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WORLD
SERIES OF POKER: The Final Table - 8th November
2008
(Credit:
Las Vegas Review - Journal)
DENNIS
PHILLIPS, 53 ST. LOUIS position 1: $26,295,000
BACKGROUND
•
Phillips, an account manager for a commercial
trucking company, won his seat in the World Series
of Poker through a satellite tournament at Harrah's
St. Louis. He has parlayed that opportunity into
a shot at $9.1 million.
•
Phillips has been playing live poker for almost
three years and has won less than $5,000.
HOW
HIS LIFE HAS CHANGED
Phillips
has become a celebrity in St. Louis, thanks to
wearing a St. Louis Cardinals baseball cap while
playing in the main event. He threw out a pitch
at a Cardinals game in September with his family
on the field. "Other than absolutely no free
time, everything is positive."
PREPARING
FOR FINAL TABLE
Phillips
played in tournaments in Atlantic City and London
during the break. He hired a couple of coaches
and has been playing poker with friends in St.
Louis to evaluate his game.
KEY
HAND THAT LANDED YOU AT THE FINAL TABLE
On
the fourth day, he doubled up on poker professional
Mike Vos' to move into the top 10 chip leaders.
Phillips remained in the top 10 from that point.
"Twice earlier in the tournament I had to
lay down aces. That was hard, and in one case,
the wrong move. My concern was advancing day to
day with an above average chip count and I did
that. If I threw away the best hand a few times,
so be it. I think the end result was worth it."
SPONSOR
PokerStars.netESPN
POKER ANALYST NORM CHAD:
"Perhaps
no player could be more negatively affected by
the 117-day final-table delay. When play was halted
in July, Phillips was in a zone. He was running
hot and reading well, getting all the right cards
and pushing all the right buttons. Poker is a
streaky game, and he was on a weeklong streak.
Heck, 31/2 months later, he might not even be
able to find his St. Louis Cardinals baseball
cap."
Greg
Tingle comment...
It's
always great to see someone come from nowhere
to go onto fame and fortune. It gives all the
punters hope that lady luck might favor them in
a big way also. It's all great news media exposure
and PR for the game of poker and gives a real
story line to the rich history that is The World
Series of Poker. Congratulations Dennis Phillips.
It will be interesting to learn of Texas Dolly's
thoughts on the current crop in the WSOP. Doyle
Brunson will always be the king in the opinion
of many, but all respect to Phillips. Your throw
of the dice.
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