP Championship

3. Logger from Western Maryland High Atop the WSOP Leaderboard for Third Consecutive Day - Darvin Moon Primed to Become the Next Moneymaker

4. The November Nine (with Hometowns and Chip Counts):

Darvin Moon (Oakland, MD) - 58,930,000
Eric Buchman (Valley Stream, NY) - 343,800,000
Steve Begleiter (Chappaqua, NY) - 29,885,000
Jeff Shulman (Las Vegas, NV) - 19,580,000
Joe Cada (Shelby Township, MI) - 13,215,000
Kevin Schaffel (Coral Springs, FL) - 12,390,000
Phil Ivey (Las Vegas, NV) - 9,765,000
Antione Saout (Paris, France) - 9,500,000
James Ankenhead (London, England) - 6,800,000

The Main Event Continues

-- The 2009 WSOP Main Event continued with the play and conclusion of Day 8. The day played all the way down from 27 initial survivors to the final nine players, which has become popularly known as the "November Nine."

-- All 27 players who started play on Day 8 were already guaranteed $352,832 in prize money. Now, after 13 days and nearly 66 total hours of tournament play, all finishers are guaranteed at least $1,263,602 in prize money.

-- Each player of the November Nine will be paid out the guaranteed prize money. This amounts to $1,263,602 each. When the Main Event resumes play on November 7th, players will compete for additional money in the prize pool, plus interest on the withheld funds. The prize money payouts are as follows:

1st place - $8,546,435
2nd place - $5,182,601
3rd place - $3,479,485
4th place - $2,502,787
5th place - $1,953,395
6th place - $1,587,133
7th place - $1,404,002
8th place - $1,300,228
9th place - $1,263,602

-- This was the 48th and final day of the bulk of the 2009 WSOP. The final table will be played in November. There will also be four gold bracelet events played at WSOP-Europe, to be held in London in September.

-- This tournament will take a 115-day recess. This is the second year of the delayed final table format. Last year's November Nine proved successful both in terms of player feedback and television ratings, which were some of the highest ever for any poker-related telecast.

-- Play on Day 7 began on July 15, 2009 at 12:05 pm. Play on Day 8

-- Play went much faster than expected. Many observers predicted a very long day and night, lasting perhaps 14-16 hours. This was due to the rapid pace of play during the previous days and relatively low blinds and antes in proportion to the stack sizes later in the tournament. But the long day never materialized. Day 8 lasted about 11 hours, minus regular breaks and a 90-minus recess for dinner.

-- Play stopped late in Level 33. When play resumes, blinds will be 120,000-240,000 with a 30,000 ante.

-- The November Nine bubble, which was 10th place, went to Jordan Smith (College Station, TX). He won a gold bracelet at this year's WSOP. Smith collected $896,730.

-- The 11th-place finisher was Jamie Robbins (San Diego, CA). He is a professional poker player. Robbins received $896,730.

-- Billy Kopp (Erlanger, KY) was eliminated in 12th place. He was second in chips at the start of Day 8. Kopp is a student at the University of Kentucky. He earned $896,730.

-- The 13th-place finisher was James Calderero (Venice, FL). He collected $633,022 in prize money.

-- Ben Lamb (Las Vegas, NV) was eliminated in 14th place. He is a 24-year-old poker pro. Lamb collected $633,022.

-- The 15th-place finisher was Nick Maimone (Charlotte, NC). He is a 22-year-old full-time poker pro who graduated with a degree in economics from Furman University. Miamone earned $633,022.

-- Ludovic Lacay (Paris, France) was eliminated in 16th place. He recently earned a law degree and has enjoyed success playing tournaments in Europe. Lacay earned $500,557.

-- The 17th-place finisher was Ian Tavelli, from Tempe, AZ. He turned 21-years-old three months ago and is currently attending Arizona State University. Tavelli collected $500,557.

-- Andrew Lichtenberger (East Northport, NY) was eliminated in 18th place. He is one of the owners of a poker coaching website called "Leggo Poker." Lichtenberger collected $500,557 in prize money.

-- The 19th-place finisher was Tommy Vedes (Queens, NY). He is a full-time poker pro.

-- George Caragiorgas (Montreal, Quebec - Canada) was the 20th-place finisher. He is the owner of a Greek restaurant.

-- The 21st-place finisher was Jonathan Tamayo (Humble, TX). He is a 23-year-old poker pro.

