Poker news: Sometime Tuesday evening, the 36 players and women poker players left standing in the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event after Sunday’s action (today is a day off) will be whittled down to the nine who will make up the final table for the world’s most important poker tournament.

And a quick glance at the list of survivors from the almost 6,000 who started the Main Event 10 days ago has most observers asking what has become an annual question: “Who are these guys?” Play online poker

The worldwide Texas Hold’Em explosion has turned the World Series of Poker into a free-for-all among thousands of amateurs and hundreds of pros that, because of the sheer numbers, has left almost all of the game’s best-known players at the rail when the stretch run of the Main Event has begun each year since Robert Varkonyi came out of nowhere to claim the 2002 title. But this year might have been the amateurs’ finest hour so far. Read poker blogs

Of the 621 players who cashed in the Main Event (621st paid $20,000, or twice the entry fee), virtually all were unknowns. Only two past winners — Huck Seed (1996) and Scotty Nguyen (1998) finished in the top 100, with Seed, who beat Ada’s own Dr. Bruce VanHorn to claim his title 11 years ago, bowing out in 73rd place and Nguyen still alive in 28th place and easily the biggest name in the final 36. Two other past Main Event winners — Varkonyi (who finished 177th) and 1986 winner (and Bethany, OK resident) Berry Joh Play route 66 poker
T.J.Cloutier

Poker news source: adaevening