2017 World Series of Poker Update: Main Event Final Table Gets Started Thursday

What started out as 7,221 has been reduced to nine at the World Series of Poker. The final table in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event begins Thursday night, with someone in line for a $8 million payday when all is said and done.

The big money won't be handed out Thursday. They'll reduce the nine to six before breaking for the night. On Friday, six will become three and the final three will face off for the tournament title Saturday. It's not entirely true that big money won't be handed out on Thursday though, as all nine players left will pocket at least $1 million.

The final table is populated by the usual cast of characters, and it's a pretty International scene, too, with only four of them from the United States. The rest include a couple Brits, two from France and one from Argentina.

An American holds the chip lead entering the final table, with Scott Blumstein holding a healthy stack of 97,250,000 chips. If the name isn't familiar, that's because the New Jersey native has never been here before. He has three WSOP Circuit cashes to his name, but this will be the first time he's cashed in a WSOP event.

Two of the final table players have been here before. Antoine Saout from France and Ben Lamb from Las Vegas have reached the Main Event final table once already. Saout placed fourth in the 2009 Main Event, which earned him $3.4 million. Lamb came third in the 2011 Main Event and cashed $4 million.

Lamb is also one of two final table players that has previously won a WSOP bracelet. Lamb won the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship at the 2011 WSOP. The other former winner is Bryan Piccioli. He claimed his bracelet at the 2013 World Series of Poker Asia Pacific by winning the $1,100 No-Limit Hold'em Accumulator.

The rest of the final table at the record-setting year for the WSOP are mostly relative unknowns, especially to the average poker fan. They include Britain's John Hesp and Jack Sinclair, France's Benjamin Pollak, Argentina's Damian Salas and American Dan Ott.