LAS VEGAS, July 18, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- 2008 World Series of Poker -- Six PokerStars players have made it to the final table of the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event and a shot at the $9,119,517 first prize. Out of a 6,844-strong starting field, each of the nine final table players will walk away with at least $1 million in prize money when they return to Las Vegas to conclude the Main Event final table on November 9.
The "PokerStars Million Dollar Men" are the six PokerStars players who will take part in this final table battle for their share of the $32.6 million prize money that remains to be won:
Dennis Phillips, 53, Missouri, USA has been one of the chip leaders throughout the last few days of the Main Event. He enters the final table as chip leader with 26,295,000 chips;
Ivan Demidov, 27, Moscow, Russia has had a phenomenal event with this year's WSOP being his first major live tournament. He enters the final table in second position with 24,400,000 chips and if he walks away with the title will become the first Russian to win the WSOP Main Event;
Peter Eastgate, 22, Odense, Denmark is a fearless and unpredictable player. Peter ranks as one of the top five online pros in Denmark and enters the final table with 18,375,000 chips;
Ylon Schwarz, 38, New York, USA no stranger to WSOP tournaments and has had 11 cashes in WSOP events since 2005. He enters the final table with 12,525,000 chips;
Darus "Dennis_TO" Suharto, 39, Ontario, Canada paid $80 for a seat in a satellite tournament on PokerStars and progressed through two levels of online tournaments to win his seat in the WSOP. He enters the final table with 12,520,000 chips;
David "Chino" Rheem, 28, California, USA has had five WSOP cashes in the last three years and has been among the chip leaders throughout the Main Event, entering the final nine with 10,230,000 chips.
In the 39-year history of the WSOP, this year marks a change as play breaks at the final table until November when all finalists will then return to conclude the game. Joe Hachem, Team PokerStars Pro and 2005 WSOP Champion said, "This is how poker should be. The lives of the PokerStars Million Dollar Men are about to change. It's going to be a great ride, as we now start a 115 day countdown to the conclusion of what can only be described as an epic poker journey. I'm looking forward to getting to know these six players better and helping PokerStars earn another World Series championship."
"The break in play will make for a different dynamic at the final table, build more excitement for the sport, and allow the public to better understand the personalities of the players. The benefit to the PokerStars Million Dollar Men of being with us is that these 6 players will have the support, skill and knowledge of Team PokerStars behind them, a team already featuring 3 World Series Main Event Champions. I think we have a great chance to bring the WSOP title back to PokerStars for another year," said Chris Moneymaker, Team PokerStars Pro and 2003 WSOP Champion.
Over one thousand PokerStars qualifiers competed in this year's 39th World Series Main Event and 123 of these PokerStars players have cashed at this year's event - winning more than $9 million between them. There is another $32.6 million up for grabs in November, and with 6 of the final 9 playing for PokerStars, and competing for the remaining $32.6 million in prize money, that total is only set to rise. For PokerStars players, this year's WSOP has been one of the best in recent memory, not just due to the prize money already won by Main Event players, and the final table dominance, but the successes in other WSOP Events.
Among Team PokerStars Pro, Daniel 'Kid Poker' Negreanu won his 4th WSOP bracelet in the Limit Hold'em Event, cashing $204,874. Poker legend Barry Greenstein won his 3rd WSOP bracelet in the Seven Card Razz Event and Italian poker pro Dario Minieri dubbed "Super Dario" recorded his first major live poker win and took home the WSOP bracelet in the No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed event, also pocketing $528,418 for his stunning performance.
Daniel Negreanu said, "I would have loved to go further in the Main Event, but regardless, it's been a very exciting WSOP - not just for me, but the rest of Team PokerStars, and for over a thousand qualifiers from around the world who won their entry to the Main Event on PokerStars. As in previous years, we've had an incredible series."
In 2008, over 2000 players qualified through PokerStars satellites and tournaments to win their $10,000 buy-in to the Main Event plus spending money and luxury hotel accommodation.
The final table will be broadcast on November 9 from 9pm on ESPN.
2008 World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table:
----------------------------------------------------------------- Finalist Name Age Hometown Chip Count ----------------------------------------------------------------- Dennis Phillips 53 St Louis, Missouri 26,295,000 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ivan Demidov 27 Moscow, Russia 24,400,000 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Scott Montgomery 26 Perth, Ontario, Canada 19,690,000 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Peter Eastgate 22 Odense, Denmark 18,375,000 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ylon Schwartz 38 Brooklyn, New York 12,525,000 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Darus Suharto 39 Toronto, Ontario, Canada 12,520,000 ----------------------------------------------------------------- David Rheem 28 Los Angeles, California 10,230,000 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Craig Marquis 23 Arlington, Texas 10,210,000 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Kelly Kim 31 Whittier, California 2,620,000 -----------------------------------------------------------------
For a full recap of PokerStars at the 2008 World Series of Poker, go to www.pokerstarsblog.com or see incredible footage of all the events at www.pokerstars.tv.
About PokerStars:
PokerStars (www.pokerstars.net) is the world's largest online poker room (with 14 million players worldwide) and also the #1 poker tournament site. As the premier destination for the top players - with over 100,000 tournaments running every day-PokerStars is renowned for offering the best software and security in the online poker world. To date, PokerStars has;
- Dealt over 18 billion hands
- Run more than 90 million poker tournaments
- Consistently paid out more than $300 million in tournament prize money every month
- Entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the first and only poker website to reach the 160,000 simultaneous players mark
PokerStars is the official sponsor of: The European Poker Tour (www.ept.com), PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Latin American Poker Tour (www.lapt.com), Asia Pacific Poker Tour (www.appt.com) and The World Cup of Poker.
PokerStars is the home of Team PokerStars Pro, a group of 29 veteran and up-and-coming players from around the world who play online at PokerStars and are sponsored by the site in international tournaments around the world. For more information please visit www.pokerstars.net.
The PokerStars logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3169
Susan Lindner
212-922-5885
susan.lindner@lotus-pr.com