November 9, 2009

November 9 is a different kind of excitement here in Las Vegas... It's not so much a date in history, but the title given to the finalists at the World Series of Poker.

This year they include some names and faces very familiar to poker followers on ESPN and very late nights on NBC-TV. And one complete wild card.

As ten time winner Doyle Brunson gave the command to "shuffle up and deal" for the tournament's final table this weekend, first-timer Darvin Moon had the most chips and stood to win $8.5 million. Moon, who owns a logging operation in Maryland, had never been to Las Vegas or played poker online before entering the tournament.

Audio: NPR's All Things Considered, November 7. Host: Guy Raz.

At 3am Sunday, twelve hours after the conversation was first broadcast, there were only 4 players remaining. Antoine Saout of France was the chip leader with 62.925 million. Darvin Moon had slipped to 4th place with 31.575 million, only half the leader's stack. But in the pre-dawn hours as play continued to determine the final matchup, there was a stunning reversal of fortune.

Joseph Cada and Darvin Moon will play for the championship of the World Series of Poker’s Main Event on Monday night after Antoine Saout was eliminated from play in third place at 5:51 a.m. Sunday. Saout takes home $3.48 million.

Cada, 21, from Shelby Township, MI, is the chip leader with 135.95 million going into Monday’s head-up final at the Rio, starting at 10 pm... Moon, 46, from Oakland, MD has 58.85 million in chips.

The winner takes home $8.5 million while runner-up collects $5.18 million. The pair outlasted a field of nine over more than 14 hours of poker action Saturday and Sunday inside the Rio Casino’s Penn & Teller Theater, the longest final table for a Main Event.