WSOP 2014: A record setting November Nine in place

And so it's all over. In the early hours of this morning the last hand of the World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas came to an end. After ten days of play the "November Nine" are now known, at least by name. Their backgrounds and chances of success when they return in November will now be pored over by the media, filling that time between now and that moment when one of them wins the first prize of $10 million.

Celebrations on stage

It's a record setting final table, featuring players from six nations. It includes a first Brazilian player to reach the final table in Bruno Politano, who will return as the short stack, but with one of poker's booming nations railing him every step of the way. It also features a Dutch player for the second year in succession. Jorrt van Hoof will return as the chip leader with more than 38 million.

Perhaps most notable is the inclusion of Mark Newhouse, who becomes the first player to reach a second November Nine, and the first back-to-back finalist since Dan Harrington in 2004.

Mark Newhouse

Newhouse finished ninth in 2013. When he began the main event this year he tweeted that he had no plans to finish ninth a second time. He may be right.

For followers of the European Poker Tour the name Martin Jacobson will stand out.

Martin Jacobson

Jacobson is an EPT regular, with multiple final table appearances on the tour, including two runner-up finishes, and as the highest earner at the final will be among the favourites.

The full line up is as follows:

Seat 1 - Billy Pappaconstantinou, 29, Greece - 17,500,000
Seat 2 - Felix Stephensen, 23, United States - 32,775,000
Seat 3 - Jorryt van Hoof, 31, Netherlands - 38,375,000
Seat 4 - Mark Newhouse, 29, United States - 26,000,000
Seat 5 - Andoni Larrabe, 22, Spain - 22,550,000
Seat 6 - William Tonking, 27, United States - 15,050,000
Seat 7 - Daniel Sindelar, 30, United States - 21,200,000
Seat 8 - Martin Jacobson, 27, Stockholm - 14,900,000
Seat 9 - Bruno Politano , 31, Brazil - 12,125,000

They each face a return trip to Las Vegas to play the final table on 10 and 11 November. While the winner will receive a guaranteed $10 million, there's a further $18 million to be awarded for the other eight places, with the ninth place finisher already guaranteed $730,725.

1st place - $10,000,000
2nd place - $5,145,968
3rd place - $3,806,402
4th place - $2,848,833
5th place - $2,143,174
6th place - $1,622,080
7th place - $1,235,862
8th place - $947,077
9th place - $730,725

But for now the World Series is at an end. The tables have been dismantled and removed, the banners have been packed away for another year, and the Rio is returning to how it looked some eight weeks ago.

The November Nine

Thanks to everyone who has read our coverage from Las Vegas during that time. As always it's a privilege to be here and to be granted permission to watch it first-hand. It should be a great final table.

Stephen Bartley is a PokerStars Blog reporter. Photos by Joe Giron and Jayne Furman/Poker Photo Archive

Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: World Series of Poker]