Dennis Phillips(credit: Poker Stars Blog)
PokerStars loves to lay its hands on World Series of Poker Main Event champs. Currently, they have 4 on their roster of pros including Tom McEvoy (1983), Chris Moneymaker (2003), Greg Raymer (2004) and Joe Hachem (2005).
This year, with the WSOP Main Event’s final table being delayed for a full 117 days, the online powerhouse is playing the odds. They’ve signed on six of the final nine to play under the Poker Stars banner. They are:
Dennis Phillips: Phillips held the chip lead for the final two days of play. The 53 year old commercial truck driver is grounded and humble, saying that no matter what happens, he plans to go back to work.
Ivan Demidov: A 27 year old native of Moscow, Demidov, if he’s able to win, would be the first Russian to take the title. He’s second in chips, behind Phillips and has $900,000 to tide him over ‘til November – not bad for a tournament newcomer.
Peter Eastgate: The 22 year old European won his way into the tournament via Ladbrokes Poker, learning the ropes online. The unpredictable player has no fear about November and can’t wait to play his way to the top at the WSOP Main Event.
Ylon Schwartz: Since 2005, this 38 year old rounder has racked up 11 World Series cashes. Schwartz is obviously no stranger to WSOP success. He found himself a bit unnerved at his first TV table, but recovered and began playing small ball, picking up smaller pots to build his stack. He’s in the middle of the pack and a force to be reckoned with when play recommences.
Darus Suharto: The Indonesian-born, Canadian makes his living as an accountant so you know he’s good with numbers. The 39 year old Suharto hadn’t even heard of the World Series of Poker, however until 2005 and won his way into the event at PokerStars for the first time in ’06. He cashed then and is now ready for the Big Show.
David “Chino” Rheem: By far the biggest ‘name’ left at the final table, Chino Rheem is only 28 but has been in the game for about a decade already. He’s racked up multiple cashes at the World Series and earned over $600,000 in tournaments alone to date, not counting the $900,000 the final nine received for making the final table. In 2006, Rheem finished second in the $1,000 buy-in NLHE rebuy event at the WSOP, earning nearly $328k. Despite being one of the shorter stacks at the table, his experience and poker prowess are not to be counted out.
Poker Stars is gearing up for the World Championships of Online Poker in September. Do you have what it takes to become an online world champion? Click here for more information!