The Final Nine

Seat 1: Richard Lee, 11,820,000 chips
I don't know anything about Lee's poker background. From what I have seen he plays pretty loose and aggressive and gets involved in a fair number of big pots. He is not one of the best players at the table but he is also not one of the weakest. We have all agreed that the best way to play Lee is to trap him with a huge hand, and otherwise avoid playing a big pot. Paul and Lee have played quite a bit together in this tournament and it seems Lee likes to play back at Paul. I think Paul is likely to play a huge pot against Lee at some point, although probably not early on.

Seat 2: Erik Friberg, 9,605,000 chips
Loose, aggressive, Swedish, looks cool, plays super high stakes online, doesn't seem remotely fazed, rolls with Hollingol. Enough said. Definitely one of the top three players at the final table and a very strong candidate to win it all. Friberg is not afraid to play big pots, and could potentially go out very early similar to Matusow last year.

Seat 3: Paul Wasicka, 7,970,000 chips
Last night the entourage and Paul went to downtown Vegas and ate a great dinner at Vic & Anthony's at the Golden Nugget. It was a relaxed, enjoyable evening with friends and Paul seems happy and calm. After dinner we went to Binion's and looked at the wall of WSOP champions. I got a pretty big shiver looking at that wall on the eve of the final table. I can only imagine how Paul felt at that moment.

Seat 4: Dan Nassif, 2,600,000 chips
I don't know a whole lot about Nassif. I expect him to play a little tighter with the short stack than Binger, but he may also be happy with the final and now start swinging away.

Seat 5: Allen Cunningham, 17,770,000 chips
Cunningham is the big favorite to win this thing, as he should be. He's an exceptional player with no weaknesses and has a fantastic history of closing the deal at the final table. His career tournament earnings prior to this are more than ten times that of the rest of the table combined. His game is indescribable - it can be loose or tight, passive or aggressive, bullying or trapping, and is constantly changing and morphing. I love his game and his chances.

Seat 6: Michael Binger, 3,140,000 chips
Like Lee, Binger plays a loose, aggressive game and loves to tangle with Paul. However, he is now short stacked and has paid the price for trying to outplay Paul, losing a lot of chips in that manner. I think Binger desperately wanted to make the final table and now that he has done so, I expect him to come out swinging. Look for Binger to try to make an early move or exit at the final table.

Seat 7: Doug Kim, 6,770,000 chips
I'm not sure if Doug has realized he made the final table of the biggest poker tournament of all time, and that may give him an advantage. Apparently Doug is like the 4th best player in the home game he played at Duke, and doesn't have a lot of high-stakes experience. Doug seemed to be playing wildly when it got down to ten last night, but I think it had more to do with his cards than anything else. I don't know what to expect from Doug at the final table.

Seat 8: Jamie Gold, 26,650,000 chips
The general consensus amongst the players, the rail, and the media is that Gold is a fish who has hit an incredible amount of hands during the last week. Gold is an extremely loose caller of preflop raises and plays a ton of hands. Watch for Friberg, Cunningham, and Paul to take a lot of chips from him and avoid playing big pots unless they have him beat. With his chip lead and loose preflop style, he will be the player to watch early on. Almost no one I have talked to thinks he has a shot at winning.

Seat 9: Rhett Butler, 4,815,000 chips
He is the most straightforward of the players at the final table, and most feel he will need to get hit over the head with cards to make it deep. If Butler is in a hand, he probably has something good.