It all comes down to this. The main event started July 6 and here we are, 11 days later, ready to crown the new world champion. So who will it be? Check out the final nine players from yesterday's blog and get comfortable, because this could go on until the early hours of Wednesday morning. I'll be here until it ends and throughout the day I'll keep you updated on all the action live from the Rio. Don't forget that you can watch the final table live on PPV.
7:25 a.m.: Jerry Yang is holding up the bracelet after speaking to ESPN's Norman Chad and WSOP commissioner Jeffrey Pollack.
In everything that Yang said over the past 25 minutes, he is truly dedicated to helping others in any way possible. He previously mentioned that 10 percent of his winnings would go to charity and I believe that he will give even more than that when all is said and done.
He's a true altruist and as Ali Nejad said, "It couldn't happen to a nicer guy." Yang will do a great amount of good for the poker world and after listening to him speak, I think poker will have a fantastic ambassador.
Congrats, Jerry, on your victory. You arrived at the final table to win the title and from the first hand you showed you'd be aggressive all the way through. You deserve the title because you changed gears so well when it mattered. You deserve the glory because you dominated heads-up play and eliminated seven of the eight other competitors. Enjoy everything the title "World Champion" has to offer, and we'll see you back here in 2008.
6:50 a.m.:We have a new world champion!
Preflop, Jerry Yang and Tuan Lam pushed all the chips to the center of the pot. Yang showed pocket eights and Lam showed Ad-Qd. After a flop of Q-5-9, Lam took the lead and pumped his fist, assuming he was en route to doubling up. The turn was a 7, giving Yang a gutshot straight draw, in addition to a possible set with one of the two remaining eights in the deck. Yang had six outs, and one of them -- the 6h -- fell on the river to knock out Lam and give Yang the victory.
Lam earned $4,840,981 for his second-place finish. Yang has earned instant celebrity status, the most coveted bracelet of the year and $8.25 million.
I'm heading into the Amazon Room
6:35 a.m.: Both players are now raising preflop and taking down pots. Tuan Lam now has $21.7 million.
I'd also like to say good morning to all those on the East Coast.
6:16 a.m.: Tuan Lam doubles up
The blinds are now $400,000/$800,000 with a $100,000 ante.
Lam moved all-in from the button on the second hand after the break with 4d-3d and is called by Jerry Yang's Ac-9h. The flop came K-8-4, pairing Lam's four. Lam held on -- a 6 came on the turn and a K on the river -- to double up to $18.3 million.
5:55 a.m.: And we're on another break after 21 hands heads-up. Jerry Yang leads with $116,375,000 to Tuan Lam's $11.1 million. Lam is playing weak-tight poker here and has been folding down to Yang's every single bet.
Lam is waiting for a hand, but with the blinds going up, I'm not sure if he's going to have a chance.
5:36 a.m.: As expected, Jerry Yang has dominated heads-up play by being aggressive time and time again. He's chipping away at Tuan Lam's stack, and Lam will need to make a move soon. Expect a big pot shortly.
5:13 a.m.: We're heads up.
Tuan Lam won the first pot with a pair of nines when Jerry Yang bluffed at the river and showed queen high. I don't think with the blinds this small ($300,000/$600,000 with a $75,000 ante), Lam thinks this is a deficit that he can't overcome.
Random note: When Raymond Rahme was busted, the media room played Toto's "Africa" in his honor. Good game, Rahme.
4:39 a.m.: Raymond Rahme has been eliminated by Jerry Yang.
Yang has taken another step closer to becoming the next world champion. Preflop, Yang raised to $2.6 million and Rahme reraised to $8.6. Yang calls and the flop comes A-Jh-8h. Yang leads out for $10 million and Rahme moves all-in for $27 million. After what seemed like 10 minutes (and two clock calls from the media room), Yang called and showed A-5. Rahme starts shaking his head and shows pocket kings. The turn and river come a 3 and 2 and Rahme is eliminated in third place, winning $3,048,025.
The chip counts going into heads-up play:
Yang: $104.45 million
Lam: $23,025,000
There will be a 20-minute break in preparation for heads-up play.
