Govert Metaal of the Netherlands enters the final table as the extreme short stack; however, he is no stranger to tournament poker and will no doubt stand a decent chance of putting himself back in contention.
Since 2007, Metaal has amassed $510,361 in winnings including a fifth-place finish in the 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $25,000 High Roller back in January, good for $240,470. He has sixteen cashes, two of which were first-place finishes. Metaal has his work cut out for himself today, but is guaranteed to take home at least $35,327.
Welcome back to the fifth and final day of The Big Event at The Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, California. What started as a 417-player field has been whittled down to the final eight. The final table is a mix of amateurs and pros, both young and old, headlined by the 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event Champ Joe Hachem and his good friend and fellow pro Victor Ramdin.
Ramdin enters the final table second in chips while Hachem is a littel further behind in fourth place. Ahead of them both is Jeremy Ausmus, who vaulted to the top of the chip count on a massive Day 4 heater. The final table also includes two old school players in Govert Metaal and Jose De Noronha, and two internet young guns in Taylor von Kriegenbergh and Brian Leskowitz. Rounding out the final table is Jose Nadal, who has proven time and time again that he is not afraid to mix it up.
The remaining players are guaranteed at least a $35,327 payday, but no doubt all are hoping to get their hands on the $500,000 first-place prize. Here is a look at the final table and chip counts:
Seat
Player
Chips
1
Govert Metaal
149,000
2
Taylor von Kriegenbergh
1,810,000
3
Santiago Nadal
943,000
4
Jeremy Ausmus
4,008,000
5
Brian Leskowitz
1,087,000
6
Joe Hachem
1,666,000
7
Jose De Noronha
568,000
8
Victor Ramdin
2,279,000
We'll be here all day and night until a winner emerges and is crowned The Big Event Main Event Champion. Be sure to check back in about an hour for all the action and eliminations from the final table!
