2014 WinStar River Poker Series Main Event Final Table Preview
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After four days of build up and playing poker, 10 players are returning within the next hour with their eyes on the million dollar first place prize at the 2014 WinStar River Poker Series Main Event.
The tournament has seen names like WinStar poker ambassador Maria Ho, poker legend TJ Cloutier, Layne Flack, Tom Marchese, Kevin Saul, the 2012 champion of this event Aaron Massey, Kyle Bowker, and many others fall.
Notables like Scott Clements, Brandon Steven, Christian Harder, Rep Porter, Bryan Campanello, and Joseph Cheong would all make deep runs but fall short of making it to today's final day of play.
Leading the way is Kevin Eyster with 5.74 million in chips, and he's followed by Khoa Nguyen in second place with 5.19 million. David "ODB" Baker is the most notable face remaining, and he will bring 1.705 million in chips to tomorrow.
Who else made it? Here's a look at the final table seating assignments and their chip counts:
| Seat | Name | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rodeen Talebi | 725,000 |
| 2 | David "ODB" Baker | 1,705,000 |
| 3 | Rhett Trusler | 2,180,000 |
| 4 | Kevin Eyster | 5,740,000 |
| 5 | Travis Rice | 4,480,000 |
| 6 | Jonathan Gaviao | 2,975,000 |
| 7 | Jason Helder | 4,310,000 |
| 8 | Kong Li | 3,570,000 |
| 9 | Khoa Nguyen | 5,190,000 |
| 10 | Chris Drake | 2,505,000 |
Cards will be in the air at 12 p.m. local time and PokerNews will be here to bring you every hand at the final table so make sure to tune in to see who takes down the million dollar first place prize. While you wait for action to start, here's a quick look at each of the players:
Seat 1: Rodeen Talebi - 725,000 in chips Talebi is not stranger to making a final table as he's done so on more than a dozen occasions over the course of his poker career. His poker career dates all the way back to 2004 and that was when he made his first splash on the circuit winning $162,961 for his first place finish in a Pot Limit Hold 'Em event at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic. He followed that victory up with another win and countless five figure scores giving him lifetime tournament earnings of $924,862. Talebi comes in as the short stack but shouldn't be counted out given his experience in these situations.
Seat 2: David "ODB" Baker - 1.705 million in chips Baker comes in with perhaps the best poker resume of our final ten. With $3,083,307 in lifetime tournament earnings in a poker career that dates back to 2004, the one-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner will be looking to do something he's never done before �� collecting a seven figure payday. Baker is no stranger to success in Main Events. He's made two deep runs in the WSOP Main Event including a 17th place finish in 2010 that was good for his biggest tournament cash ever of $396,967. Despite coming in with the second shortest stack, Baker is definitely not a player to be looked upon lightly.
Seat 3: Rhett Trusler - 2.18 million in chips Trusler is a relative unknown with no career reported tournament earnings. That's about to change as he's guaranteed a minimum of $30,164 today. Trusler has been flying under the radar with his play thus far and those types of players are always dangerous at this stage of the tournament.
Seat 4: Kevin Eyster - 5.74 million in chips The quiet, unassuming Eyster comes into the final table with the chip lead and outside of Baker, the most credentials. He just won his first WSOP bracelet this summer taking home $622,998 for taking down the $5,000 Six-Handed NLHE tournament. He followed that up with a 10th place finish in the Little One for One Drop and a deep run in the Main Event. His biggest score of $660,395 came back in 2013 when he won the Championship Event at the Seminole Hard Rock Showdown. He can top that with a win here today and with the way he's been playing and his stack no one would be surprised if he did.
Seat 5: Travis Rice - 4.48 million in chips Back in 2007, Rice burst onto the poker scene when he won the Main Event at the UltimateBet Aruba Poker Classic, Palm Beach for $800,000. He's been relatively quiet on the tournament scene since then but still has accumulated $1,224,743 in tournament earnings. He has the chips and the know how and has position on perhaps the two most dangerous players at the table.
Seat 6: Jonathan Gaviao - 2.975 million in chips The amiable Gaviao is a tournament grinder who has experienced some success of late. In February, he won $181,757 for winning a WSOP Circuit event in Tunica. He followed that up with a second place finish for $132,622 at a WSOP Circuit tournament in Las Vegas. He can top both of those results with a third place or better finish here today.
Seat 7: Jason Helder - 4.31 million in chips Helder's poker career dates back to 2009 when he took eighth place in a $1,500 WSOP NLHE tournament for $86,702. He's run up a total of $324,243 in lifetime tournament winnings and is looking for his first tournament win on U.S. soil (he's won two EPT preliminary events in the past).
Seat 8: Kong Li - 3.57 million in chips In just over a years time, Li has already accumulated $63,753 in tournament earnings with his best result being a fourth place finish in April at the Choctaw Poker Series for $26,569. He's already guaranteed to top that and can add much more to his resume and bankroll if he can make it deep here today.
Seat 9: Khoa Nguyen - 5.19 million in chips Nguyen is another poker veteran who will be tough to deal with. With a career that dates back to 2005, Nguyen has lifetime reported tournament earnings of $82,245 including a $38,405 payday for a second place finish in 2008 at the Calgary Classic. With just one elimination, Nguyen will be guaranteed his biggest score ever and given that he is coming in second in chips that seems likely to happen.
Seat 10: Chris Drake - 2.505 million in chips Drake, like many others at this final table, is another veteran of the tournament circuit with scores that date back to 2008 including two Deep Stack Extravaganza wins totaling over $70,000 in winnings. Drake has $184,009 in lifetime earnings and will be adding to that total here today.