2013 WSOP Main Event - Meet the November Nine

Sylvain Loosli (FRA)

Loosli is a 26-year old poker professional originally from Toulon, France, but now residing in London, England. The business school graduate is the least accomplished tournament player left in the field, with zero career WSOP cashes and only $3,198 in recorded earnings worldwide. However, Loosli considers himself an online poker cash game specialist, with more than $1,000,000 in winnings, so a one-table format should suit his skill set. When not playing poker, Loosli, enjoys playing tennis, surfing, snowboarding and travelling. His finish in this Main Event will mark his first cash in a poker event outside of France.

Michiel Brummelhuis (NLD)

Brummelhuis is a 32-year-old poker professional from Amsterdam, Netherlands. Brummelhuis will be a busy man the next several months, as he is expecting his first child in September. This marks Michiel's fourth time to play the WSOP Main Event, and first time since 2008. He did not cash in this event in his previous attempts. Brummelhuis has seven previous WSOP cashes for $174,170 in earnings and more than $670,000 in career poker tournament winnings. With his accomplishment in this event, Michiel will more than double his career winnings and more than quadruple his WSOP winnings. This marks the first time a Dutch player has made the WSOP Main Event final table, securing the country's highest finish since Marcel Luske finished 10thin 2004. He can also become the fourth-ever WSOP gold bracelet winner from the Netherlands.

Mark Newhouse (USA)

Newhouse is a 28-year-old professional poker player who has played in the WSOP Main Event every year since 2006. Originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, he now resides in Los Angeles, California. With $152,725 in WSOP earnings, Newhouse has cashed six previous times, including a 207th place finish in the 2011 WSOP Main Event for $47,107. His total live poker tournament winnings are $2,004,277.







Ryan Riess (USA)

Riess is a 23-year-old poker professional from East Lansing, Michigan who now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. Riess, a Michigan State University graduate with a degree in business, has cashed in 3 WSOP events for $30,569 with his biggest cash coming in the 2012 WSOP Circuit Main Event at Horseshoe Hammond in Chicago, where he finished in second place for $239,063. This was Riess' first time entering the WSOP Main Event, but this marks his fourth cash at the WSOP this summer. He has $309,478 in career live poker tournament winnings. Riess is the youngest player remaining at this final table.

Amir Lehavot (ISR)

Lehavot is a 38-year-old Israeli now residing in Weston, Florida. Lehavot is a WSOP gold bracelet champion, by way of his victory in 2011 in the prestigious $10,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha championship. A poker professional by trade, Lehavot has cashed 12 previous times at the WSOP for more than $800,000. His career poker tournament winnings total more than $1.5 million. He holds an Engineering degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Amir is the oldest player remaining in the field, ironic since 38.1 years old was the average age of this year's Main Event field. He is 38 years old and two months.

Marc-Etienne McLaughlin (CAN)

McLaughlin, of Brossard, Quebec, Canada, is a 25-year-old pokerplayer. This marks his fifth consecutive year playing the Main Event, and he is no stranger to making deep runs, finishing 30th in 2009 and 86th in 2011. McLaughlin can become the second French Canadian World Champion, following in the footsteps of 2010 WSOP Main Event Champion Jonathan Duhamel from nearby Boucherville. In his free time, the University graduate enjoys playing soccer and ping pong. His WSOP record includes six previous cashes and $639,168 in earnings, but his finish in this event will mark his biggest cash in his young career.

JC Tran (USA)

The chip leader entering final table play in November, Tran is a 36-year-old poker professional from Sacramento, California. Tran has 44 previous WSOP cashes, two WSOP gold bracelets and a WSOP Circuit ring amongst his $1,843,946 in WSOP earnings. He is the most decorated player remaining in this field and he will start with more than eight million chips in front of his nearest competitor. In total, Tran has pocketed $8.3 million in winnings during his poker career and, with this final table, will go over the $9 million earnings mark. Tran won WSOP gold bracelets in back to back years in 2008 and 2009. His 2008 victory in a $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em event earned him $631,170, but with a ninth-place finish guaranteeing $733,224, Tran will earn his largest WSOP cash in his career.

David Benefield (USA)

The shortest chip stack entering play in November, Benefield is a 27-year-old part-time student and part-time poker professional originally from Fort Worth, Texas now residing in New York City. Benefield has a dozen previous WSOP cashes for $455,713 and career live poker tournament winnings of $633,243. He is currently studying Political Science and Chinese at Columbia University. Though he skipped the WSOP Main Event last year, Benefield has played it five previous times, cashing once in 2008 in 73rd place for $77,200. In his free time, Benefield enjoys reading and playing basketball.