Mortensen Bubbles, Tran Leads 2013 WSOP November Nine

Tran will take the chip lead into the November Nine with 37.8 million chips.

Mortensen, who won the Main Event in 2001, was threatening to become the only player to win multiple Main Event titles in the modern era of poker.

Instead a short-stacked Mortensen called all-in with A♣ 9♥ on T♣ 6♣ 3♠ 9♣ board only to have Tran show 8♣ 7♠ for the turned straight. The river was a meaningless 2♥ and that sealed Mortensen’s fate and set the 2013 November Nine.

Tran, who’s been focusing more on his family these days, is in position to win the biggest prize of his poker career - $8.3 million.

“This is one of my last goals,” said Tran just minutes after busting Mortensen.

This marks the first time a big-name poker pro has taken the chip lead to the November Nine.

Pro-Heavy Final Table Features Benefield, Newhouse, Lehavot

The pro-heavy final table will feature several compelling storylines with former online wizard David “Rapter” Benefield and WPT Borgata champ Mark Newhouse.

They are both short in chips to start the final table, however.

This year’s November Nine will also have an international flavor with Canadian Marc McLaughlin, France’s Sylvain Loosli, Israel’s Amir Lehavot and the Netherland’s Michiel Brummelhuis.

Rounding out the final table is Las Vegas-based poker pro and VIP host Jay Farber and Michigan circuit pro Ryan Riess.

The final day of the 2013 Main Event this summer was a wild one. Play began with 27 players and went all the way to the final table of nine.

German Anton Morgenstern went from 30 million chips to the rail in little over two hours.

Steve Gee’s amazing run at the 2013 Main Event finally came to an end when he busted in 24th place. Gee finished ninth in last year’s Main Event.

As usual the 2013 Main Event will now go on a four-month hiatus with the final table set to play out on Nov. 4.

Here’s what player’s will take to the final table in November:

1. JC Tran – 38,000,000 2. Amir Lehavot – 29,700,000 3. Marc McLaughlin – 26,525,000 4. Jay Farber – 25,975,000 5. Ryan Riess – 25,875,000 6. Sylvain Loosli – 19,600,000 7. Michiel Brummelhuis – 11,275,000 8. Mark Newhouse – 7,350,000 9. David Benefield – 6,375,000

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