November 07 2011, PokerNews Staff

The biggest spectacle in poker, the World Series of Poker November Nine never disappoints, and Sunday’s game was no exception. After a four-month hiatus, the final nine players of the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event converged on the Penn and Teller Theater in the hopes of making it to Tuesday – to be part of the final three. Pius Heinz, Ben Lamb, and Martin Staszko have kept the dream alive and are still in the hunt for the coveted bracelet.

The first elimination of the day came on the 51st hand of the day. Ben Lamb raised to 1.7 million from under the gun. Action folded to Sam Holden in the small blind and he reraised all-in for 11.125 million. Lamb made the call and turned over . Holden’s was dominated. The flop fell giving Lamb top pair and a flush draw. The on the turn left Holden drawing dead and sent him to the rail in ninth place, good for $782,115.

Shortly thereafter, Anton Makiievskyi was eliminated in eighth place. On the 59th hand of play, action folded around to Makiievskyi, who was in the small blind. He open-shoved for 10.5 million and was called by Pius Heinz in the big blind. Makiievskyi, holding was flipping for his tournament life against Heinz’s nines. The flop came down , pairing Makiievskyi’s king and putting him in the lead. The turn changed everything, however, because the fell and gave Heinz a full house. The river brought the , officially sealing Makiievskyi’s fate in eighth place. He pocketed just over $1 million for his efforts.

Heinz had a commanding chip lead after he eliminated Makiievskyi and it only continued to grow throughout the day’s action. The third elimination of the day came when Martin Staszko raised to 1.7 million and a short-stacked Bob Bounahra reraised all-in for 4.475 million. Staszko, who tabled , was ahead of Bounahra’s and stayed that way as the board ran out . Bounahra was sent to the rail in seventh place, good for $1,314,097, and his raucous Belizean contingent followed him out of the Penn and Teller Theater.

Phil Collins, who by the 73rd hand of play, had fallen to the second shortest stack at the table, moved all-in from the button for 13.575 million. He was called by Ben Lamb in the big blind holding . Collins was way behind with . The flop kept Lamb in the lead, but Collins had flopped a backdoor flush draw. The on the turn gave Collins a huge sweat, with a flush draw and an open-ended straight draw. The river kept Collins in the game when the appeared, doubling his chip stack to over 28 million, and sending his rail into boisterous cheers.

Twenty-four hands later, Eoghan O’Dea was crippled in a huge hand against Lamb. Only about two million in chips separated the two when the chips went in the middle preflop. Lamb was at risk and O’Dea was in the lead with against Lamb’s . The kept O’Dea in the lead, as did the on the turn. The river dealt the crushing blow – the – and O’Dea was left with 2.6 million. O’Dea was eliminated two hands later, in sixth place – the same finish his father had in 1983, albeit for a much smaller prize, $43,200. He was all-in preflop with against Martin Staszko who turned over pocket eights. The board was no help for O’Dea who was eliminated and took home $1,720,831.

On the very next hand, the field was reduced to four. Pius Heinz raised to 2.1 million from under the gun. Action folded to Phil Collins who moved all-in for 18.3 million. Heinz made the call, and Collins’ tournament life was on the line. Heinz held and was ahead of Collins’ . The flop gave Collins an open-ended straight draw, but Heinz was still in the lead and stayed there through the turn. Heinz turned a set, but Collins picked up more outs. None of Collins’ outs hit when the fell on the river, eliminating him in fifth place, $2,269,599. Heinz added even more chips to his already monstrous stack.

Play slowed considerably after the dinner break, but only one thing remained constant - Pius Heinz at the top of the leaderboard. However, on hand No. 156, Heinz gave away a few of his chips when he doubled up Martin Staszko. In the hand, Staszko moved all-in over the top of a raise from Heinz, who was under the gun. Heinz made the call and tabled , well ahead of Staszko’s . With the giving Staszko trips, he stayed in the lead through the turn and the river, doubling to 44 million, and leaving Ben Lamb as the short stack.

Lamb was in need of some help to keep his tournament dreams alive, and he ended up getting some at the expense of Matt Giannetti. On hand No. 174, Giannetti raised to 2.6 million from the button. Lamb reraised all-in from the big blind, and Giannetti called the 26.8 million more. Giannetti and his pocket jacks had Lamb, who tabled on the ropes. The flop fell giving Lamb a flush draw. The turn, , brought Lamb’s flush and the river was the meaningless . Lamb doubled to 55 million, and Giannetti was crippled.

Giannetti doubled on the next hand against Staszko but didn’t hold on to those chips for long. Giannetti and Lamb tangled again, but Lamb held the best of it, and Giannetti couldn’t get his pay back. The chips went in the middle preflop on hand No. 178, with Lamb holding kings and Giannetti tabling . The flop sealed Giannetti’s fate when it fell , giving Lamb quads. Giannetti fell in fourth place, pocketing $3,012,700.

His elimination set the stage for Tuesday when the final three players, Lamb, Heinz, and Staszko, will play for poker immortality.

2011 WSOP Main Event Final Table Chip Counts

Play gets under way Tuesday at 1730 PST (0130 GMT) and the PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be on hand to provide hand-for-hand coverage until a winner is crowned.

Follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.

November 05 2011, PokerNews Staff

On Friday, we brought you the first half of the PokerNews Staff’s predictions for the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table. This is the other half. Only time will tell which half is the better half, but it’s not about who’s better, it’s about being right. Please let one of us be right. One time.

Donnie Peters, Live Reporting Manager

1. Phil Collins
2. Martin Staszko
3. Matt Giannetti
4. Eoghan O’Dea
5. Ben Lamb
6. Samuel Holden
7. Badih Bounahra
8. Pius Heinz
9. Anton Makiievskyi

Who will be the most active player at the final table?

