By now, everybody who has been following the World Series of Poker 2011 knows who the November Niners are. But knowing the players’ names is different from knowing exactly who these players are and what their lives were prior to the 2011 Main Event. It’s only natural that people get curious, especially since they’re pretty much the new superstars of the poker world. One of them is going to be the next world champion, one of them is going to be the biggest poker celeb of 2011. So, let’s start getting to know our candidates, shall we?

Martin Stazko
Sitting at the top of the leaderboard with more than 40 million chips is Martin Stazko. Not much is known about this player, except that he’s 35 years old and has over $83,000 in winnings. Once the Main Event is over, Stazko’s bankroll will certainly balloon, as all players – except the one to be eliminated first – will end up with a guaranteed million.

Eoghan O’Dea
Eoghan O’Dea is a fan-favorite, mainly because he’s following the legacy of his good ol’ dad, Donnacha O’ Dea. They’re the only father and son team to make it into the final table of the main event; Donnacha managing to do so in 1983 and 1991.

Matt Giannetti
Giannetti is a 26-year old poker pro who plays online under the moniker of “hazards21”. He has more than half a million’s worth of tournament winnings. He made it into two final tables at the WSOP before this one.

Phil Collins
“Oh, think twice, ‘cuz it’s another day for you and me in paradise…”
No, this isn’t just Phil Collins’ namesake. He’s the one and only. He’s definitely a fan favorite this 2011 – if the number of his songs played as the group neared the final table was any indication.

Ben Lamb
If you’ve been following this year’s WSOP, then Ben Lamb certainly needs no introduction. This guy has been having one of the most charmed runs in WSOP history. That he’s sitting at the final table today is his 2011 run’s crowning glory.

Badih Bounahra
Badih Bounahra is a bit of a wildcard in the final table. He doesn’t play professionally and is the oldest player on the table at 49-years old. His opponents are mostly 20-somethings, with the exception of Stazko, who is 35.

Pius Heinz
Pius Heinz is a part-time poker pro, part-time student. He’s only 22 years old and is the second youngest in the table. He’s actually the first player from Germany who managed to make it into the Main Event’s final table.

Anton Makiievskyi
Anton Makiiyevski is the youngest player in the table. At 21, this is his first time at the WSOP and his first ever cash.

Sam Holden
Holding the shortest chip stack is Sam Holden, also a 22-year old. He has only 12 million chips and is going to have to overcome a huge deficit to win this.

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