4:23 a.m.: Players are back from break. I'm going to make a bold statement and say that there will not be another break tonight and we'll have a winner within two hours. I hope.
There are comments about what type of champion Jerry Yang will be if he wins, and honestly, I'm not sure how he'll do as poker's ambassador. His journey is a true amateur story and at times tonight he's shown it. Other times, he's played well. He slowed down when he lost a couple of big pots after dinner and changed gears well after that. I didn't think he had it in him, but he proved me wrong. I'm sure I'll have more to say when this marathon wraps up
Join the conversation in the comments section.
3:55 a.m.: Alexander Kravchenko has been eliminated by Jerry Yang.
Ahh, Sobe. Delicious. I just walked through the Amazon Room to see spectators sleeping and Phil and Ali looking more serious than ever at the broadcast booth. I have to give them credit. They've been on the air for more than 12 hours now, and are still going strong.
For more entertainment during a time when each of the players are stealing the blinds, check out www.badgerbadgerbadger.com.
Sleep count in the media room: 2.
Wait! We've got an all-in! Kravchenko raised to $2.1 million and Yang moved all-in only to be instantly called by Kravchenko. Yang shows pocket eights and it's a race as Kravchenko has A-K. The flop is 8-9-Q and with a 4 on the turn, Kravchenko is drawing dead and is eliminated in fourth place, winning $1,852,721.
Here are the current chip counts:
Yang: $67.3 million
Raymond Rahme: $36.1 million
Tuan Lam: $24,075,000
The players are now on break for 20 minutes.
3:30 a.m.: Just to update, the blinds are $300,000/$600,000 with a $75,000 ante. The players have another half-hour until their next 20-minute break and everyone in the media room is asking each other what they'd like for breakfast. We've had our first person fall asleep here as well.
I hope I don't miss my flight out tomorrow at noon.
3:15 a.m.: Raymond Rahme has doubled up through Jerry Yang.
Alex Kravchenko raised to $1.75 million and Yang made it $6 million to go. Rahme pushed over the top all-in for $17 million and Kravchenko folded. Jerry thought about it momentarily and then called with pocket queens, putting Rahme in big trouble with A-Q unsuited.
However, Rahme spiked an ace on the flop to double up and shrink Yang's lead.
3 a.m.: New estimated time of finish: 6 a.m.
Current chip counts:
Jerry Yang: $51,225,000
Tuan Lam: $32.05 million
Alexander Kravchenko: $22.6 million
Raymond Rahme: $21.6 million
2:40 a.m.: And we've reached a new low. Tournament director Jack Effel just tried to tell a joke to the crowd, which didn't go over very well. I wonder if he's bored.
Andrew's Sobe Adrenaline count: 2.
Also, there are a ton of forum members out there who want Phil or Ali to say "LOL Donkaments." I'm working on it.
2:25 a.m.: No joke. Raymond Rahme has moved all-in the last three hands.
2:10 a.m.:Tuan Lam doubles up through Raymond Rahme
The baseball box score might have said: Lam, CS. After his all-in was called by Rahme, Lam showed A-5 to Rahme's pocket queens. The board came 10-A-10-2-A and Lam shockingly doubled up to $26 million and into third place. Rahme is now down to $17.1 million and the short stack at the table.
Random note of the hour: The press room has become junk food central and the empty cans of Mountain Dew are piling up.
Andrew's Sobe Adrenaline count: 1.5.
1:30 a.m.: Players are going to take a 20-minute break. Here are the current chip counts:
Jerry Yang: $57,625,000
Raymond Rahme: $29.2 million
Alexander Kravchenko: $28.3 million
Tuan Lam: $12.35 million
1:15 a.m.: Yes, Raymond Rahme is playing at the final table. It seemed as if the only players willing to mix it up tonight were Jerry Yang and Alexander Kravchenko, but Rahme has taken down three of the last four pots.
As for Tuan Lam, I think the aggression he showed on Days 5 and 6 was all he had in his tank since he's been fairly quiet through the first three levels. He's picking his spots patiently, trying not to get too involved at this point.
