ESPN

Andrew Feldman

  (3:19 PM)

Hey everyone. We're down to five players at the final table in London and the two short stacks are John Juanda and Daniel Negreanu. Send in your questions now and we'll get started at 4 p.m.

Jeremy (Caribou ME)

Hi Andrew, if Demidov were to win the WSOP and WSOP-E main event in the same year how would it rank with other incredible poker accomplishments?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:02 PM)

Bernard Lee writes in his column about the other poker accomplishments that he believes could fall in same category. Out of those, I'm thinking it would actually rank at the very top of the list, or maybe just behind Chan's back to back. Here's a link to Lee's column: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/poker/columns/story?columnist=lee_bernardandid=3621218

Jason, Newton, MA

I need details! Who's left? Who's out and in what order? Chip Counts?As much as I like Juanda and Negreanu, I'd love to see Demidov win. Because that is what will be "good for poker." Any chance ESPN shows this awesome final table or is ESPN360 my only option to watch.

Andrew Feldman

  (4:05 PM)

Jason - there are still five players left and are on their two hour dinner break. They'll return at 4:45. Here are the current chip counts: Stanislav Alekhin - 3.4 million, Demidov just under 2 million, Sonnert has 918,000, Juanda is at 600,00 and Negreanu is just under 400,000

Andrew Feldman

  (4:05 PM)

And to answer your second question, this event will be on ESPN early next year.

Victor - Canada

Is Negreanu playing bad or just bad luck? He's been playing so well through out and it seems like it just a matter of time.

Andrew Feldman

  (4:07 PM)

It looks like Negreanu is just waiting to pick his spot. There was a key hand about a half hour before dinner where he committed about a quarter of his chips preflop and folded to a post-flop all-in bet by Alekhin. I thought that would've been his place, but he knows now that he's down to either an all-in or fold decision. He'll be active immediately after dinner looking for a double up.

Andrew Feldman

  (4:09 PM)

Honestly, to those that are asking about his play today, it seems that the Europeans have both Negreanu's and Juanda's number. They continue to put on the pressure and just when Daniel or John are prepared to take down a pot, their opponents reraise, throwing their strategies out the window. Both players have played tentatively, but still have enough chips to make a move with five left.

Cosmo (Anytown, USA)

Has there been any backlash resulting from Scotty Baby's drunken behavior during the HORSE tourney?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:14 PM)

I think everyone took notice of Scotty's actions and tournament directors have finally realized that even if you are a Scotty or a Phil, you have to act better than that at the table. Scotty was extremely apologetic afterwards and as seen during the main event coverage, he cleaned up his act. Will he stay like that? Depends on the number of beers...

Andrew Feldman

  (4:15 PM)

In the future there will be penalties for actions like that and I think next year we'll see a bigger difference in table etiquette.

Alex(NY)

Where does Negreanu finish?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:15 PM)

Fourth. He'll double up once then probably get grinded down once again by the Russian chip leaders at the table.

John, Toronto, ON

In your opinion, what is the more prestigious double:WSOP Main Event Champoin and WSOP HORSE Champion orWSOP and WSOPE Main Event Champion?I am of the belief that the first one would be a little tougher to Win vs the Second. Plus Poker is more then just NLHE. Your thoughts?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:18 PM)

Without question I think that winning bracelets in the first two is the most presitgious. The HORSE will have the toughest field in the world. The main event will prove that you can make it through the minefield and defeat all types of players. At this point, I think winning both the WSOP and WSOPE is an amazing accomplishment, especially given the strong field at the WSOPE, but to excel in each of the games for such a high buy-in just proves that you really are the best.

Aaron (Dallas, TX)

Let's here some more about the kid from Russia. Is he the real deal?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:21 PM)

Which one? Demidov or Alekhin? It's amazing that Alekin is in this position but honestly, if you are watching any of the coverage on ESPN360.com, you'll see him have a perfect poker image at the table. He doesn't move, blink, smile or even breathe! I wouldn't be surprised if we hear more about him in the future as well. Demidov is the real deal. He's smart and can maneuver with any type of caliber player at the table. Unless things change, I think John Juanda will be having nightmares about Demidov (and Alekhin) for months to come.

Twan (AL)

Does the final table experience Demidov gets today outweigh the negative that the other 8 get to see him in action and have a better read heading into November?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:23 PM)

Absoutely. Imagine if he wins. He'll be the only bracelet winner at the table and confident that he can win his second one. On another note, if the other eight aren't watching him today, they aren't taking advantage of this time away at all. This is exactly what they needed to see. They are watching how he plays at a final table and can see every single hand.

Mike, OH

If Demidov wins both wsope and wsop that destroys chan's accomplishment, a field of like 7-8000 wsop and then 363 for wsope, far more impressive than Chan if you ask me, not taking anything away from chan though obviously.

