The November 9 Spotlights Part II
"November Nine" Spotlight: Dennis Phillips
One day you’re working as a sales rep at a trucking company, the next day you’re a millionaire with your name and picture in newspapers and magazines across the country. This exactly defi nes the last few months in the life of Dennis Phillips.
Phillips will be the chip leader when the November Nine return to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas to finally play down to a winner. Phillips has developed quite the following thanks to his everyman image and down-to-earth honesty — something there’s not a lot of in a game where deceiving people is a key element.
"Look, I'm 53 years old, I have a bit of a paunch, and I love to play poker,” says Phillips, who lives in St. Louis, MO. “This has been great so far, I’m really living the dream.” Part of that dream included throwing out the fi rst pitch before a St. Louis Cardinals game in August and being presented with a souvenir from one of baseball’s biggest superstars. “I was walking off the fi eld and here comes Albert Pujols with a signed bat for me. I was really in a bit of shock,” says Phillips, who wore a red St. Louis Cardinals hat for the entirety of the Main Event thus far and plans to wear it again come November 9. “It’ll be the same hat. I’ve had to put it away for now though. Wearing it for nine days straight, it’s not exactly in the best shape, but I’ll have it on for sure.”
He’ll also be wearing the same blue button-down shirt he wore on the fi nal day of play in July, bearing a PokerStars patch on one side and the logo for Broadway Trucks on the other. Despite walking away from the Rio with ninth-place money, Phillips headed straight back to St. Louis to put himself in familiar territory in short order.
“I was back at work probably within 24 hours. (My co-workers) were all very proud and the company has been extremely supportive of me, especially when it comes to needing time off.” “When I got back my boss said ‘Look, this is once-in-a-lifetime stuff and we’re behind you,’” says Phillips. “He just said ‘Work when you can and enjoy this experience,’ and I have for sure.”
Phillips has been on a poker whirlwind since mid-July and it’s taken him on a world tour. As we go to press he’s in London getting ready to play in the WSOP Europe Main Event. He’s also played several tournaments in Biloxi, MS and has earned a little bit of celebrity status at the Harrah’s Casino in St. Louis where he won his seat in a $200 satellite. “They’ve been great to me there, that’s for sure. I wouldn’t give any of this up for anything. It really has been an amazing ride so far.”
Despite the fact that he’s good enough to be sitting at the top of the chip counts Phillips recognizes that getting some help in preparing for the fi nal table can only help him succeed. In early September he announced that he had hired former WPT Borgata Poker Open winner Roy Winston and his partner Joe McGowan as coaches. “I look at a sport like golf and all the best players — Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson — all have coaches. Any player who says they can’t improve their game is lying to themselves,” says Phillips. “They actually approached me early on Day 5 and at the time I wasn’t all that interested. They were back the next day and we listened to what they had to say.”
And while he’s obviously invested some of his winnings in the services of Winston and McGowan, he hasn’t gone out and spent copious amounts of money on new toys. Phillips’ blue-collar image isn’t an act and at last check he’s the only one of the November Nine who hasn’t splurged on a new car, plasma HDTV, or new house. He’s tied the money up in a bank account and will deal with it all once the fi nal table is over and he’s got the rest of his money — whatever that fi nal number ends up being. “I’ve bought nothing yet,” says Phillips. “There’s something in the works though — but that’s not until later this year.” And while he’s saving the ninth-place money he was paid in July, he has had to shell out a few times to buy his co-workers lunch.
“I’m more than happy to (buy lunch). It’s the least I can do,” laughs Phillips. With nearly 27 million in chips, almost 2 million more than his closest competitor Ivan Demidov, he could return to Broadway Trucks in mid-November to be buying more lunches — maybe even dinners — and showing off a shiny gold bracelet.
