November Nine: Odds for Each of the WSOP 2011 Finalists

The World Series of baseball is over. The World Series of Poker, on the other hand, is speeding towards its thrilling conclusion.

On Sunday, the November Nine are going to gather around the final table. At stake will be a championship bracelet and a considerable cash prize. A champion will be crowned on Tuesday.

When it comes to an event like this, you have to know who the players are. More importantly, you have to know what their chances are of actually winning it.

Let's go ahead and discuss them one by one.

Note: all odds according to Bodog.

Matt Giannetti

Seat: 1

Chip Count: 24,750,000

Odds: 6:1

Forecast

One thing you have to like about Giannetti is that he makes a habit of knowing his opponents. Bernard Lee of ESPN.com wrote a column on him back in August, in which Giannetti claimed he would study video of his opponents for over three hours a day.

This kind of work ethic can only help Giannetti.

He also has a reputation for being a very cerebral player, who thinks very hard before he acts. He's had plenty of time on his hands since the final table was set, and he has spent it, not surprisingly, playing poker.

Most notably, he won the Malta leg of the World Poker Tour, taking home $273,000.

Long story short, Giannetti is going to be well-prepared when Sunday rolls around.

Badih Bounahra

Seat: 2

Chip Count: 19,700,000

Odds: 9:1

Forecast

At the age of 49, Bounahra is going to be the oldest player at the final table. He is also likely to be the most easygoing member of the November Nine, as Bounahra is notoriously laid-back.

When we last saw Bounahra, he was on a hot streak on Day 8 of the tournament. He came into the day with a small stack and promptly started piling up chips.

If you'll pardon the expression, Bounahra should be considered something of a wild card at the final table. He could get hot again, or he could be bounced very early. We shall see.

Eoghan O’Dea

Seat: 3

Chip Count: 33,925,000

Odds: 9:2

Forecast

O’Dea will have the second-largest chip stack when play picks up on Sunday, and you have to like his bloodlines. His father, Donnacha, is a pretty good poker player in his own right. He made it to the final table twice in his day but failed to win a bracelet.

You can definitely expect O’Dea to be determined to win one for the family and establish his own legacy in the process, but you honestly have to wonder if that's a good thing. If O'Dea makes an aggressive play and it works, he made a good aggressive play. If he makes an aggressive play and it doesn't work, he made a stupid play.

Then again, it's not like we're talking about an amateur here. O’Dea can definitely win this thing.

Phil Collins

Seat: 4

Chip Count: 23,875,000

Odds: 11:2

Forecast

Collins is primarily known for his online prowess, as he has raked in a couple million dollars in online play throughout his career.

It's all about live tournaments now, though, and Collins has handled the transition pretty well. Collins has been playing live tournaments for a couple years, and he has hauled in nearly a million bucks at the tables.

Collins got to the final table primarily by building a huge chip count on Day 6, and that allowed him to put a lot of pressure on his opponents. He's not going to be able to do that right away at the final table, so it's going to be interesting to see how he handles himself.

And for the record, he is not related to the singer.

Anton Makiievskyi

Seat: 5

Chip Count: 13,825,000

Odds: 11:1

Forecast

Makiievskyi is hoping to be the latest to cash in the Ukrainian invasion of the WSOP this year. To date, four Ukrainian players have already won gold bracelets.

In addition, the 21-year-old is hoping to become the youngest WSOP champion. He actually topped the field in Days 7 and 8, but stumbled late to finish with the eighth-most chips.

Makiievskyi should probably be considered a long shot to win the final table. He has the second-fewest chips, and his relative inexperience could be his downfall.

Sam Holden

Seat: 6

Chip Count: 12,375,000

Odds: 12:1

Forecast

While we're on the subject of small chip counts, Holden is going to have the fewest of any player at the final table. He's going to have to tread carefully out of the gate, and he could very well be forced out early by an aggressive table.

Nevertheless, the 22-year-old has been keeping busy since making it to the final table, playing in several tournaments in Europe. OnlinePokerNews.org claims he also did a bit of soul searching in terms of his poker game, which can only help when it's time to get down to brass tax.

Pius Heinz

Seat: 7

Chip Count: 16,425,000

Odds: 9:1

Forecast

The 22-year-old Heinz is the first German player ever to make it to the WSOP Main Event final table, but he has sat at several other final tables in various other WSOP events throughout the year.

Heinz is known for being an aggressive player, and that tendency very nearly caused him to miss out on a spot at the final table. He managed to save face and make it, but he will enter play on Sunday seventh in chips. He may have to play it safe out of the gate before getting back to being his aggressive self.

Or, he could figure that he has nothing to lose.

Ben Lamb

Seat: 8

Chip Count: 20,875,000

Odds: 9:2

Forecast

Ben Lamb has been on a roll this year. He's won a gold bracelet and was named the WSOP Player of the Year.

Given the success he's already enjoyed this year and the chips he'll be starting with at the final table, you have to consider Lamb a favorite to win the whole thing. However, he is going to have a target on his head, and some think that his increased exposure will end up hurting him.

It's up to Lamb to make sure that doesn't happen. Presumably, he figured out a way to do so during the layoff.

Martin Staszko

Seat: 9

Chip Count: 40,175,000

Odds: 4:1

Forecast

Not many people knew who Martin Staszko was when the tournament kicked off, but he's definitely managed to turn a few heads. He's your chip leader heading into the final table, and he plays like a true veteran.

This is a little odd seeing as how Staszko has only been playing professionally for a year. You get the sense that he has been able to succeed largely because he's caught opponents off-guard. He's not going to be able to do that at the final table, as surely everyone will know who he is and what he can do.

Still, Staszko has surprised to this point. Maybe he has a few more surprises left in him.