-- Warren Zackey (Johannesburg, South Africa) ended up as the 22nd-place finisher. Zackey, representing the Piggs Peak Casino in Swaziland, was the chip leader three days earlier. He owns a plumbing supplies company.

-- The 23rd-place finisher was Marco, Mattes (Weinsheim, Germany). He is a 22-year-old college student.

-- Former WSOP gold bracelet winner Antonio "the Magician" Esfandiari was eliminated in 24th place. This was Esfandiari's biggest cash at the WSOP.

-- Francois Balmigere (Toulouse, France) was eliminated in 25th place. He is a 25-year-old poker pro.

-- Finishing in 26th place was Jesse Habbak (Grand Forks, ND). He is a college student majoring in civil engineering.

-- The first player eliminated on Day 8 was Leo Margets (Barcelona, Span). She was the last woman standing in the Main Event and ended up as the 27th-place finisher.

-- Following 2009 WSOP champion Peter Eastgate's elimination in Day 6, no more former world champions remain alive in the Main Event.

-- At the start of play on Day 8, there were only three former WSOP gold bracelet winners still alive in the Main Event. They included: Phil Ivey (7 wins), Antonio Esfandiari (1 win), and Jordan Smith (1 win).

-- Leo Margets (Barcelona, Spain) elimination in 27th place means that in the 40-year history of the WSOP, only one female in history has made it to a Main Event final table - Barbara Enright in 1995.

-- Play on Day 8 ended at 10:55 pm. Chip Leaders -- Darvin Moon, remains the chip leader for the third consecutive day. He comes to the final table with a decisive advantage over the rest of the field.

-- Here's how each of the end-of-day chip leaders have fared:

Day 1-A: Redmond Lee (London, UK) - eliminated, did not cash
Day 1-B: Brandon Demes (Tempe, AZ) - eliminated, did not cash
Day 1-C: Joseph Cada (Shelby Township, MI) - currently in 12th place
Day 1-D: Troy Weber (West Terre Haute, IN) - eliminated, did not cash
Day 2-A: Andrew Gaw (Philippines) - eliminated, did not cash
Day 2-B: Amir Lehavot (Weston, FL) - CASHED IN 226th PLACE
Day 3: Bertrand Grospellier (Nancy, France) - CASHED IN 122nd PLACE
Day 4: Matt Affleck (Seattle, WA) - CASHED IN 80th PLACE
Day 5: Waren Zackey (Johannesburg, South Africa) - CASHED IN 22nd PLACE
Day 6: Darvin Moon (Oakland, MD) - CURRENTLY THE CHIP LEADER
Day 7: Darvin Moon (Oakland, MD) - IBID.
Day 8: Darvin Moon (Oakland, MD) - IBID.

ESPN WSOP Broadcasts

-- ESPN has been broadcasting its WSOP coverage since 2003. This year, four events will be featured. These events include the $40,000 buy-in 40th Anniversary No-Limit Hold'em Championship, the World Champions Invitational, the third-annual Ante-Up for Africa charity tournament, and the Main Event.

-- Although the number of WSOP events receiving broad coverage has been reduced to four, the total number of broadcast hours is actually the same as last year. More coverage will be given to the Main Event, since the world championship receives the greatest amount of viewer interest.

-- The total amount of time the WSOP will be broadcast this year is 32 new and original hours of coverage.

-- Debut WSOP broadcasts on ESPN will remain in their customary Tuesday night time slot.

-- The 2009 WSOP broadcasts will begin on July 28th.

WSOP Main Event (Final Table Records)

MOST LIFETIME FINAL TABLE APPEARANCES

Doyle Brunson (5)
1976 1st
1977 1st
1980 2nd
1982 4th
1983 3rd

Jesse Alto (5)
1988 9th
1985 6th
1978 5th
1986 4th
1984 3rd

Johnny Moss (5)
1974 1st
1971 1st
1985 7th
1979 5th
1980 4th

Dan Harrington (4)
1995 1st
1987 6th
2004 4th
2003 3rd

T.J. Cloutier (4)
1988 5th
1998 3rd
1985 2nd
2000 2nd

Stu Ungar (4)
1997 1st
1980 1st
1981 1st
1990 9th

Note 1: Johnny Moss' victory in 1970 is not included amongst final table records, since the winner that year was determined by a vote.

Note 2: Crandall Addington actually holds the record with nine Main Event final table appearances. However, most of these did not include a prize-money payout (field sizes were considerably smaller during the 1970s when most of Addington's appearances occurred).