Andrew Feldman

  (4:25 PM)

Agreed, but think about when Chan won...the fields were small, but the caliber of play had to be far superior...actually, i guess that's up for debate as well.

Jeremy - Memphis

Don't forget that Chan finished 2nd the next year. Pretty awesome.

Jacob, Wisconsin

I'm somewhat surprised that WSOPE has garnered as much prestige in the poker press as it has. Is the consensus behind the scenes that a WSOP Euro bracelet holds the same clout as the WSOP's or is there some pressure by the WSOP brand to legitimize the WSOPE to expand its commercial viability to the world?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:28 PM)

Very good point. Bluff's Nick Geber, who is announcing the final table live on ESPN360.com said that many players consider WSOPE the "All-Star Game." Its interesting to think of the four events in that shape, but there is a point. I think a bracelet is a bracelet and if you can defeat the fields anywhere you deserve one, but if that is indeed the case, if someone other than Annette won last year's WSOPE main event, would they have received the same exposure as Jerry Yang? When we see the action at WSOPE early next year, I'm sure the event will continue to legitimize itself.

Jim: (Pawtucket, RI)

All we heard was about how the delay in the final table was going to add excitment and give ESPN and WSOP time to hype the final nine. Well other than a 5 second commercial i havent seen any hype and i would guess the average viewer doesn't even understand that the final table is being played out live. when is this great marketing push going to begin?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:29 PM)

I'm hoping soon. I think Demidov's performance will greatly improve the amount of hype as well, but I'm wondering how he'll be presented on TV since at the time he had never made a WSOP final table...

Ken (Colorado Springs, CO)

What has Juanda been up to lately? You don't even see him on the Full Tilt sponsored Poker After Dark. I read that he did well this WSOP, but has he been on some form of poker hiatus over the past year or so?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:33 PM)

Juanda cashed five times and made two final tables over the summer. After the WSOP, he also cashed on the APPT main event. No hiatus for one of the game's best.

Rich - Boston

Speaking of Scotty drinking, how come the tournament officials don't put a limit to the amount of alcohol being consumed during play? Especially during big events. It's bad enough to have people like Mike "The Mouth" jawing at people while sober, now we get to see Scotty embarrassed himself and it shouldn't be like that. They should definitely put a limit to the alcohol consumed by each person. People are there to play poker and to most, it's profession. I bet that if an average person showed up to work and started drinking, that person wouldn't last too long on the job.

Andrew Feldman

  (4:36 PM)

I think that there is an unwritten rule that tournament directors *usually* follow that if the player is too drunk, they can have them cut off. However, if you're putting up a ton of money to play in these tournaments, shouldn't you be able to lose it any way you wish? I'm with you though and I'm all for improving the system.

Marty, Raleigh

So there was a big delay for the Main Event final table to hype the "November Nine". I'm a huge poker fan and have seen very little press. Can we expect this to change? I remember Jeffrey Pollack talking about players going on Oprah and getting major endorsement deals but haven't seen anything come of it. Thoughts?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:37 PM)

Every player that Phil Gordon and I have spoken to on the Poker Edge podcast has told us that they believe the endorsements will start coming as they begin to make an impression on the TV shows. The only player to have really received a good amount of exposure so far has been Chino Rheem and I'll reach out to him to see if anything has changed as of late. I know that other players have been busy in their towns - Dennis Phillips threw out the first pitch at a Cards game - but on a national scale, I think we haven't seen anything yet.

Jeremy (Temple, TX)

So back to Negreanu's play for a minute if you will. In my opinion, he has one of the best natural talents for the game out there. The reads he often makes are astounding. Is he making good laydowns and just not picking up many pots and being blinded away or what?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:39 PM)

I think the stat I recently saw was that he had only won 12 pots out of the 125 so far today. He just isn't getting involved. He's quiet at the table, just not himself with this short stack and his stack is simply being blinded away.

Henry (Los Angeles, CA)

This is pretty obvious question, but who do you feel is best equipped to win the final table of the WSOP ME? Clearly, Demidov is proving he's a great poker player by once again making a ME final table, but will this play carry over the the WSOP? Or will he simply fall short to another player?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:42 PM)

Its an obvious question, but a difficult one to answer. From what I've been hearing, Dennis Phillips has done the most to prepare himself -- hiring a coach, playing a lot, etc. Holding the chip lead and doing what he can to get ready will probably give him a strong advantage. However, I think that the more experienced players -- Demidov, Rheem, Montgomery -- might have the ability to outlast Phillips. If Demidov wins today, I wouldn't hesitate to give him the best odds to win.

Justin (denver)

Is it true the the final table of the WPT is going to be televised for only an hour this upcoming season?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:43 PM)

The episodes will be one hour long, but I dont think that they'll limit the entire tournament final table to only one episode.

