WPT: Final Table Set at Five Diamond

Lance Bradley | December 19, 2008

The last World Poker Tour event of the year now has a final table and it’s full of some of the game’s most aggressive young players and one good ol’ Alabama cowboy.

Steve Sung will unbag his chips Friday afternoon and count out 5,885,000 chips - good enough for the chip lead over the five other players, including two of his good friends David “Chino” Rheem and Amnon Filippi. Rheem starts the day with the third largest chip stack with 4,240,000 while Filippi is in fourth with 2,750,000.

Sitting between Sung and Rheem is Evan McNiff with 4,805,000. McNiff turned to live play earlier this season and has recorded five cashes for a total of $84,190 in earnings. This will mark his first final table since Event #4 ($2,000 No Limit Hold’em) of the Wynn Classic last February.

Justin Young, who has recorded 18 cashes so far this year, is in fifth with 2,410,000 chips. He’s just ahead of the Alabama Cowboy Hoyt Corkins who has the shortest stack at 2,295,000.

The biggest name left however is probably Rheem. As a member of the November Nine the 28-year-old poker pro has spent most of the year in the poker spotlight. On top of making the final table in the World Series of Poker Main Event, he also finished 5th in Event #4 ($5,000 Mixed Hold’em).

The action on Thursday saw 12 players eliminated including another player with ties to the November Nine. Joe McGowan who, along with Roy Winston, coached eventual third place finisher Dennis Phillips busted out on the TV bubble in seventh.

WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic Final Table Chip Counts

1. Steve Sung - 5,885,000
2. Evan McNiff - 4,805,000
3. Chino Rheem - 4,240,000
4. Amnon Filippi - 2,750,000
5. Justin Young - 2,410,000
6. Hoyt Corkins - 2,295,000