12:44 a.m.: Alexander Kravchenko has doubled up through Jerry Yang.
After Kravchenko raised to $1.4 million from the button, Yang reraised to $4.9 million and Kravchenko moved all-in over the top for $8.55 million more. Yang called and Kravchenko showed pocket kings, a heavy favorite over Yang's A-10 offsuit. The board came 8-6-6-3-2 and Kravchenko doubled up to nearly $27 million.
Yang is down to $47,725,000.
"Jerry needs to mentally regroup," Chris Ferguson said.
12:30 a.m.: Random note: With 102 hands being played, the average time per hand is a little over four minutes. Pretty slow action over the past 25 minutes, but Mike Matusow, Marcel Luske and Gavin Smith have shown up to watch the final table.
12:05 a.m.: Updated chip counts:
After Alexander Kravchenko took down a pot off Jerry Yang, here's where we stand:
Yang: $57,675,000
Raymond Rahme: $33.2 million
Tuan Lam: $22.65 million
Kravchenko: $13.95 million
"Jerry needs to continue to say a lot of prayers," Erick Lindgren said.
11:50 p.m.: Tuan Lam has doubled up through Jerry Yang.
Almost immediately after the cards are dealt, Alex Kravchenko limps in. Yang called from the small blind, and Lam checked his option. The flop came 4-J-10 and Yang checked. Lam bet out $1.5 million and Kravchenko folded. Yang raised to $4.5 million and Lam pushed all-in over the top.
Yang called and showed A-10 for second pair while Lam had K-Q for an open-ended straight draw and two overcards. Lam missed the turn as a four paired the board, but a Q on the river doubled up the 41-year-old pro.
11:40 p.m.: And we're back. For those that were wondering, I've finished Sobe Adrenaline can No. 1.
I saw Jerry Yang at dinner with his family. Sitting at the Mah Jong, the Chinese restaurant at the Rio, he was guarded by his agent, Oliver Tse, who wouldn't let anyone talk to him.
Right before play began, tournament director Jack Effel presented Tom Schneider with the 2007 WSOP Player of the Year award. Schneider won two bracelets during the WSOP.
10 p.m.: The players are on a 90-minute break. I'll be back when the action starts again with four players remaining. Here are the current chip counts:
Jerry Yang: $71,275,000
Raymond Rahme: $33.2 million
Alexander Kravchenko: $11.75 million
Tuan Lam: $11.25 million
Also, here are the bustout hands from earlier tonight:
• Hevad Khan
| Lee Childs | Lee Watkinson | Philip Hilm
9:35 p.m.: Check out Gary Wise's column on Jerry Yang. Here's the link to more coverage.
9:20 p.m.: Alex Kravchenko has doubled up through Jerry Yang.
Yang raised preflop and Kravchenko reraised over the top for $9 million. Yang called after a few minutes of deliberation to show K-Q against Kravchenko's 3-3. The flop came 8-3-2, Kravchenko hit his set, and Yang was drawing dead before the turn.
Kravchenko is up to $18.5 million and sits in third place. Yang is down to $66 million, still more than twice Raymond Rahme's second-place stack.
"Jerry is still going to call," Phil Gordon said on the PPV broadcast. "He doesn't know how to throw a hand away."
9:04 p.m.: Jerry Yang continues to be aggressive, but Tuan Lam has also woken up, taking two of the last seven hands. Yang won the other five as his stack continues to grow.
8:51 p.m.: Back from the break. The players will play until 10 p.m. and then have their dinner break. I wonder if we'll lose another player by then
8:36 p.m.: Players are on a 10-minute break.
8:22 p.m.: Updated chip counts:
Jerry Yang: $69.71 million
Raymond Rahme: $29.82 million
Tuan Lam: $18,025,000
Alexander Kravchenko: $9.93 million
8:11 p.m.: Jon Kalmer has been eliminated by Raymond Rahme.