Note 3: Final table appearances were counted only if the player also received a payout.

Note 4: WSOP Main Event final tables were played six-handed during a 16-year span. However, the top nine finishers during those years are included in final table records.

WSOP Main Event (Cashing Records)

MOST CAREER CASHES IN MAIN EVENT:

10 - Berry Johnston
7 - Doyle Brunson
7 - Humberto Brenes
7 - Jay Heimowitz
7 - Phil Hellmuth (updated to include this year's cash)
7 - Mike Sexton (updated to include this year's cash)
7 - Bobby Baldwin (updated to include this year's cash)

MORE ON BERRY JOHNSTON:

BERRY JOHNSTON ALL-TIME ME CASHES (10)

JOHNSTON BERRY $10000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 1982 3 $104,000.00
JOHNSTON BERRY $10000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 1985 3 $140,000.00
JOHNSTON BERRY $10000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 1986 1 $570,000.00
JOHNSTON BERRY $10000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 1987 32 $7,500.00
JOHNSTON BERRY $10000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 1989 29 $7,500.00
JOHNSTON BERRY $10000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 1990 5 $75,150.00
JOHNSTON BERRY $10000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 1992 17 $10,100.00
JOHNSTON BERRY $10000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 1995 21 $17,300.00
JOHNSTON BERRY $10000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 1996 16 $23,400.00
JOHNSTON BERRY $10000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship 2007 113 $58,570.00

MOST CONSECUTIVE CASHES IN MAIN EVENT:

Theodore Park, 4 cashes - 2005-2008
Bo Sehlstedt, 4 cashes- 2004-2007
Robert Turner, 4 cashes- 1991-1994

13 others tied at three including:
Mike Sexton ('91-'93), Johnny Chan ('87-'89) Jay Heimowitz ('87-'89) Hans "Tuna" Lund ('90-'92) Berry Johnston ('85-'87) Andrew Brokos (06'-08') and Stefan Mattsson ('06-'08)

CURRENT STREAK - CONSEUTIVE CASHES:

Theodore Park 2005- 2008 (2009???)
Stefan Mattsson 2006-2008 (2009??)
Andrew Brokos 2006-2008 (2009??)

Notable Players

-- Here is the current status of all former WSOP world champions who played in this year's Main Event. All have been eliminated:

1972: "Amarillo Slim" Preston - eliminated on Day 2
1975/1976: Doyle Brunson - eliminated on Day 1
1978: Bobby Baldwin - CASHED IN 352nd PLACE
1983: Tom McEvoy - eliminated on Day 1
1986: Berry Johnston - eliminated on Day 2
1987/1988: Johnny Chan - eliminated on Day 2
1989: Phil Hellmuth - CASHED IN 436th PLACE
1993: Jim Bechtel - eliminated on Day 3
1995: Dan Harrington - CASHED IN 252th PLACE
1996: Huck Seed - eliminated on Day 1
1998: Scotty Nguyen - eliminated on Day 2
2000: Chris "Jesus" Ferguson - CASHED IN 561st PLACE
2001: Carlos "the Matador" Mortensen - eliminated on Day 3
2002: Robert Varkonyi - eliminated on Day 2
2003: Chris Moneymaker - eliminated on Day 1
2004: Greg "Fossilman" Raymer - eliminated on Day 3
2005: Joe Hachem - CASHED IN 104th PLACE
2006: Jamie Gold - eliminated in Day 1
2007: Jerry Yang - eliminated on Day 1
2008: Peter Eastgate - CASHED IN 78th PLACE

-- Here is the current status of all current and former WSOP "Player of the Year" champions who played in this year's Main Event:

2005: Daniel Negreanu - eliminated on Day 1
2006: Allen Cunningham - eliminated on Day 2
2007: Tom Schneider - CASHED IN 52nd PLACE
2008: Erick Lindgren - eliminated on Day 2
2009: Jeffrey Lisandro - eliminated on Day 3

-- Here is the current status of those players with notable results from this year's WSOP:

David Bach (HORSE World Championship winner) - eliminated on Day 2

Alex Bolotin ("Ante-Up for Africa" championship winner) - eliminated on Day 3

Darryll Fish (cashed 7 times at this year's WSOP) - eliminated on Day 2

Jeffrey Lisandro (won three gold bracelets this year) - eliminated on Day 3

Ville Wahlbeck (finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th in four events) - eliminated on Day 3

