Bloggers / Dave Allan / 30 October 2009 / Leave a comment

We continue our preview of the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table with the three medium-stacked players, known in this article as The Contenders.

Kevin Schaffel - 6th place with 12,390,000 chips

The 51-year old father of two who resides in sunny Florida had a dream to win the WSOP Main Event so he could retire and play more more poker and now that dream is almost a reality. He has played poker seriously for five years and has over $168,000 in live tournament winnings, including his previous best cash of $60,000 awarded for finishing 42nd in the 1994 WSOP Main Event. Kevin is another player going into the final table in good form, having come second to Prahlad Friedman in the $9,800 Legends of Poker event in Los Angeles and following it up with a 19th place finish at EPT London.

Joseph Cada - 5th place with 13,215,000 chips

Going by the name JCADA99, this predominately online player has won close to $500,000 in tournaments. The 21-year old pro from Shelby Township, Michigan, is playing in his first WSOP but he has already played in a staggering 16 events! Cada could be a real dark horse in this tournament and also goes into the final table on the back of some good results, albeit online, winning a $50 rebuy, coming second in a $100 rebuy and seventh in a $200,000 guaranteed tournament. These results have seen his odds tumble from around 18/1 down to 10/1 currently.

Jeff Shulman - 4th place with 19,580,000 chips

Jeff Shulan, the editor of Cardplayer magazine, caused some controversy when he stated he would throw away the bracelet if he won the Main Event in a protest against Harrah's locking out hundreds of players during Day 1d. He has since retracted this statement but it makes you wonder how he will react if it is presented to him. With over $2,600,000 in live MTT winnings, Shulman is no amateur at the poker tables and winning the Main Event would be especially special as his father, Barry, won the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event in London! Shulman actually finished seventh in the 2000 Main Event and will be looking to improved on that this time around.

2009 WSOP Main Event Final Table: The Long Shots