Tuan Lam - Is this the face of the 2007 WSOP Champion?(credit: Poker Stars Blog)
The final table for the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event is set. The action will begin live at the Rio (and on pay-per-view) beginning at 3 pm EDT. The winner of this Main Event will take down an impressive, but not record-breaking, $8.25 million. So, who will it be? Below we give you some intel on the next World Champion of poker and his round table of foes.
Phillip Hilm – This 31 year old native of Denmark currently lives in England where he makes his living playing poker. Hilm began playing poker at the end of 2003. At the time, he was selling coffee machines in supermarkets, a job he had a great distaste for. He likes to play online at Full Tilt Poker, using the moniker “hotntot” and has even won a Party Poker main event for over $100,000. Hilm does prefer live action poker. His tournament results include a fourth place finish at the EPT in Copenhagen and win at the WCP in Barcelona.
Tuan Lam – Born in Vietnam on New Year’s Day, 1966, Lam moved to Canada at the age of 19. He currently lives in Toronto where he plays poker professionally. Prior to that, Tuan, a 40 year old married father of two, worked for a metal company. Taught to play the game by friends, Lam goes by the name BABYHAN online at Poker Stars where he finished second in the 2005 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) $200 buy-in short-handed No-Limit Hold’em event.
Jon Kalmar – He’s a 34 year old pro from Lancashire, England. Kalmar, who is married with one child, was once a singer in a punk rock band. Prior to this year, Kalmar’s cashed in several World Series of Poker event and has some success on the EPT. However, this summer he was having a terrible run at the WSOP and almost considered heading home early. Now that he’s sitting pretty at the final table of the Main Event with over 20 mil in chips, we’re sure he’s feeling good about his decision to tough it out.
Raymond Rahme – At 62, Rahme, who hails from South Africa, is the oldest bloke at the final table. He’s also the first person from Africa to make it to the final table at the WSOP. Married to his sweetie, Teresa, Raymond has six children and is the former proprietor of a bed and breakfast. The semi-retired businessman, who is an avid stud player, only began playing No-Limit Texas Hold’em two years ago. He’s already taken top honors in several tournaments in his homeland. Raymond, whose exploits are being recorded by a TV film crew, won his way to the WSOP when he placed fourth at the All Africa tournament.
Lee Childs – This 35 year old gent who holds a degree in computer information systems from James Madison University in Virginia. He currently lives in the Washington, DC area with his wife. They have no children. Lee voluntarily took time off several months ago to pursue his poker dream, among other things. He was working with a high-tech firm affiliated with the National Geographic Society.
Lee Watkinson – Lee “Sandwich” Watkinson is originally from Cheney, WA. The shy and retiring fella, who works tirelessly to rescue and retire captive chimpanzees with his beautiful fiancée Timmi DeRosa, already owns some WSOP bling. In 2006, Lee won the PLO (Pot Limit Omaha) championship. Watkinson, who was named the 2004 CardPlayer Player of the Year, represents the online mega-site, Full Tilt Poker. If the 40 year old avid surfer wins The Big One, FTP will pay him an extra $10,000,000 … and he’ll be the first pro to win the Main Event since Carlos Mortensen did it back in 2001.
Hevad Khan – Hevad “RaiNKhaN” Khan is playing for PokerStars and is famous (or infamous) for being able to play dozens of SNGs at the same time. (One account says he can handle up to 43 on his 17 inch monitor!) The 22 year old, who happens to be the youngest player at the final table and, if he wins, would be the youngest WSOP Main Event champ since Phil Hellmuth, was once accused of being a ‘bot’ because he plays so well online. This is Khan’s second trip to the WSOP and he doesn’t want to leave without some bling.
Jerry Yang – Not to be confused with the co-founder of Yahoo!, Jerry Yang is 39. He’s a psychologist and social worker who was born in Laos. The married father of six holds a Masters Degree in health psychology so he’s probably good at reading people. Yang won his way into the WSOP Main Event by winning a $225 satellite at the Pechanga resort and casino in Temecula, CA. Yang, who is always mindful of others, has pledged to give 10% of his winnings to three different charities – the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Feed the Children and the Ronald McDonald House.
Alex Kravchenko – The only Russian at the final table, Kravchenko is also the first-ever Russian to win a WSOP bracelet. In 2007, Kravchenko earned a win in the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo championship, earning over $228,000 for the effort. He also cashed in the HORSE and SHOE events at this summer’s WSOP. Kravchenko, aged 36, has also done well in Europe. He’s racked up wins at the Austrian Masters, the Helsinki Freezeout and the Pacific Poker Open in the UK.