Live från WSOP Finalbord 2009

Phil Ivey

Jeff Shulman in Seat 9 raises to 1,250,000.

Phil Ivey pauses, gives Shulman his signature ice-cold stare before moving all-in with a re-raise. The entire crowd let out a collective yet faint gasp and then we heard nothing but silence from the media box down to the table as Joe Cada, a few seats down, took his time deciding what to do.

After Cada requests a count, the dealer puts Ivey's stack at 8,655,000. Cada finally folds, as does Shulman and Phil Ivey excites the crowd by taking down a nice pot.

Phil's currently stacked at $10,175,000.

Eric Buchman opens the pot to 800,000. Antoine Saout moves all in for 7,710,000 from the small blind, and without much consideration Buchman folds and sends the brazen Saout his first pot of the day!

Antoine Makes His Walk Towards The Final Table

With Antoine's fan support well over 100 strong today thanks to Everest Poker, looking into the stands you will find a sea of blue futbol jerseys complete with the France flag and "Saout" on the back!

Of the creative chants heard thus far from the capacity crowd in the Penn and Teller Theatre, the announcer noted his favorite was "Sa-oooooooooooooooo-ut" which can be heard around the arena whenever the announcer mentions Antoine's name!

Play has been tight thus far, as we have only seen one flop (which did involve Antoine), but play will sure to pick up now that the blinds have just been raised to $150,000/$300,000 with a $40,000 ante.

Antoine Saout Media Day Interview

The pandemonium inside the Penn and Teller Theater would likely remind most people of a World Series of Baseball Game 7 or a World Cup in Soccer. However, the excitement that has fans wrapped around nearly the entire length of the Rio Casino hallway, even though the Penn and Teller Theater is already filled to maximum capacity, is the World Series of Poker!

As the players re-stack their seats at the table that will ultimately decide their fate in the Main Event today, lets take a look at the breakdown of where the players are seated today, as well as where their chips left off in the Main Event on that unforgettable day July 15, 2009 at 10:59PM:

Starting Field: 6,494

Total Final Table Prize Pool: $27,220,989

First Place Money: 8,547,042

Guaranteed Cash: $1,263,602

Seating Assignments and Chip Counts:

Seat 1: Darvin Moon (58,930,000)

Seat 2: James Akenhead (6,800,000)

Seat 3: Phil Ivey (9,765,000)

Seat 4: Kevin Schaffel (12,390,000)

Seat 5: Steven Begleiter (29,885,000)

Seat 6: Eric Buchman (34,800,000)

Seat 7: Joseph Cada (13,215,000)

Seat 8: Antoine Saout (9,500,000)

Seat 9: Jeff Shulman (19,580,000)

Now of course we will be bringing you all the action here today, with a special focus on our own Team Everest Poker Pro Antoine Saout! Antoine has been in Las Vegas vacationing with friends since late October, and while he calls Saint Martin Des Champs, France his home, he is excited to make the WSOP Main Event Final Table his home for the next 72 hours or so, long enough to get heads up and take down the first place prize.

Stay Tuned as the tournament director announces all the Final Table participants and prepares to have a special guest announce "Shuffle Up and Deal!"

We're with Antoine, the International press, 500k winners and few lucky Everest Poker guests in the Forum Tower Penthouse of the Ceasars Palace, also called the Obama Suite. The US President stayed here in May so this is arguably the best room in Vegas...

We have marble pillars, fountains, several bedrooms, a piano, a terrace and a supremely posh living room. The party will start soon and we'll toast good luck to Antoine before the Big Day.

And if Antoine leaves the party early.... well... we'll understand why.

The action tomorrow will start at 10am Vegas time. We will keep you updated through this blog so stay tuned!

Lights, camera, action! The Penn & Teller Theatre is almost ready to welcome the November Niners. Tomorrow is the big day for all of them, including our own Antoine Saout.