"November Nine" Spotlight: David “Chino” Rheem
Anybody who has closely followed poker the last three or four years is very familiar with David “Chino” Rheem — except they might not know they’re familiar with him. Michael Mizrachi, and later his brother Robert, burst onto the poker scene in early 2005 and if you look closely at each fi nal table broadcast you’ll see a young Asian kid wearing a slightly crooked baseball cap standing on the rail, cheering on his good friends — usually to victory.
But when the November Nine reunite at the Rio this month, it will be the opposite way around as Rheem — the young Asian kid in the baseball cap — is hoping to turn his third-smallest stack of 10,230,000 into his own poker riches while the Mizrachis crowd the rail to cheer on their boy.
“(The Mizrachis) have been great — very supportive and really good friends,” says Rheem, who knew the Florida brothers for years before they achieved poker fame. “I watched them do well for so long and hopefully it’s my turn. I know they’re in my corner.” But don’t kid yourself — Rheem isn’t some poker groupie who luck-boxed his way to the fi nal table. He’s a well-accomplished player with some decent results that include a fi nal table in Event #4 ($5,000 Mixed Hold’em) just days after the start of the 2008 WSOP. He also fi nished as the runnerup to Allen Cunningham in Event #14 ($1,000 No Limit Hold’em w/Rebuys) in 2006.
“I really just wanna get back there and start playing again,” says Rheem. “All I can do is play my A-game and hopefully make something happen. I’ve been on the tour long enough. I think that it gives me a bit of an edge.” Another part of his edge will be turning to the Mizrachi clan as he prepares for the fi nal table. Some others may have hired coaches to give them an advantage, but Rheem is blessed with the friendship of extremely successful players and they all have a huge amount of faith in him.
“Chino’s a very good player. He’s not the chip leader but he’s at the fi nal table and I think he can be dangerous,” said Michael Mizrachi shortly after the fi nal table broke in July. Rheem has been playing big-time tournaments since 2005, and since making the fi nal table he’s been on poker’s version of a world tour and been seeing places he’s never seen before and playing poker in some of the world’s most admired locales. “I’ve been to Italy, Barcelona, South America, and, of course, London for WSOP Europe and the European Poker Tour event,” says Rheem, who has an endorsement deal with PokerStars through the conclusion of the Main Event.
While the three-month break has certainly given him new experiences, it hasn’t been all good news for the 28-year-old. Within hours of the elimination of Dean Hamrick in 10th place the media began to scrutinize the members of the November Nine and word surfaced that there was an outstanding warrant for Rheem in South Florida. It wasn’t exactly good news for Rheem or the WSOP, but he took care of it as soon as he could while not taking any focus away from his play.
“I actually found out the day before (the fi nal day of play) that it would be coming out,” says Rheem, who has had two previous run-ins with the law in Florida as far back as 2000. “So as soon as I could, I got on the phone with my lawyer and had it handled. It wasn’t that big of a deal really.”
He’s since been given the okay to show up at the Rio and not fear the Broward County Sheriff showing up to slap on the handcuffs. Thankfully, that’s been the only real headache that Rheem has had to deal with. Like most of the November Nine, he’s done his best to enjoy the new found wealth and celebrity that has come with being at the most highly anticipated fi nal table in poker history.
“I bought my girlfriend a car, got her a Range Rover,” says Rheem. ì”I’ve been so busy since then though, traveling a lot and stuff. It’s been a lot of fun so far. Hopefully November goes good for me and I can take care of my friends.”
"November Nine" Spotlight: Kelly Kim
When poker fans tune in to watch the World Series of Poker Main Event fi nal table on ESPN later this month there is at least one person really hoping they’re not up getting snacks when the broadcast begins. Kelly Kim, the shortest remaining stack of the November Nine, will have just fewer than eleven big blinds when the fi nal table resumes. But given his underdog status and easygoing personality, he might just be the fan favorite.
His night will most likely be over in short order unless he’s able to put together one of the most remarkable comebacks in WSOP history. Kim’s attitude just might take you by surprise, toeing the line of every Oscar-nominated actor or actress who didn’t win – he is just happy to be here.
