Meet the Notorious November Nine

The World Series of Poker Main Event began in July with 6,494 players, and now it's down to just nine. The November Nine are just days away from their date with history. They return to the Rio on Saturday, November 7th to play from nine people to two. The final two will then return on November 9th to determine the world champion.

Everyone who has ever sat at the tournament felt has imagined himself at the Main Event final table, playing for millions of dollars and a slice of poker immortality. So who are the nine lucky guys that really get that chance this year? ESPN commentator Norman Chad explained that among the personalities at this year's final table, there is a little something for everyone. There's a mix of ages, with three players in their 20s, three in their 30s, and three in their 40s and 50s. And there are certainly a mix of backgrounds and skill levels. "You've got the greatest player in the game, you've got the youngest guy trying to win, you've got an ex-Wall Street behemoth, a guy who worked for Bear Stearns at the highest levels, you know, you've got the guy walking in from the woods, you've got the British player who used to be a train conductor," said Chad. "Everyone has a pretty interesting back story."

So here's everything you need to know about the November Nine to choose your favorite. Then tune into Poker Pages LIVE coverage on November 7th to cheer on your pick!

Darvin Moon - 58,930,000

The giant chip leader heading into the final table, Darvin Moon seems like a tall tale. "It's the stuff of storybooks," said Norman Chad. Moon is a 45-year old logger from a tiny town in Maryland who had never been on a plane before his trip to Las Vegas to play in the World Series. He didn't own a credit card or a cell phone and has never played online. Moon takes the "everyman" label to the extreme and has the unusual name to add to his Moneymaker-like appeal. He even satellited in by winning a $130 tournament in West Virginia. "He's the second best thing that has happened to this final table," said Lon McEachern, "right next to Phil Ivey…He is a fascinating character in his own way."

Though Moon is frustratingly difficult to get in touch with and has eschewed a sponsorship deal that would require him to make public appearances, he still manages to come off as endearing. Moon learned 7 Card Stud by playing with his grandfather as a small child and only learned Texas Hold'em three years ago when he and his buddies decided they were too old to play softball and needed a new hobby. It's hard not to like a guy who readily admits that he isn't very good at poker and has just been smacked by the deck. And if the poker gods decided to bless him so bountifully, who are we to argue?

Moon sits down on Friday with an enormous stack, but he's not likely to play the role of table bully. Instead, he'll probably play tightly and use his chip cushion to move up several spots in the money before he really gets involved. Then, we'll have to see if his run of cards continues or if he's got what it takes to win without the nuts. "He's probably the worst player at the table," said Chad, "but he's a wolf in sheep's clothing…there's a little shark in there, a little pool hustler in there."

Eric Buchman - 34,800,000

Eric Buchman, an understated pro from New York, might be the one to beat at the final table. Second in chips and near the top in skill level, Lon McEachern predicts, "This is the guy that I think has the best chances to win the Main Event." Buchman started playing poker with his older brother, honing his mixed game skills in Indian casinos and underground games before he turned 21. Now 29, Buchman makes his living as a cash game player but throws in a few tournaments a year to keep things interesting.

He has nine previous WSOP cashes, including a 2nd place finish in a Limit Hold'em event in 2006. This also isn't Buchman's first final table with Phil Ivey. Buchman finished 6th this summer in the Omaha/7 Card Stud Eight or Better event in which Ivey won one of his bracelets. Buchman would love to be the one to walk away from this final table with the hardware, and it's a very real possibility.

Steven Begleiter - 29,885,000

Described as "the lightening rod player at the table," by Norman Chad, Steven Begleiter might have the hardest time winning over fans despite his affable demeanor. The poker community watched and cringed as Begleiter's overactive gamble reflex was paid off time and time again down the final stretch of the Main Event in July. But Begleiter is more than the statistical bad guy. He's also somewhat of a symbol for the country's economic woes. Begleiter worked for Bear Stearns for 24 years, serving for his last nine as the head of corporate strategy. The 47-year old New Yorker now works for a private equity firm and holds his head high about all of his life experiences, from rising to the top of the ranks at a doomed financial institution to beating out nearly 6,500 poker players with unrelenting aggression.

What makes his story so complicated is that Begleiter is also a genuinely nice guy. He learned to play poker as a kid by watching his father and talks with pride about giving his own three teenagers a reason to be proud of him. He proved his deep run isn't a fluke by doing well at the WPT Los Angeles Poker Classic in August, and he's been honing his skills with determination in the months since. Whatever your opinion of him, Begs will be one to watch as he's sure to be involved in most of the final table action.

Jeff Shulman - 19,580,000

Jeff Shulman is the only player making a repeat trip to the Main Event final nine. He began the final table in 2000 with the chip lead, only to take two tough beats from Chris Ferguson and finish in 7th place. Ferguson went on to become a poker icon, but Shulman now has another chance to earn his own slice of history. Shulman has said that he wasn't prepared to be a world champion back then, but now that he's learned from years in the poker industry, he feels like he's ready for that responsibility. Though not a regular at the tables, Shulman works as the editor of CardPlayer, a poker site and magazine owned by his family. "He's going to be a very dangerous force at this final table," predicts Lon McEachern.

