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2008 WSOP Final Table
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10-Nov-2008, 12:48
After a three-month break at the behest of TV execs, the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event resumed Sunday at the Rio Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The final nine included Peter Eastgate, Kelly Kim, Ivan Demidov, David “Chino” Rheem, Darus Suharto, Scott Montgomery, Ylon Schwartz, Craig Marquis and Dennis Phillips.
Phillips came to the table chip leader with over $26 million in the bag. He was soon busted down to eighth place, however, after Demidov’s all-in push muscled him out on an 8-10-J flop and sent him on a downward spiral.
The action then shifted, seeing Phillips holding tight while Demidov and Schwarz began battling it out for the big stack. Meanwhile, FullTilter Scott Montgomery squeezed fellow Tilter Craig Marquis whose three 7 weren't enough against a straight.
The next several eliminations fell in furious succession, pausing only for a 7:15 p.m. dinner break that saw the induction of Duane “Dewey” Tomko and Henry Orenstein into the Hall of Fame. Tilter Kelly Kim landed in eighth place compliments of Darus Suharto on hand 53. Then, Danish player Peter Eastgate began trolling for fish, snatching stacks off David Rheem (seventh place), Scott Montgomery (fifth place), and Ylon Schwartz (fourth place). The only lull in the carnage was Montgomery’s own sharking when he knocked out Darus Suharto (sixth place) with a flush on the river.
When the chum settled, the table was three-handed with Eastgate at $64.9 million in chips, Demidov at $52 million and Phillips at a little over $20 million.
Phillips, who had battled back from eighth place, made a brave attempt to chip away at Eastgate’s and Demidov’s stacks. Ultimately, though, Eastgate bulldozed Phillips when he attempted to bluff on a 9-10 to the Dane’s pocket threes. Phillips pushed after a 3-4-J flop unwittingly stumbling into Eastgate’s newly minted set, and clocked out in third place with $4.5 million for his trouble.
“I was down to $16 million left. I had no choice," Phillips said in a post-elimination interview. "I had to either make a move there or get out of it—and then I’m down to $15 million. So I decided, ‘What the hell? Let’s push in there and hope (Eastgate) doesn’t have a hand.’ Boy, did he have a hand!”
The 300-plus friends and relatives who followed Phillips from Saint Louis sporting matching hats and shirts may be disappointed, but the PokerStars pro remained upbeat, mentioning the Multiple Sclerosis, cancer and Down Syndrome charities he is involved in.
The final table wraps up tonight with Eastgate and Demidov facing off for the tourney’s $9.15 million first-place pot and coveted winner’s bracelet.
WSOP Main Event Current Standings Place Player Prize Money 3rd Place Dennis Phillips $4.5 million 4th Place Ylon Schwartz $3.78 million 5th Place Scott Montgomery $3.09 million 6th Place Darus Suharto $2.4 million 7th Place David Rheem $1.7 million 8th Place Kelly Kim $1.2 million 9th Place Craig Marquis $900,670
- Phill Provance