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2019 WSOP Main Event Final Table Leads – Ensan and Gates Lead

The 2019 World Series of Poker Main Event final table has been reached. After seven days of play, the field of 8,569 players has been reduced to just nine. Those final nine will return on Sunday and start playing their way to the bracelet and the $10 million top prize.

Hossein Ensan to Start With Massive Chip Lead

The player going into the final table with the chip lead and the distinct advantage over the rest of the field is Germany’s Hossein Ensan. He will start the final table with an insane 177 million in chips, nearly 78 million more than his next closest competitor.

Ensan is a well-known player on the EPT circuit and even has an EPT Prague title. He comes into this final table with $2.6 million in career earnings and looks to add some serious bank to his bankroll. He spoke with PokerNews about making the final table and about his chance to win, telling them that you need skill in poker, but then you need luck. He said, “In the final table, you need more luck than skill. You need cards. If you have cards and run good, you can win.”

Starting first in chips, Hossein Ensan is the favorite for the @WSOP Main Event bracelet. Read his profile. https://t.co/hws5O29BYb

— PokerNews (@PokerNews) July 13, 2019

Industry Veteran Garry Gates Second in Chips

The biggest story of the final table, whether you want it to be or not, is Garry Gates making the final table. He is a well-known poker industry veteran, getting his start at PokerNews and currently working for PokerStars.

Gates had a massive rail on Friday and that rail is expected to be just as big and rowdy on Sunday. This is the fourth time that Gates has cashed in the Main Event but this is by far his deepest run. Even if Gates were to flame out and finish 9th, he will still more than triple his career earnings. He currently has $243k in career earnings.

Gates has 99.3 million in chips heading into the final table and you can expect a lot of bias slant towards his play at the final table.

Meanwhile, how about @JoeGironPhoto capturing (one of) the image(s) that will hang on @GarryGates ‘ office wall some day? #LFGGG pic.twitter.com/GcxcA6I68i

— Brad Willis (@BradWillis) July 13, 2019

High Stakes Pro Sammartino Also at Final

One name you may not have expected to see at the final table is Italian high stakes pro Dario Sammartino. He comes into the final table with 33.4 million in chips and more high stakes experience than any player at the final table.

Sammartino has over $8 million in live tournament cashes and has been performing well at the 50th World Series of Poker. He made the final table in both the $10k HORSE Championship and the $1k WSOP.com ONLINE Double Stack event. He also finished 9th in the $50k Poker Players Championship.

Dario Sammartino has a fever (literally) and the only prescription is making the #WSOP50 Main Event final table. 🤒https://t.co/g3UNGI8Hp4

— Poker Central (@PokerCentral) July 12, 2019

Final Table to Kick Off On Sunday

The final nine will get a day off on Saturday to prepare for a three-day final table starting on Sunday. All players have locked up at least $1 million. The bottom three stacks are only separated by 3 big blinds and have around 20 big blinds. Despite that, it may still take a while to go from nine to six on Sunday.

On Monday, the final six will return and play to three and those three will return on Tuesday to play to a champion.

Below is a full list of those making the final table and their chip counts:

Hossein Ensan – Germany – 177 million
Garry Gates – United States – 99.3 million
Zhen Cai – United States – 60.6 million
Kevin Maahs – United States – 43 million
Alex Livingston – Canada – 37.8 million
Dario Sammartino – Italy – 33.4 million
Milos Skrbic – Serbia – 23.4 million
Timothy Su – United States – 20.2 million
Nick Marchington – United Kingdom – 20.1 million

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