Vitaly Lunkin (finished 1st, 2nd, and 4th in three events) -

Phil Ivey (won two gold bracelets this year) - STILL ALIVE (currently in 4th place)

Greg Mueller (won two gold bracelets this year) - eliminated on Day 4

Phil Ivey (won two gold bracelets this year) - STILL ALIVE (currently in third place)

-- Here is the current status of notable non-pro celebrities from this year's Main Event:

Chuck Pachenco (movie producer) - CASHED IN 612th PLACE

Jason Alexander (actor) - eliminated on Day 3

Scott Ian (musician with band "Anthrax") - eliminated on Day 3

Shane Warne (world famous cricket player) - eliminated on Day 3

Torrie Wilson (female wrestler) - eliminated on Day 1

John Salley (former NBA basketball player) - eliminated on Day 1

Patrick Bruel (French actor and singer) - CASHED IN 428th PLACE

Lou Diamond Phillips (actor and singer) - CASHED IN 186th PLACE

Marlon Wayans (actor) - eliminated on Day 2

Jordan Farmar (NBA basketball player) - eliminated on Day 3

Sam Simon (Hollywood writer and producer) - eliminated on Day 3

Joseph Kahn (music video producer) - eliminated on Day 1

Ray Romano (actor) - eliminated on Day 1

Sully Erna (musician) - eliminated on Day 1

Shannon Elizabeth (actor) - eliminated on Day 1

Brad Garrett (actor) -- eliminated on Day 1

Jennifer Tilly (actor) - eliminated on Day 1

Orel Hershiser (former major league baseball player - eliminated on Day 1

Historical Footnote: The highest Main Event finish for a (non-poker) celebrity was actor Telly Savalas, who finished 21st in the 1992 championship.

-- Here is the current status of last year's "November Nine" (2009 Main Event Final Table participants):

Ivan Demidov - eliminated on Day 2

Peter Eastgate - CASHED IN 78th PLACE

Kelly Kim - CASHED IN 423rd PLACE

Craig Marquis - eliminated in Day 1

Scott Montgomery - eliminated on Day 2

Dennis Phillips - CASHED IN 45th PLACE

David "Chino" Rheem - eliminated on Day 1

Ylon Schwartz - eliminated on Day 2

Darus Suharto - eliminated on Day 3

-- Here are the nations represented among the 27 survivors:

(US - 19 players France - 3 players UK - 1 player Canada - 1 player Germany - 1 player Spain - 1 player South Africa - 1 player)

-- Daily elimination percentages are as follows:

DAY ONE: 68 percent of the original starters in this tournament survived the first day / 32 percent were eliminated.

DAY TWO: 31 percent of the original starters survived the second day / 27 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount.

DAY THREE: 12 percent of the original starters survived the third day / 60 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount.

DAY FOUR: 6.2 percent of the original starters survived the fourth day / 48.2 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount

DAY FIVE: 2.8 percent of the original starters survived the fifth day / 55 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount

DAY SIX: 1 percent of the original starters survived the sixth day / 65.4 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount

DAY SEVEN: .2 percent of the original survivors survived the seventh day / 58 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount

DAY EIGHT: Played down to the final nine / 66.6 percent were eliminated form the start of day amount

Female Participants in the 2009 Main Event

(Note: The WSOP recognizes that player characteristics such as gender, race, etc. do not warrant special mention. However, since many members of the media wish to know details about female participation and status, the staff is providing this information for media use.)

-- The number of female participants in this year's Main Event is estimated to be 187, which amounts to 2.8 percent of the field. There is no official record since entrants are not designated by their gender. However, it has been customary to count every player at the start of Day One and take an unofficial head-count of female players.

-- An estimated eight female players remain alive in the Main Event at the conclusion of Day 3 (precise number is not known, this is an estiamte). This list includes:

Kara Scott Tobin (UK)
Emma Grace (Australia)
Marla Schwartz (USA)
Kristy Gazes (USA)
Melanie Banfield (South Africa)
"Oklahoma" Sarah Hale (USA)
Denise Malloy (USA)
Christina Renz (USA)

Here are the highest-female finishers (by year) in the WSOP Main Event (Note: Only players who finished in-the-money were recorded):

No female cashed in the Main Event between the years 1970-1985.