Thanks to Everest Poker over 100 people flew from France to Vegas to support and cheer Antoine. We're not going to be simply railbirds this time: our French corner in the Penn & Teller Theatre will display some colourful action. Special Everest Poker Final Table gear will be made available for all supporters. It's one of a kind of occasion: it's by far the best accomplishment in the WSOP Main Event by a French player in recent years. There's plenty of reasons to cheer. And we're ready to witness a turning page in the poker history.

Team Everest's Cristiano Blanco was knocked out of EPT London by last year's WSOP winner, Peter Eastgate.

However, Eastgate must have thought his tournament was over when all-in pre-flop with AJ for Cristiano to call with AK.

Eastgate got lucky with AJ on the flop and no help for the Italian Stallion thereafter.

UNLUCKY CRIS!

Team Everest are still going at EPT London with Kim Wooka taking on the baton after Antoine final tabled at the WSPOE.

She only has a stack of 57K with the average at 160K but we are close to the money and the team have been in fine form recently so with wish her well tomorrow.

111 players remain and 104 make the money - go on Kim, make money not bubbles!

Kim was just 5 away from making the money at EPT London! Better luck next time, Kim.

Everest Poker invited 18 VIPs/player from Europe to spend a whole weekend (October 2nd-4th) in Munich to celebrate the Oktoberfest 2009!

“Just great!” – was the general feedback on that event our players gave us! Sunny weather - an amazing atmosphere - funny group of great guys - big party!

No wonder – since this is the biggest festival in the world!

And of course such an event fits perfectly to our players to give them the very best of an Everest Poker experience!

So what is this event and the Oktoberfest all about! Let me guide you a little bit through the weekend!

Friday (October 2nd – 8 pm)

At the famous “After Wies’n Schrannenclub - Nachstich” we started with a little poker tournament. Everyone had to play for his own traditional Oktoberfest-Kluft! (Kluft = cloth)

Our VIPs had to play for traditional shirts and the winner became an original Lederhos’n (leather pant)!

A perfect combination of both looks like that:

Girls have to wear “Dirndl’s - as u can see here:

10 pm – open end! Official party start!

Party and great fun! As u can see players and the Everest Crew enjoyed it a lot! As always such Everest Poker events are most welcome - players and EP crew get in personal contact, have some nice discussions, party together and that is how customer care and networking works right!?

That picture falls victim to the censors! (..guys..who made it??)..well of course some "short Dirnd'l versions" exist as well!

Saturday (October 3rd – 5 pm) – Wies’n time!

In the afternoon we met at the hotel lobby and prepared ourselves for the trip to the “Wies’n” (festival area)!

Short trip to history!

The historical background: the first Oktoberfest was held in the year 1810 in honor of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig's marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities began on October 12, 1810 and ended on October 17th with a horse race. In the following years, the celebrations were repeated and, later, the festival was prolonged and moved forward into September.

By moving the festivities up, it allowed for better weather conditions. Because the September nights were warmer, the visitors were able to enjoy the gardens outside the tents and the stroll over "die Wiesen" or the fields much longer without feeling chilly. Historically, the last Oktoberfest weekend was in October and this tradition continues into present times.

So..back to presence..

...we had a 2-table VIP reservation for our players in the biggest and most famous tent (Winzerer Fahnd’l /Hofbraeu-Zelt) And it should be said that such a reservation is hardly to get due to the great popularity!

But of course we made it possible! And as u can see – that’s how the party goes at the Oktoberfest!

Everest Poker VIP Oktoberfest group 2009!

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It's all about the beer...

Among the many attractions, the "liquid gold" is probably the most important thing at the Oktoberfest. As usual, over 6 million liters of beer will be drunk this year.

Some more impressions!

Important!! ..always check you blood alcohol level :)

Dont drink and drive..take a taxi! If u can find one..

That’s the Everest Poker experience!

Cheers and thanks to everyone who participated and helped to organize such a great weekend!