Ben Lamb.

Who will be the tightest?

Badih Bounahra.

How many hours do you think it will take to get to three-handed play on Sunday?

14 hours.

How many hours do you think it will take to get to heads-up play?

three and a half hours.

How many hands will heads-up play consist of?

79 hands.

Give us a bold prediction.

A fan will streak through the Penn & Teller Theater.

Chad Holloway, Senior Writer

1. Matt Giannetti
2. Ben Lamb
3. Anton Makiievskyi
4. Martin Staszko
5. Phil Collins
6. Eoghan O’Dea
7. Badih Bounahra
8. Pius Heinz
9. Samuel Holden

Who will be the most active player at the final table?

I think there will be three players, those being the three listed atop my predictions. Anton Makiievskyi has the most work to do and has shown he isn’t afraid to mix it up on the ESPN broadcasts. I think he’ll do work and put himself in contention.

Who will be the tightest?

If my above prediction of Makiievskyi being the most active proves wrong, he’ll be the tightest, hoping to grind into the biggest cash possible (he is staked for 75 percent); however, I don’t think that will be the case. Instead, I think Eoghan O’Dea will be patient with his big stack, which will result in him playing too tight. I don’t think it’ll be an effective strategy at this final table.

How many hours do you think it will take to get to three-handed play on Sunday?

The stacks are relatively deep, so in all likelihood, it’ll turn into a marathon. For the sake of throwing out a number, I’ll say 16 hours.

How many hours do you think it will take to get to heads-up play?

I’ll say one hour and forty-five minutes, but there might not even be heads-up action (see my bold prediction below).

How many hands will heads-up play consist of?

Less than five. It’s just a wild guess, but I think when heads-up play begins, one player will have such a huge chip advantage that it won’t take too long.

Give us a bold prediction.

I think Anton Makiievskyi making a comeback is pretty bold, but I’ll go even further and suggest something totally outrageous. Since this is the first year three players will return on the last day, as opposed to the final two, I’ll say the final hand of the tournament will be a double elimination. We’ll see some hand like vs. vs. . Kings will hold and it’ll be all over, in favor of Giannetti if my predictions prove true.

Lynn Gilmartin, Producer/Hostess

1. Phil Collins
2. Ben Lamb
3. Matt Giannetti
4. Eoghan O’Dea
5. Martin Staszko
6. Badih Bounahra
7. Anton Makiievskyi
8. Pius Heinz
9. Samuel Holden

Who will be the most active player at the final table?

It’s too hard not to choose the obvious in Ben Lamb. The man is blessed this year, and he’ll probably continue to shock us all in dominating the other eight, but to second place, not first. That’s my prediction!

Who will be the tightest?

I’m going with age on this one and choosing Badih Bounahra.

How many hours do you think it will take to get to three-handed play on Sunday?

A nicely rounded 10 hours.

How many hours do you think it will take to get to heads-up play?

Another three hours.

How many hands will heads-up play consist of?

101.

Give us a bold prediction.

Eoghan O’Dea will go out drinking the night before.

Mickey Doft, Senior Tournament Reporter

1. Eoghan O’Dea
2. Phil Collins
3. Martin Staszko
4. Matt Giannetti
5. Ben Lamb
6. Pius Heinz
7. Badih Bounahra
8. Samuel Holden
9. Anton Makiievskyi

Who will be the most active player at the final table?

I think Eoghan O’Dea is going to really be involved with a lot of three-betting and putting pressure on the rest.

Who will be the tightest?

Badih Bounahra. I think he is just overmatched and will find it difficult to get involved with a such an aggressive group of opponents.

How many hours do you think it will take to get to three-handed play on Sunday?

Seven hours.

How many hours do you think it will take to get to heads-up play?

One hour.

How many hands will heads-up play consist of?

36 hands.

Give us a bold prediction.

Eoghan O’Dea is going to run an absolute sick bluff. I’ve covered him in tournaments abroad before the WSOP and was always impressed with his play. This is his time to shine.

Danielle Barille, Director of Strategic Development

1. Phil Collins
2. Matt Giannetti
3. Eoghan O’Dea
4. Martin Staszko
5. Pius Heinz
6. Anton Makiievskyi
7. Ben Lamb
8. Badih Bounahra
9. Samuel Holden

Who will be the most active player at the final table?

I think Eoghan O’Dea will be fairly active at the final table. He has the chip stack to be involved in a ton of pots and has the ability to see quite a lot of flops.

Who will be the tightest?

I think Matt Giannetti will play rather tight, and based on that, I have him going all the way to the final two.

How many hours do you think it will take to get to three-handed play on Sunday?

This is my first November Nine, so I’m not really sure what to expect. I think since they play down to three-handed, it will take a little less time as opposed to playing down to heads-up. I am going to go with nine hours and 45 minutes.

How many hours do you think it will take to get to heads-up play?

This would vary depending on who makes it to heads-up. If we go with my predictions (Phil Collins v. Matt Giannetti) then I imagine it will be a long battle unless someone goes into heads-up play short stacked. I’ll go with two hours and 30 minutes. I guess it could be a little longer if Phil Collin’s rail sings a song every time he wins a hand – I mean that could nearly double the time it takes to play heads-up.

How many hands will heads-up play consist of?

Wow, this is getting pretty specific. On the low end I would say maybe something like seven. On the high end, I’ll go with 64.

Give us a bold prediction.

I feel pretty confident that an American will be the Main Event champion this year.

Be sure and follow our Live Reporting Coverage on Sunday to find out if any of us got it right. What do you think? Let us know below, and as always, follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.