WSOP Main Event Final Table Preview: The Race for Gold in 2015

The WSOP Main Event final table will get underway on Sunday before a new champion is crowned on Tuesday. (Image: wsop.com)

The biggest final table in poker, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event finale, will play out this weekend and that means the eyes of the world will be on the Rio Casino, Las Vegas.

The surviving nine players, dubbed the November Nine, have enjoyed a three month hiatus from the craziness of the WSOP but will return to the Rio on Sunday, November 8, to fight for the $7,683,346 top prize.

Three Nights of Action

Naturally, before the 2015 WSOP World Champion is crowned, eight players need to be eliminated and this time around the final table will play out over three nights.

November 8 will see the players introduced to the rail at 4:52pm and filming start at 5:00pm (footage will air on ESPN with a 30-minute delay).

After the cards go in the air at 5:05pm, play will continue until the first break at 6:03pm. Following the break, the TV producers will determine when the session is brought to a close; however, it’s expected Day 1 will come to an end after the first player is eliminated after the break.

The second session, which gets underway on November 9 at 6:00pm, will follow a similar format to the first and play is expected to continue until just three players remain.

With the end drawing ever closer, the final session of the 2015 WSOP Main Event final table will kick into life on November 10 and the action will run until just one player remains and the coveted gold bracelet is handed out.

Media and Companies Out in Force

As ever, there will be a strong media presence during the WSOP Main Event finale and that means a number of companies have been quick to jump on the sponsorship bandwagon.

Leading the way with three branded players this year is 888poker.

Currently licensed for operations in Nevada and New Jersey, 888poker will announced deals with Joe McKeehen, Neil Blumenfield and Thomas Cannuli this week.

With more than 30 million chips more than his closest rival, , recent 888poker recruit McKeehen is likely to feature heavily during the finale; however, Blumenfield, who is currently third in chips, and Cannuli in sixth place should also get their share of airtime.

Overall, this mix of chip stacks and talent should give 888poker a healthy amount of coverage during the final table.

Nine Stories Waiting to be Written

Beyond the 888poker trio, the other six finalists will all want to steal the limelight as they fight for the most sought after title in poker.

One of the most notable finalists in 2015 is Belgium’s Pierre Neuville. The former head of a major toy company, Neuville is not only vying to become the first Belgian to win the WSOP Main Event title, but the oldest player to do it.

Despite being 72-years-old, Neuville has been a serial tournament casher in Europe over the last decade and, with 21,075,000 chips, he’ll be in great position to challenge McKeehen when the action gets underway.

For all the latest action and results from the 2015 WSOP Main Event final table, make sure you check out PokerSites.com in the coming days.

WSOP Main Event: The Numbers

To ensure you’ve got all the information you need before the final table gets underway, here’s a rundown of the current chips counts and some of the key facts and figures from this year’s WSOP Main Event.

Key Stats:

No. of players: 6,420

Prizepool: $60,355,857

Top prize: $7,683,346

Value of chips in play: 192,600,000

Average age: 39.62

Male vs. Female participants: 6,168 vs. 252

WSOP Main Event Final Table Chip Count:

Joe McKeehen – 63,100,000

Ofer Zvi Stern – 29,800,000

Neil Blumenfield – 22,000,000

Pierre Neuville – 21,075,000

Max Steinberg – 20,200,000

Tom Cannuli – 12,250,000

Joshua Beckley – 11,800,000

Patrick Chan – 6,225,000

Federico Butteroni – 6,200,000

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