“I wanted to make this fi nal table so bad,” gushed Kim moments after the fi nal table broke in July. “When we were getting down today it was all I could think about and now I’m here.”
When the fi nal ten players were moved to the ESPN table inside the Amazon Room, Kim turned into a superhero, though not one blessed with amazing skills that would make him a force at any poker table. Instead, the California-based poker pro turned himself into the invisible man, playing very few hands in hopes of surviving to see one more player eliminated.
“I was so short, but I decided I was going to make the fi nal table,” says Kim, who actually moved all-in on more than one occasion but never got any callers. “This really means the world to me. Finishing tenth is the same as fi nishing twelfth really.”
“I was hoping that somebody else would get involved and go out. I was the shortstack for what felt like forever,” says Kim, who had the least amount of chips with thirteen, twelve, eleven, and ten players remaining. “I’m just so glad it wasn’t me. I mean this is a huge achievement – it’s historic.” When Dean Hamrick busted in tenth place, Kim bagged up just 2,620,000 chips. By comparison, chipleader Dennis Phillips put 26,295,000 into his giant Ziploc bag and Kim’s closest competitor, Craig Marquis, bagged and tagged 10,210,000 – nearly fi ve times Kim’s stack.
Kim has had success at the WSOP Main Event before but fi nishing 398th in 2006 is a whole lot different than fi nishing in the top nine this year. And while Kim has over $300,000 in lifetime earnings, that experience won’t help him much when he gets cards for the fi rst time in November. “At this point the cards will really dictate what I do. I won’t have to make too many tough decisions,” says Kim. But don’t think that means he is all but resigned to fi nishing ninth and walking out of the Rio with no additional money.
“I’m still playing to win it,” said Kim in July with a smile that is sure to make him a hit with viewers on ESPN. “I mean, I made the fi nal table and that was my goal, so I may as well win it now too. Realistically I’m just going to enjoy the next four months as much as possible.” And don’t for a second think the other eight players are taking Kim for granted as an easy kill. While it could be a quick night for Kim, the other shorter stacks are somewhat wary of tangling with him.
“If I double him up early, rather than, say, Dennis Phillips or Ivan Demidov doing it, it puts me in danger,” says Marquis. “So by no stretch is it just a matter of making the call.”
"November Nine" Spotlight: Peter Eastgate
To everybody in North America that tunes into the final table broadcast of the Main Event, Peter Eastgate has been cast in the role of European man of mystery. He may also be made out to be somewhat of a villain. Eastgate was responsible for possibly the most high profile elimination of the entire tournament. Seemingly on her way to a historic performance, Tiffany Michelle, the last female remaining, ran into Eastgate’s pocket aces on an ace-high board.
The 22 year-old Danish poker sensation has only one previous live major tournament cash but he has been killing online cash games for the past three years. He’s one of the most feared and respected cash game players in Denmark and he’s convinced that experience is a big part of what got him this far. “I believe that any cash game player that can beat $25/$50 No Limit games should be able to make the transition to tournaments,” says Eastgate. “Cash games are fairly complex and the decisions you face in tournaments are a lot easier I believe.”
With 18,375,000 in chips, he sits in fourth position and trails Scott Montgomery by just over one million. He was near the top of the chip counts for the fi nal three days and overall was very happy with what got him to the fi nal table.
“I’m pretty happy with how I played. I picked up some good hands towards the end of the day,” says Eastgate. “Everybody played so tight waiting for somebody to bust.”
On the fi nal day of play, Eastgate started with a stack of 9,325,000 and thanks to a number of key hands moved himself into contention for poker’s most prestigious title. One of those key hands came early on and at the expense of fellow Dane Gert Andersen. Despite crippling his fellow countryman, Eastgate had a number of other top Danish players supporting him as he advanced through the tournament and it’s those fellow pros that he’s relied on for strategy advice since July.