Jeff (Starkville, MS)

So are the hole cards being shown on the 360 coverage, or are the other members of the November 9 just seeing the standard action without the hole cams?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:44 PM)

No hole cards on 360, but any of the N9 can witness Demidov's mannerisms on each and every action.

Marty, Raleigh, NC

The WSOP coverage on ESPN is treated as entertainment (i.e. Norman Chad) do you think that will ever change? I'd love to see more intellectual analysis of the play but that may not sell to a larger audience.

Andrew Feldman

  (4:46 PM)

I don't think this will change anytime soon, but I'm not involved in any of the TV side. I think that our viewers are casual poker fans and that they like a little more entertainment than analysis. I think adding a pro in the announcers box is a great idea, so we'll see what happens...

Andre (Seattle)

Can you give us an update on how the eliminated players got busted and any other key hands so far?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:49 PM)

Scott Fischman was eliminated in sixth after a postflop reraise with A-Q against the flopped broadway straight of Alekhin.

Andrew Feldman

  (4:50 PM)

Robin Keston was eliminated by Demidov holding A-8 to Demidov's 9-9. Ivan hit a set and Keston went out about five hours ago.

Andrew Feldman

  (4:51 PM)

Two hands before Keston, Toni Hiltunen ran his J-J into Alekhin's QQ and was elimimated in eighth.

Andrew Feldman

  (4:53 PM)

Chris elliott was the first to go after flopping top two pair with 9-10 only to lose to a runner runner flush to Alekhin.

Andrew Feldman

  (4:53 PM)

Action has began again...

The US Economy

Am I having a big impact on the poker industry right now? I'm assuming the professionals have their money in cash and chips so could care less but the average player may be low on disposable income.

Andrew Feldman

  (4:54 PM)

Field sizes are still either larger or the same as last year. I would've thought that we'd see a dramatic reduction in players across all fields, but it hasn't been the case thus far.

Dave (NJ)

I know you're a company man, but is there a blog where we can follow the action so far...for those of us who can't get ESPN360 at work?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:54 PM)

worldseriesofpoker.com is a great place to go.

Sam (Boston)

What are the blinds and antes? I want to calculate how many rotations Negreanu can afford

Andrew Feldman

  (4:55 PM)

Blinds: 12000/24000 Ante: 3000

Jeremy (Temple, TX)

I don't really know a lot about Demidov. Is he a professional, internet phenom, cash game player or just an average guy on a run? Has he done this well in his past if he does play often or professionally?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:56 PM)

Demidov is 27 and has played professionally for the last two years.

Paul (Collegeville, PA)

With Daniel being shortstacked, what is the minimum hand you think he would push preflop with?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:58 PM)

He actually has the advantage where everyone knows he's not looking to bluff, but to double up. I think he's pushing with any pair, A-J or better.

Mohegan Chief, CT

Have you tried our new poker room?

Andrew Feldman

  (4:58 PM)

No! I've been meaning to get up there though...

Justin (denver)

What has been up with Fischman? Not playing in many tournaments, or just not as good as everyone originally thought?

Andrew Feldman

  (5:00 PM)

For a while Scott wasn't feeling all that great and its great to see him back at the tables doing well.

Andrew Feldman

  (5:00 PM)

big big big big hand developing...

Andrew Feldman

  (5:01 PM)

Sonnert raised from the cutoff, Demidov called, Alekhin reraised to 210,000 and got both players to fold. Russian agression...

John (Philadelphia, PA)

I would assume that with the WSOPE going on, less pros would be making the trek to the Aruba Poker Classic which is going on. Do you know what pros headed to Aruba and how they might be doing thus far?

Andrew Feldman

  (5:03 PM)

Probably all of the UB and Absolute pros.Negreanu might be moving all-in here...

Andrew Feldman

  (5:03 PM)

Nope, just a call for the flop, then a check-fold. He's getting reall short.

Andy Rooney

Have you heard any rumors about the supposed upcoming 60 minutes piece on poker? I think there is some concern it may bring to light some negative stories about poker (namely online cheating) but some are optimistic they will balance it with a positive side as well. Any predictions?

Andrew Feldman

  (5:05 PM)

I've actually heard of this from the very very start and I'm hoping that they treat the poker industry equally...I dont think its in the show's best interest to simply ruin the poker world and its millions of players...

Andrew Feldman

  (5:05 PM)

Daniel all in

Andrew Feldman

  (5:06 PM)

Board is 4h5s7h

Andrew Feldman

  (5:07 PM)

Demidov folded and said he had K-J.

Andrew Feldman

  (5:08 PM)

Thanks for all the questions today. Don't forget to catch the final table right now on ESPN360.com and we'll have all the results on ESPN.com.