Shulman caught a lot of heat for using his deep Main Event run as a platform to complain about the WSOP's treatment of certain media outlets and angered many players and fans when he said he'd throw the bracelet away should he win. But the family man has toned down his rhetoric since July, talking instead about his love for his wife and his two small children and his appreciation for the game of poker. Working against his likeability, however, is his decision to hire as his coach Phil Hellmuth, who promises to try to steal as much of Shulman's camera time as possible.

Joseph Cada - 13,215,000

Joseph Cada is the baby of the table, the fresh-faced 21-year old who could break Peter Eastgate's record as the youngest player ever to win the Main Event. At only 21, Cada hasn't had much time to play live. Instead, he developed his skills on the Internet, making most of his money at high-stakes heads up cash games. He's also posted a few big online tournament scores, including a win in Full Tilt's $750,000 Guarantee and another in the Sunday Mulligan.

According to Norman Chad, Cada isn't your typical online kid. Instead, the young gun from Michigan has people skills and reading ability far beyond his years. "You root for him because of the way he handles himself," Chad explains. Cada is keeping his early success in perspective, enjoying the ride and making the most of it. He says that one day he'd like to use some of his winnings to open his own bar.

Kevin Schaffel - 12,390,000

At 51, Kevin Schaffel is the oldest player at the table, but he certainly doesn't seem like it. Tall, fit, and tan, the Floridian spends many of his days on the golf course and may be even more dangerous on the green than he is on the felt. Schaffel closed down his family's printing business last year and decided to play poker full time instead. He says the experience has taught him patience and given him plenty of practice at handling bad runs of cards.

Shaffel snuck in under the radar, making the final table without making lots of noise, but he's got more than enough skill to make his presence felt. He cashed in two of his previous four shots at the Main Event, including a 42nd place finish in his first attempt in 2004. He also impressed critics by finishing runner-up to Prahlad Friedman at the Los Angeles Poker Classic WPT Main Event in August. Steven Begleiter had more chips and more attention from the press in the first few days of the LAPC, but Shaffel was the one who maneuvered his way to the final table and eventually took home 2nd place. Perhaps he can repeat that performance at the Main Event.

Phil Ivey - 9,765,000

Norman Chad picks Phil Ivey to win everything every year, even when Ivey isn't playing. And this year, Chad just might be right. Ivey has already had an unbelievable year in an unbelievable career, picking up two bracelets this summer to give him a total of seven. "He just does all the little things a little better than everybody else," says Chad. "He just has the ability to read situations a little better than the next person."

Ivey begins the final table as one of the shorter stacks, but he still has more than 40 big blinds in his arsenal. It is also an advantage that money is entirely a non-issue for Ivey, and his play won't be affected in the slightest by monetary considerations. It's almost laughable to imagine the pressure getting to Ivey, though the stakes might be higher for him than anyone else. He came very close to the final table in 2003, finishing 10th, and now finally has the chance of a lifetime to avenge that loss. He is unanimously considered one of the best players alive, but a win here could cement his legacy as the greatest poker player of all time. He certainly has the poker community on his side. An Ivey victory, says Lon McEachern, "would be one of the best things to ever happen to the game."

Antoine Saout - 9,500,000

Frenchman Antoine Saout hasn't gotten much attention in the English-speaking press, but that doesn't mean he isn't poised to make a major impact on the final table. Saout came to Las Vegas this summer to play in his first World Series after only playing poker for two years. Saout credits his sister for introducing him to the game and to the online site Everest Poker. Saout won his Main Event seat through a $50 Everest Poker satellite and rode conservative play and well-timed bluffs all the way to the final table. Though he doesn't have years of experience, he is already racking up the big results. Saout finished 7th at the WSOPE Main Event final table in September, a finish he'd like to improve upon at the Rio this week.

James Akenhead - 6,800,000

James Akenhead, a former train conductor from London, turned pro three years ago. The 26-year old used to play pool competitively but now uses all of his gamesmanship on a different kind of felt. Though he begins the final table with the shortest stack, Akenhead has the experience necessary to make the most of his chips. He finished 9th at the WSOPE Main Event where Saout finished 7th, and took 2nd at a WSOP event last year. In a $1,500 No Limit Hold'em tournament that Grant Hinkle eventually won, Akenhead showed he was clearly the dominant player. He wore Hinkle down in a grueling heads up battle, eventually getting him to commit all of his chips with T4. Akenhead was far ahead with AK, until, of course, Hinkle flopped a boat and turned quads to leave Akenhead without a bracelet. It's hard not to hope that the likeable Brit runs just a little better at this final table.

So that's the scoop on the final nine. Be sure to keep your browser open to Poker Pages' LIVE coverage of the Main Event final table on November 7th as these nine lucky guys battle it out for the $8.5 million first prize!