2008 WSOP Final Table Betting Odds
The 2008 WSOP final table is about to get underway after a three month delay and you can bet which of the professional poker players are going to win the main event.
Craig Marquis +800 - Pays $800 for every $100 bet at Sportsbook.com The 23-year-old poker player from Arlington, Texas, has three prior WSOP cashes, one in 2008 and two in 2007. As of 2008, his total lifetime winnings equal $35,759. If Marquis wins, he will become the youngest main event winner in history, overtaking Phil Hellmuth (who was 24 at the time of his victory).
Darus Suharto +1000 - A Jenny Woo favorite - Suharto would pay $1000 for every $100 bet. Suharto is a 39-year old poker player born in Indonesia and currently residing in Toronto, Canada, where he works as an accountant. Suharto has two previous money finishes but this overall career tournament winnings are not significant. He's single ladies and an already guaranteed millionaire regardless of where he finishes in the final.
David Rheem +300 - David Rheem is the favorite to win, paying $300 for every $100 bet. The 28-year old Rheem has five previous WSOP cashes, his best result being a runner-up finish to Allen Cunningham in a $1,000 no limit Texas hold 'em with rebuys event in 2006. As of 2008, his total lifetime live poker tournament winnings exceed $700,000. Rheem is the "bad boy" of this year's World Series of Poker, having a 4 month prison term for larceny and marijuana possession a few years back.
Dennis Phillips +500 - Dennis Phillips is the "Joe the Plumber" of the 2008 WSOP. He's a 53-year old account manager for Broadway Trucks, a commercial trucking company in St Louis, Missouri, and the chip leader of the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event final table. Phillips qualified for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event through a $200 satellite at Harrah's St. Louis, his local Harrah's casino
Ivan Demidov +400 - One of the hot stories coming into the 2008 WSOP. Demidov placed 3rd at this year's World Series of Poker Europe, the only player to ever play in two different World Series of Poker finals the same year. Demidov is one of a growing number of Russian poker studs. All things considered, Demidov would pay out $400 for every $100 bet. Those are pretty good odds at Sportsbook.com .
Kelly Kim +1000 - He is a poker player from Whittier, California. Kim was born in Los Angeles, California and graduated from the University of California-San Diego. He worked as a business analyst before turning to poker full-time. His life time tournament wins were around $300,000. Not too shabby. Kim is one of the lesser talked about finalists, which may work in his favor. The payout would be $1000 for every $100 bet if he wins.
Peter Eastgate +450 - Denmark will be watching their fellow countryman. Eastgate is a 22-year old poker player from Odense, Denmark, and - yes - if either Eastgate or fellow finalist Craig Marquis win the Main Event they will become the youngest ever. Eastgate's prior results include a money finish in the 2008 European Poker Tour event in Copenhagen and a final table finish at the 2007 Irish Open. Eastgate won his seat at the WSOP main event via the Ladbrokes Poker website, and travelled to Las Vegas as a part of their team. Later he switched his allegiances to Pokerstars. His tournament winnings to date were around $40,000.
Scott Montgomery +550 - The payout would be $550 for every $100 bet if Scott Montgomery were to win. He's a player from Perth, Ontario, Canada. Montgomery has one World Poker Tour cash, finishing in 5th place at the 2008 L.A. Poker Classic and earning $296,860. As of 2008, his total lifetime live poker tournament winnings exceed $400,000.
Ylon Schwartz +700 - Schwartz is among the more colorful and outspoken players at the 2008 WSOP final table. The Brooklyn, New York native ranks 5th on the leaderboard coming in. Prior to the Main Event, Schwartz had 11 career WSOP cashes and plays poker professionally online under the screen name "TenthPlanet". As a teenager, Schwartz saw streetside chess games in Manhattan's Times Square, and won two dollars playing his first game. He was soon a regular, hustling $100 per day playing chess against passersby. Schwartz reached a peak rating of 2408 United States Chess Federation, and as of 2008 his rankings stood at 2304 from the USCF and 2259 from FIDE. He has attained the title of FIDE Master with a ranking above 2300. An inveterate gambler, Schwartz made $340 from passersby on wagers that he would be able to throw a lemon across a street onto the top of a Burger King restaurant on the other side. Schwartz had practiced the throw the previous night and knew he could win the bets. Schwartz also cared for his mom throughout much of his 20's after she was diagnosed with cancer. His dad left the family when Ylon was just two years old and he had not heard from him until ending up at the final table of the 2008 WSOP. Schwartz refused to speak to him.
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
