The November Nine will be after an elusive bracelet(credit:
gordon2208)
Monster ‘November Nine’ chip leader Darvin Moon cut a humble, unassuming figure as he addressed the media regarding his WSOP Main Event exertions.
The logger, who heralds from Oakland, Maryland, roosts on 59 million in chips after busting fellow big stack Billy Kopp. Quiet and down to earth, he is the antithesis of past winners such as Jamie Gold, who revel in the media spotlight proclaiming their greatness. For someone who is favourite for an $8 million payday, he seemed remarkably composed, almost disinterested. The drain of nine straight days playing may have taken its toll.
Moon, who won his seat courtesy of a $130 satellite in a small casino in neighbouring West Virginia, was considering investing the $10,000 into a logging business, but was coaxed by his brother to chance his luck in the showpiece of poker tournaments. Even now he is guaranteed $1.26 million, Moon exclaimed, ‘I’ve always been poor. I can be poor after this’. Rather than championing his own abilities, Moon insisted he had been ‘hit by the deck’, and his outstanding progress was down to lady luck.
Moon isn’t all doom and gloom however; in fact he has a dry sense of humour. He plans to buy his dad a new, pink Cadillac with his winnings, a curious sign of flamboyance for someone who has worked 45 years in the sawmill industry. Throughout the tournament Moon has donned a NFL New Orleans Saints cap – a playful jibe at his friends back at home, who follow the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Cardplayer representative Jeff Shulman shares Moon’s modesty in reaching the final table. Better known on the pro circuit, partly because of Poker Superstars appearances, Shulman was rumoured to pledge to throw his WSOP bracelet in the bin, should he achieve victory.
Since, he has moved to clarify his position, claiming he’ll auction it off to charity, or give it to the Spade club he represents. Shulman cites the lack of organisation and snubbing of players from the Main Event as the reason for his contempt towards the WSOP. However, Harrah’s refusal to credit Cardplayer (the site Shulman endorses) with major media rights, could be the underlying reason for Shulman’s disillusion.
Schulman went on to say, ‘I support making the industry stronger and better for the players, and to do this, there needs to be some major changes to the way the World Series is run at the highest level’. On the prospect of a major cash, Schulman said he was a ‘minimalist’, and that victory would see him walk into the sunset and enjoy the rest of his life with his family.