The final nine players remaining in the World Series of Poker main event and their chip counts. The finalists emerged from a field of 6,844 players and were competing for the tournament's top prize of $9.15 million. Ninth place gets $900,670; higher finishers are guaranteed at least $1.28 million.
NOTE: Chips have no monetary value. One player must win all the chips in play to take the title, and lose all his chips to be eliminated.
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1. Dennis Phillips (26,295,000)
AGE: 53
HOMETOWN: Cottage Hills, Ill.
OCCUPATION: Trucking account manager
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: made two final tables in World Series circuit events in September 2007 ($4,578).
OPPONENT'S TAKE: A favorite of opponent Ylon Schwartz because of his life experience, which Schwartz said counts big at a table filled with younger players. ''He can bring that whole working class element which is awesome because if he wins it's great,'' Schwartz said. ''He's a novice but he has life experience.'' 2003 champion Chris Moneymaker said Phillips reminds him of the year he won as an unknown amateur.
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2. Ivan Demidov (24,400,000)
AGE: 27
HOMETOWN: Moscow
OCCUPATION: Semiprofessional poker player
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 11th place ($39,854), $1,000 buy-in no-limit Texas Hold 'em with rebuys, 2008.
PRO BACKING: The pick of 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, four-time bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu and others, who are paying attention to Demidov after he finished third at the World Series of Poker Europe main event in September. ''The level of play has gone up quite a bit,'' Hellmuth said.
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3. Scott Montgomery (19,690,000)
AGE: 26
HOMETOWN: Perth, Ontario
OCCUPATION: Professional poker player
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 3 series cashes, 2008 ($73,700)
PRO PANNING: ''He's very reckless, Montgomery, so he's going to have a tough time winning,'' Hellmuth told The Associated Press.
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4. Peter Eastgate (18,375,000)
AGE: 22
HOMETOWN: Odense, Denmark
OCCUPATION: Professional poker player
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: none
ON THE RADAR: Consistently identified by his opponents as a dangerous force at the table. Players said Eastgate is capable of playing hands the same way whether he's holding junk or unbeatable cards. ''He's got this image where he looks ... quiet. He's got some game,'' Negreanu said.
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5. Ylon Schwartz (12,525,000)
AGE: 38
HOMETOWN: Brooklyn, N.Y.
OCCUPATION: Professional poker player
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 11 cashes, ($124,580)
SEEKING DESTINY: A purist among gamers, Schwartz said he was spending the week before the final table in isolation in the Nevada desert to find the inspiration to make the ''cosmic call.'' Said 2003 champ Moneymaker: ''He's crafty.''
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6. Darus Suharto (12,520,000)
AGE: 39
HOMETOWN: Toronto
OCCUPATION: Accountant
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 448th ($26,389) in main event in 2006.
SUHARTO ON SUHARTO: ''I'm absolutely a rookie. I'm a donkey, I'm an online player.''
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7. David ''Chino'' Rheem (10,230,000)
AGE: 28
HOMETOWN: Los Angeles
OCCUPATION: Professional poker player.
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 5 cashes ($474,843)
GAMBLER'S INSTINCTS: The most well-known player at the final table. The pick of Johnny Chan and others has said he's not afraid to mix it up if he feels like taking a chance. ''He represents the old school gambler,'' Negreanu said.
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8. Craig Marquis (10,210,000)
AGE: 23
HOMETOWN: Arlington, Texas
OCCUPATION: College student
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 3 cashes ($35,759)
OPPONENT'S VIEW: Cited by Suharto as a good player along with Rheem, but, Suharto pondered: ''Will they stick to their games? I don't know.''
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9. Kelly Kim (2,620,000)
AGE: 31
HOMETOWN: Whittier, Calif.
OCCUPATION: Professional poker player
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 2 cashes ($20,415)
PLAYING THRIFTY: Negreanu called his approach to the game smart. Hellmuth put it more simply - ''If he gets hold of chips, he could be tough,'' he said.
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Information from: World Series of Poker, Associated Press interviews