Rahme raised $2.7 million (six times the big blind?!?) preflop and Kalmer moved all-in. Rahme called and showed pocket jacks while Kalmer flipped over A-K.
The board came 9-6-10-3-3 and Kalmer was eliminated, earning $1,255,069 for his fifth-place finish.
7:58 p.m.: Alexander Kravchenko has doubled up through Jerry Yang.
Kravchenko moved all-in from the small blind for $4.8 million and Yang called with J-10. Kravchenko showed A-10 and his hand held up when the board came 5d-8c-2s-8d-2h.
It was a very loose call from Yang again, and as Phil Gordon noted, "It just wasn't necessary to do in this spot."
7:55 p.m.: Saw Hevad Khan a moment ago and he was happy with his performance. He said that reality will hit him when he leaves Vegas. "I'm still in a fantasy world," he said.
I'm also editing my estimated time of finish for the event. Yes, again. How about 2:12 a.m.?
7:50 p.m.: Just a reminder that I'll be chatting here at 8 p.m.
7:46 p.m.: Random thought: Good nachos from the poker kitchen. First time I've had them since I've been here.
Play is about to begin once again, but first the money is being presented. Metal briefcases were emptied into a large holding tank next to the table.
Five men left from five different countries shuffle up and deal.
7:24 p.m.: The players are on a 20-minute break.
7:16 p.m.: Hevad Khan has been eliminated by Jerry Yang.
Yang raised $1.5 million preflop and Khan reraised to $6 million, leaving around $3 million behind him. Yang called, Khan moved all-in in the dark and showed A-Q of spades. The flop came Kc-2d-4c. Yang called with pocket jacks, and the turn and river were both 3s to eliminate Khan.
Khan earned $956,243 for his sixth-place finish.
Let the debate begin about the all-in in the dark move. If he was going to do something like that, why didn't he just push all-in preflop instead of making the $6 million raise?
We now have five new millionaires.
6:56 p.m.: Alex Kravchenko has doubled up through Hevad Khan.
Khan moved all-in over the top when Kravchenko pushed in early position. Khan showed pocket 3s and Kravchenko needed to win a race with K-J. The flop was 9-Q-J and Kravchenko took the lead and wouldn't relinquish it after an ace and a 4 came on the turn and river.
Interesting decision by Khan in this position, but he seemed to be in a double-up-soon attitude with the way he's been playing over the past hour. Kravchenko now has $5.33 million while Khan has $6,635,000.
It also turns out that Raymond Rahme folded the winning hand. Rahme has only seen two flops and has raised preflop five times. The 62-year-old is playing tight at this point, which may be a good strategy considering the action at this table.
6:48 p.m.: Lee Childs on laying down his pocket queens against Raymond Rahme: "I thought he had aces or kings. If he was thinking or playing the way I would play, he's telling me there that he has aces or kings I wanted to hang out a little bit longer. I didn't know where I stood and I had to let it go at that point."
6:45 p.m.: Chip counts:
Jerry Yang -- $59.51 million
Tuan Lam -- $19,955,000
Jon Kalmar -- $19.61 million
Raymond Rahme -- $15,605,000
Hevad Khan -- $9,415,000
Alex Kravchenko -- $3.39 million
6:42 p.m.: Hey! Tuan Lam is playing. He just raised $1 million preflop and everyone folded down. I haven't seen Lam play this tight in days. With that pot, some members of the crowd start singing the Canadian national anthem.
6:28 p.m.: Jerry Yang just got picked off trying to steal a pot. Yang raised preflop and Kalmar called from the big blind. The board came Q-10-3-10-5. The two checked the hand down until the river when Yang bet out for $1 million. Kalmar instantly called and showed A-K to beat Yang's 8-9. Ace high takes down the pot. Could this be the start of Yang's breakdown? The last two hands he's shown down have been weak (J-8, 8-9).
6:23 p.m.: Lee Watkinson, who finished eighth: "I felt like I had to play to win. I'm not that surprised [that Jerry Yang called me] with A-9. I thought he would lay down rags or a hand like J-8, but he probably would've called me with that too. I couldn't live with myself if I got blinded off and who's to guarantee that I would've had the best hand going in if I were to wait?"
