My Pick Of 2009 WSOP November Nine

The 2009 WSOP Final Nine are officially playing. James Akenhead, Steven Begleiter, Eric Buchman, Joe Cada, Phil Ivey, Darvin Moon, Antoine Saout, Kevin Schaffel and Jeff Shulman are playing the first final table, IMHO, that has the most hype. While last year was the first final table delay, there was so much speculation on whether the delay was OK… it sort of deflated some of the hype. It was like no one wanted to come out of the closet and admit they liked the idea until a cool person gave a stamp of approval.

Anyway, my pick of the 2009 WSOP litter is Eric Buchman. Buchman and I became friends after we made a final table together at the 2006 WSOP. Actually, it was more like… when I made him lose his tough poker face and smile. In fact, Phil Ivey came close to making that final table with a 21st place cash. I didn’t play with Ivey very much but I did play with Eric quite a bit. And I can tell you… Eric is a very good player.

Of course, Ivey is a great player as well. If he had more chips, I may have picked him (sorry Eric). However, if there is anyone who can turn a short stack around… it would be Phil Ivey so I’m not exactly convinced Ivey won’t win. Sadly, all it takes is an underdog to hit his hand and if you don’t have the chips…well…you know. Either way, I’m happy to see both players at the final table and excited for today’s coverage here, here and here.