The final table in the World Series of Poker main event was determined in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. These nine men beat out a field of more than 6,000 in the annual $10,000 buy in no-limit Texas Hold 'em contest at the Rio Hotel-Casino off the Las Vegas strip. They will meet again on Nov. 4, when play begins to determine who will take home the $8.4 million top prize and golden bracelet. The other eight players will share $18.3 million.
Players are in order of their finish.
JC Tran (38,000,000 in chips)
AGE: 36
HOMETOWN: Sacramento, Calif.
OCCUPATION: Poker pro
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 44 cashes totaling $2.25 million
FACTOID: Won back-to-back WSOP gold bracelets in 2008 and 2009
Amir Lehavot (29,700,000 in chips)
AGE: 38
HOMETOWN: Weston, Fla.
OCCUPATION: Poker pro
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 12 cashes totaling more than $800,000
FACTOID: Originally from Israel
Marc McLaughlin (26,525,000 in chips)
AGE: 25
HOMETOWN: Brossard, Quebec, Canada
OCCUPATION: Tattoo artist
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Five consecutive year playing in the main event championship, and six main event cashes for a total of $639,128
FACTOID: Ping pong fan
Jay Farber (25,975,000 in chips)
AGE: 28
HOMETOWN: Doylestown, Pa.
OCCUPATION: Host at the megaclub Hakkasan on the Las Vegas Strip
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: None
FACTOID: Entered the WSOP for the first time last year; sees poker as just a hobby
Ryan Riess (25,875,000 in chips)
AGE: 23
HOMETOWN: Poker pro
OCCUPATION: East Lansing, Mich.
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 13 cashes for $296,918
FACTOID: First time entering the WSOP main event
Sylvain Loosli (19,600,000 in chips)
AGE: 26
HOMETOWN: Toulon, France
OCCUPATION: Poker pro
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Zero career WSOP cashes
FACTOID: Claims more than $1 million in winnings from online poker
Michiel Brummelhuis (11,275,000 in chips)
AGE: 32
HOMETOWN: Amsterdam, Netherlands
OCCUPATION: Poker pro
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Seven cashes totaling $174, 179
FACTOID: Expecting his first child in September
Marc Newhouse (7,350,000 in chips)
AGE: 28
HOMETOWN: Chapel Hill, N.C.
OCCUPATION: Poker pro
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Seven cashes for $162,386
FACTOID: Finished in 207th place in the 2011 WSOP main event
David Benefield (6,375,000 in chips)
AGE: 27
HOMETOWN: Fort Worth, Texas
OCCUPATION: Poker pro
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 12 cashes totaling $455,713
FACTOID: Studying Political Science at Columbia University
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