6:17 p.m.: A mentor? Jerry Yang approached Johnny Chan during the break for some advice for going forward. Hello, Jamie Gold Jr.
6:15 p.m.: OK, had to reverse the order of the posts, but we're back. In the last half-hour, Hevad Khan has become more aggressive by reraising all-in twice and taking down both pots. John Kalmar won a pot and Alex Kravchenko is running out of time.
5:40 p.m.: New estimated time of finish: 6:12 a.m. Players come back from break soon.
5:25 p.m.: Lee Childs raises preflop and Jerry Yang moves all-in over the top. Childs calls with Kh-Jc and Yang shows Js-8s. The board comes 4d-4c-6c-8c-9d and Yang sucks out with an eight to win the pot to eliminate Childs. The players are now on a 20-minute break, with Yang simply dominating play so far today.
The move from Yang could be justified by saying that Childs has laid down hands in the past and he might've done it in that situation, but wow.
5:17 p.m.: We're 28 hands into the action and Jerry Yang has just dominated this table. He's raised 10 hands preflop while the rest of the table has a combined 18. Raymond Rahme seems to be changing gears, now raising in back-to-back hands.
5:10 p.m.: Jon Kalmar still has not won a pot.
5:08 p.m.: Well, the chat is over, but I'll do another one as the night goes on. Yang, the chip leader, has $55 million. Here's the rest of the chip counts:
Raymond Rahme: 15.74 million
Alex Kravchenko: 4.95 million
Lee Childs: 6.15 million
Tuan Lam: 20.595 million
Jon Kalmar: 17.21 million
Hevad Khan: 7.755 million
4:51 p.m.: Jerry Yang raises from the small blind and Lee Watkinson immediately moves all-in from the big blind. Yang thinks it over for about three minutes and then calls with A-9. A shocking call as Watkinson shows A-7. The board comes 2-4-6-K-J and Watkinson is eliminated.
4:25 p.m.: Our chip leader to start the day is gone. Philip Hilm has been eliminated by Jerry Yang. Yang raised from late position to $1 million, Hilm calls from the small blind. The flop is Kd-Jd-5c and Yang bets $2 million. Hilm calls. The turn is the 2h and Yang bets $4 million. Hilm moves all-in over the top and is called by Yang, who holds Ad-Ks. Hilm shows 8d-5d and he needs an 8, 5, or a diamond to survive. A six comes on the river and Hilm is gone, earning $525,934 for ninth place.
4:18 p.m.: After Philip Hilm calls, flop is A-10-8 rainbow. Jerry Yang bets $3 million, Hilm calls. The turn is the 3d, Yang moves all-in and takes down the pot.
4:15 p.m.: Jerry Yang makes a $2.5 million preflop raise. Blinds are only $120,000/$240,000 with a $30,000 ante. Wow.
4 p.m.: I'm chatting right now at SportsNation. Click the link above to join me and ask any questions you might have about the final table.
3:50 p.m.: After Lee Childs raises under the gun, Jerry Yang reraises and Childs calls. The flop is 7c-4d-2c and Childs bets $3 million in chips. Yang moves all-in over the top and has Childs covered. Lee folded pocket queens. By winning this pot, Yang is now in third place, Childs has only $7 million left.
3:37 p.m.: The media room has already started the debate about when this thing will end. My guess: 8:15 a.m. Jerry Yang has taken down his third pot, showing unusual aggression after what I've seen over the past few days. Eight hands down.
3:20 p.m.: We're off and running.
3:18 p.m.: We've got Jack Effel doing the starting lineups and man, Jon Kalmar has one heck of a cheering section. Jamie Gold has just come out to wish the players luck and I think we're about to get started.
2:52 p.m ET: Welcome to the final table blog. So far, I'm one gigantic cup of Starbucks in and the over/under on cans of Sobe Adrenaline to get me through this day is set at 2.5. I'll be chatting at 4 p.m., so be sure to join me then and I'll answer any and all questions about the first hour of play.