1986 - Wendeen Eolis (25th)
1987 - None
1988 - None
1989 - None
1990 - None
1991 - None
1992 - None
1993 - Marsha Waggoner (19th)
1994 - Barbara Samuelson (10th)
1995 - Barbara Enright (5th)
1996 - Lucy Rokach (26th)
1997 - Marsha Waggoner (12th)
1998 - Susie Isaacs (10th)
1999 - None
2000 - Annie Duke (10th)
2001 - None
2002 - None
2003 - Annie Duke (47th)
2004 - Rose Richie (98th)
2005 - Tiffany Williamson (15th)
2006 - Sabyl Cohen-Landrum (56th)
2007 - Maria Ho (38th)
2008 - Tiffany Michelle (17th)
2009 - Leo Margets (TBD)

Playing on Day 1 - A, B, C, or D - Does it Matter?

Which of the four Main Event starting days is the most advantageous? The data has been run and the numbers are now in. Statistics from the past two years of Main Events show there is almost no correlation between the starting day and the odds of finishing in-the-money. Here are the numbers:

2009:
Day 1A: 121 cashes out of 1116 entrants --10.8 percent
Day 1B: 84 cashes out of 873 entrants -- 9.6 percent
Day 1C: 162 cashes out of 1696 entrants -- 9.5 percent
Day 1D: 281 cashes out of 2809 entrants -- 10 percent

2008:
Day 1A: 122 cashes out of 1299 entries -- 9.4 percent
Day 1B: 117 cashes out of 1158 entries -- 10.1 percent
Day 1C: 187 cashes out of 1936 entries -- 9.7 percent
Day 1D: 240 cashes out of 2461 entries -- 9.7 percent

World Series of Poker Statistics --

-- WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel estimates the total number of hands dealt out in this tournament through Day Seven to be about 480,000.

The 2009 WSOP Main Event now ranks as the third-largest live poker tournament in history. Only the 2006 and 2008 Main Event championships drew larger numbers. It should be noted that if the Rio had greater seating capacity (Day 1-D sold out), this year's tournament would have unquestionably surpassed last year's attendance figures.

-- The total prize pool for this year's Main Event totals $61,043,600. However, this figure is not final. Since interest is added to payouts for players who will constitute the November Nine, the final figure will actually be slightly higher.

-- The number of female participants in this year's Main Event is estimated to be 187, which amounts to 2.8 percent of the field. There is no official record since entrants are not designated by sex. However, it has been customary in recent years to count every player at the start of Day One (actually all flights A-D) and take a head count of female players. Oddly enough, despite the low percentage of female players, there were three different tables with three females in the tournament.

-- All players who make it to the final table this year (the November Nine) will earn at least $1 million. The 2009 world champion will collect $8,546,435 for first place (plus slightly more money in added interest).

-- With registration for this year's Main Event, the World Series of Poker crossed the $1,000,000,000 threshold in total prize money awarded to players. During its 40-year history, the WSOP has paid out $1,041,265,271. Incredibly, more than $600,000,000 has been paid out just in the last five years alone, since Harrah's Entertainment assumed control of the tournament. Here is the historical prize pool information for the World Series of Poker.

2009 -- $174,011,894
2008 -- $180,774,427
2007 -- $159,796,918
2006 -- $159,599,815
1970-2005 -- $354,000,000

-- This is the 57th and final event on the 2009 WSOP schedule which is played in Las Vegas. Four more gold bracelet events will take place later this year in London, England at the Empire Casino, to be held from September 19th through October 1st.

-- Players have come to the WSOP from at least 115 different nations and territories. By contrast, only 80 nations were represented at the most recent Winter Olympic Games.

-- This marks the fifth consecutive year the WSOP has been held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. Prior to 2005, the WSOP was held at Binion's Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas. More money has been awarded to winners within the Rio during the past five years than during the entire proceeding 35-year period at the Horseshoe. This is a testament to the expansion of the WSOP since Harrah's Entertainment assumed ownership and control of the world most prestigious poker event.

New Records Set at the 2009 WSOP

MOST WSOP SELL OUTS

Ten tournaments reached maximum capacity at this year's WSOP. This is the most gold bracelet events ever to sell out within a single year. A complete "sell out" means every seat at every available table is sold and additional players are/were turned away at registration. Sell-outs are based on various numbers, which include the total tables and seats available for tournament use. Events which sold out this year included: 4, 7, 22, 24, 28, 29, 39, 43, 51, and 54. Note that the Main Event also partially sold out, since Day 1-D reached full capacity - which means 11 events reached the maximum, in part.