A glance at the final table of the World Series of Poker main event

By The Associated Press, Associated Press

Last update: November 7, 2009 - 1:51 PM

A glance at the World Series of Poker main event, which begins its final table on Saturday:

What: The 40th annual World Series of Poker main event, featuring no-limit Texas Hold 'em with a $10,000 buy-in. The main event is the final and most prestigious tournament of the series, one of 57 tournaments that began May 26 and awarded gold bracelets to its winners.

Where: Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas.

Who: Thousands of players, including defending champion Peter Eastgate.

Prize Money: First prize is $8.55 million from a total prize pool of $61 million. The top 10 percent of the field of 6,494 players won money, starting with $21,365 for 648th place.

Format: The field was split into four sections, each starting on a different day from July 3-6. Play each day ran about 10 hours, excluding breaks, though tournament officials adjusted play based on the number of entrants and the speed of the game. The fields remaining from the first two starting days were combined July 7, while those from the second two starting days played July 8. Those who survived July 7 and July 8 joined in one room July 10, playing each day until nine players remained.

Final table: Nine players begin Saturday and play until two players are left. A winner is determined after heads-up play begins Monday night.

Updates: Can be found at http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com

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