atlantic city, Nj – After three days of top-notch play, it has finally come down to the final table of the Eastern Regional Championship at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City. 27 players began the day at noon Tuesday with nine remaining after six hours of play.
The end of day three saw this year’s WSOP Circuit Main Event Champion at Harrah’s Resort, Matt Waxman, end up as the final table bubble, while last year’s Harrah’s Resort WSOPC Main Event Champion, Chris Klodnicki headed into the final table with the chip lead.
Other notable eliminations include Beth Shak, who finished in 11th place and Victor Ramdin, who was the 12th place finisher.
When the final table begins at noon EST on Wednesday, December 21, 2010, the nine competitors will be:
Seat 1: Chris Bell - 706,000
Chris Bell is a former real estate investor from Raleigh, NC. He graduated from North Carolina State University in 1994 with a degree in business and is married with twin daughters. This past summer, Bell won event #46, the $5,000 Omaha hi-lo event at the 2010 World Series of Poker. He has over $750,000 in WSOP earnings and over $2.5 million in overall tournament earnings.
Seat 2: Micah Raskin – 594,000
Micah Raskin is the president of both a direct marketing company and a software company. Raskin holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baruch College. Originally from New York City, he currently lives in Old Westbury, NY.
Seat 3: Ketan Pandya – 377,000
Pandya is a project manager from Piscataway, NJ. The 32-year-old was born in New Delhi, India. He is married with three children and describes himself as a loving husband and caring father who is ready for the poker world. His hobbies are poker and babysitting.
Seat 4: Nicholas Mitchell – 332,000
Nicholas Mitchell is a 22-year old poker player from Costa Mesa, CA. This past summer, at the 2010 WSOP, Mitchell made the final table of event #3, $1,000 no-limit hold’em, finishing in 5th place.
Seat 5: Todd Terry – 307,000
Todd Terry is a former criminal defense attorney from Hoboken, NJ. Terry is a graduate of Harvard University with a JD from NYU law school. He gave up his law career a few years ago to pursue poker full time and in 2007, placed second in event #10 of that year’s WSOP. Terry currently has over 30 lifetime cashes and $1.5 milion in career tournament earnings.
Seat 6 – Andy Frankenberger – 230,000
Andy Frankenberger is a former equity derivatives trader from New York, NY where he worked on wall street for 14 years, most of them for JP Morgan. He holds dual degrees in Economics and Russian from Duke University. This year alone, Frankenberger has racked up over one million in tournament earnings. His hobbies include running, tennis and playing the piano.
Seat 7 – Jason Burt – 579,000
Jason Burt is a professional poker player from Marina Del Ray, CA. He holds a bachelors in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. He has a few cashes to his credit, but hopes to make today his breakthrough performance. His hobbies are Rugby, the outdoors and the nightlife.
Seat 8- Chris Klodnicki – 759,000
The chip leader headed to the final table, Chris Klodnicki is from Philadelphia, PA originally from Camden, NJ. In 2007, the Lehigh University graduate placed second in the Razz event at the 2008 World Series of Poker. He has gone on to earn over $1.5 million in lifetime tournament earnings. He is the 2009 Harrah’s Resort AC WSOP Circuit Main Event Champion.
Seat 9 – Seth Fischer – 217,000
Seth Fischer is a poker pro from Berkley, CA originally from Palm Harbor, FL. The Emory University grad finished second in the $2,500 buy-in six handed event of the 2008 World Series of Poker. Fischer describes himself as a nice young son of a rabbi and his hobbies as sports, religion, and music.
The final nine will each receive an automatic bid into the $1 million-dollar freeroll WSOP Circuit National Championship to be held May 27-May 29, 2011 at Caesars Palace Las Vegas.
The Eastern Regional Champion will take home $358,295 and the diamond encrusted Regional Championship gold ring.
The final table will be televised on VERSUS Network, marking the first time in three years that a WSOP Circuit Championship will appear on national television. Coverage of this and the other three Regional Championship events will air in mid-2011.
See the complete Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City Circuit schedule and previous results here. The WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s runs through December 22nd. You can find the complete 2010/2011WSOP CIRCUIT SCHEDULE here.
Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City
777 Harrah’s Blvd
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
(609) 441-5165
Toll-Free: 1 (800) 645-6774