“I’ve got some great friends that are pros and I’m glad to have them to talk about the game to,” says Eastgate, who admitted to being overwhelmed with fatigue the day after the fi nal table went on pause. “It’s all been a blur. The last seven days have been really crazy,” said Eastgate in July. He has no set-instone plans for the money, no matter how much he wins. “If I come fi rst it will change my life forever probably.”
Should he come out on top in November he’ll take home the bracelet, $9.1 million, and will etch his name into the WSOP record books as the only Danish player to win the title and also the youngest winner of all time, smashing Phil Hellmuth’s record. Hellmuth was 24 when he won the title in 1989.
“Tournaments are not easy. You have to adjust and change gears all the time,” says Eastgate. “You have to have good timing, that’s very important as well.”
"November Nine" Spotlight: Ylon Schwartz
When the Main Event was dwindling down and ESPN producers were looking for as much information about the remaining players as possible, those remaining were given a short questionnaire to fi ll out. One of the questions was fairly straightforward and could easily have produced a fairly standard, sorry, cliché andwer:"What will you do if you make the final table?” Ylon Schwartz, the 38-year-old chess player from New York, had a unique answer that said a lot about who he was.
“Probably go to Mexico and disappear until November,” was what Schwartz wrote. It wasn’t meant to imply any disrespect for ESPN, Harrah’s, or any of the other players, rather it was typical for the guy who’d grown up hustling chess and backgammon on the streets of New York. The fi nal table was cool, sure, but the game of poker – like chess or backgammon was earlier in his life – is just a means to an end.
Schwartz, a chess master at sixteen, sits right smack dab in the middle of the pack. With 12,525,000 chips, he’s just ahead of Darus Suharto (12,520,000), and trailing Peter Eastgate (18,375,000) by a more signifi cant chunk. He’s heading back to the Rio in hopes of becoming the fi rst New Yorker to claim the WSOP Main Event championship since Robert Varkonyi did it in 2002.
Despite his threat to hide from the poker world and the media onslaught that was sure to follow, Schwartz did everything he could to put himself in position to be one of the November Nine.
“(My strategy) was to play extremely tight and wait for one of the short stacks to do something,” says Schwartz, who feels that his eleven previous WSOP cashes give him an advantage over some of the less experienced players at the table. “I’ve been to the second table three times and I just didn’t want to let it happen again. I just tried to keep a tight lid on it and not mess it up.”
Still, the allure of a hot locale with his favorite drink is just too strong to pass up. While other players are globetrotting to poker tournaments around the world and hiring top-level poker coaches, Schwartz is sticking to his original plan. “I’m just chill. I’m gonna get a hammock, bottle of tequila, and go to the beach and just relax and hang out with friends,” says Schwartz. Still, with the broadcasts on ESPN for all to see, Schwartz can’t help but watch and look for ways to improve, all in the pursuit of $9.1 million. “I think I played a little too quick in some spots, I didn’t take my time. I was a little impatient. I need to take my time, operate a little slower,” refl ects Schwartz. “Overall it was good, I can’t even think of too many road bumps along the seven days. I think I was all in three or four times.”
The devil-may-care attitude may be just a ruse to make him appear overly confi dent in his abilities and his chances, but when he’s asked to handicap his chances come November 9th, he fi rmly believes he has the ability to win. However, he is wary of at least two players, even if he doesn’t know one of their names. “The Russian (Ivan Demidov) plays good. David Rheem is obviously pretty good; I play with him tons online,” says Schwartz, who plays under the name “TenthPlanet” online. “I don’t know what the next level is, but I have a good amount of big blinds, my M is okay.”
Now that he’s rested and ready to get back at it, he thinks he’s got as good a chance as anybody, but wishes he could have one hand back. “I think it’s anybody’s tournament. I’m happy. I wish I didn’t lose the last hand. I had two queens and I played it soft because we had to lose one player,” says Schwartz of the second to last hand of the night where he ended up shipping four million chips to Peter Eastgate.
