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Kansas auto dealer Brandon Steven was eliminated at the World Series of Poker main event early Sunday, leaving nine players to play at the final table for $8.94 million and poker's richest title.
The 36-year-old from Wichita finished in 10th place, winning $635,011.
He was eliminated early Sunday after a grueling marathon of no-limit Texas Hold 'em that ended with Steven holding an ace-king against Matthew Jarvis' pocket queens. Steven didn't improve his hand.
The remaining nine players will wait 111 days before returning to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas for a ninth card session Nov. 6. The winner will be determined in a heads-up session between the final two players starting Nov. 8.
The remaining nine players were each to be paid ninth-place money - $811,823 - later Sunday. The rest of the remaining prize pool will go into an account and accrue interest before play resumes.
The tournament started July 5 with 7,319 players, each contributing $10,000 for a shot at poker fame, glory and millions. The entries and total prize pool of $68.8 million made this year's main event the second-largest in series history.
Five players were eliminated within two hours after the dinner break Saturday night, but the final elimination took far longer.
Steven's ouster ended a session that lasted more than 12 hours, plus breaks, ending after sunrise Sunday on the Las Vegas Strip.
What began Saturday afternoon as chaotic tussles among players maneuvering toward the final table morphed into a slow, quiet affair. With a spot at the final table worth far more than the nearly $177,000 difference in prize money between 10th and ninth place, some players simply didn't play their cards.
Others, like 24-year-old John Dolan of Bonita Springs, Fla., took advantage to pick up chips without a fight. Dolan began 10-handed play with 24.55 million chips, and less than two hours later had the second-biggest stack at the table with 45.5 million chips.
Chips have no actual monetary value. Each player must lose all his chips to be eliminated.
The final table
1. Jason Senti
AGE: 25
HOMETOWN: St. Louis Park, Minn.
OCCUPATION: poker player
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 10 series cashes for $157,528; four circuit cashes for $543,637.
2. Joseph Cheong
AGE: 24
HOMETOWN: La Mirada, Calif.
OCCUPATION: poker player
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: two series cashes this year for $31,064; four circuit cashes for $20,890, including one win this year in a no-limit Hold 'em tournament at Harrah's Rincon.
3. John Dolan
AGE: 24
HOMETOWN: Bonita Springs, Fla.
OCCUPATION: poker player
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: five series cashes for $105,340; two circuit cashes for $3,333.
4. Jonathan Duhamel
AGE: 22
HOMETOWN: Boucherville, Quebec
OCCUPATION: poker player
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: two cashes for $43,000.
5. Michael "Grinder" Mizrachi
AGE: 29
HOMETOWN: Miami
OCCUPATION: poker professional
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: one bracelet, 23 series cashes ($2.27 million); six circuit cashes for $323,258.
6. Matthew Jarvis
AGE: 25
HOMETOWN: Surrey, British Columbia
OCCUPATION: post-secondary business student
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: none.
7. John Racener
AGE: 24
HOMETOWN: Port Richey, Fla.
OCCUPATION: poker player
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: none.
8. Filippo Candio
AGE: 26
HOMETOWN: Cagliari, Italy
OCCUPATION: poker player
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: one cash for $3,460.
9. Cuong "Soi" Nguyen
AGE: 37
HOMETOWN: Santa Ana, Calif.
OCCUPATION: medical supply company employee
PRIOR SERIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: none.
Information from: World Series of Poker, Associated Press interviews, gameplay.
