Just more than a month since making the final table of the 2009 WSOP Main Event, poker pro Kevin Schaffel will go into the final 6 of the WPT Legends of Poker on August 26th, 2009 with the lead. Schaffel that it is just been unbelievable run for him. Schaffel has matched Ivan Demidov's achievement of making the world series of poker Europe main event while awaiting his chance at a World Series of Poker Main Event title last year.
Schaffel said that he just came off from one of the worst streaks of his poker career beginning in January and for these two things to happen to him is almost a dream. Fellow November Niner Steven Begleiter actually led through the first 2 days at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles but could not hold onto the lead and finished in 9th place. Schaffel stated that he is focused on his task of doing well at the tournament and not the final WSOP Main Event final table in November.
Schaffel said that what he is going to do at the WPT Legends of Poker and at the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table is different. Winning at the Legends of Poker event will be no easy feat for Schaffel, who has a final table in a $5,000 at Legends in 2007 on his resume. Coming off a 2nd place finish at the Borgata Winter Open main event this year, poker pro Todd Terry is just 10,000 short of Schaffel's 2,219,000 total chip stack and is feeling good about his performance.
Terry said that going to into final table just about tied for the lead is very exciting. Right behind the 2 chip leaders is Prahlad Friedman, who aside from 2 deep runs at the 2006 and 2009 WSOP Main Event, is a veteran of the highest stakes online poker cash games.
Friedman said that he wants to have a good performance in the tournament to make some money especially with the top heavy payout structure. Mike Krescanko, who has two World Series of Poker Stud final tables and a host of small cash-ins on his poker resume, is next on the overall chip leaderboard. Sam Stein, who finished in 9th place at the world poker tour Bellagio Cup this summer, sits behind Krescanko.
09/07/2009, Monday
Matthew Dorst