WTF Happened? All the Big Names Left at North American Poker Championship Eliminated Before Final Table Except John Juanda and He's Like Really, Really Short-Stacked

First things first: the official recovery time to regain a passion for poker after being carpet nuked by High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story is about 3 days.

So we're feeling good again about poker, but we're a little dissappointed in the drop-off of quality from a "name/storyline" perspective for the WPT North American Poker Championship TV table. Luster was lost when Brad "Yukon" Booth, Allen Cunningham, Farzad Bonyati, Kyle Bowker, Mark Newhouse, Nam Le, and John D'Agostino, as well as the few broads who were remaining, all failed to make the final six.

The one signficant name pro who did make it, John Juanda, will need a lot of help, as he'll sit uber-short-stacked.

Full final table chip counts are: 1) Jason Sagle - 2,970,000, 2) John Lam - 2,285,000, 3) Soren Turkewitsch - 1,690,000, 4) James Worth - 1,305,000, 5) Marc Karam - 1,290,000, and 6) the aforementioned John Juanda - 425,000.

Comments

[BJ Nemeth]

A few of the smaller names at this final table aren't as small as the others.

James Worth is known as "KrazyKanuck," and even though this is his first WPT final table, he's a steady player on the tournament circuit. His big TV appearance came in early 2005 when he final tabled (finishing 4th) at the WSOP Circuit Championship in San Diego (which Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson won). Worth is actually one of four sponsored pros for UltimateBet.com, putting him in a group with Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, and Antonio Esfandiari. He's definitely not a nobody.

Jason Sagle made a final table at this year's WSOP (finishing 5th), but I first met him two years ago when he reached the final three tables (finishing 23rd) in the main event when Raymer won it.

I've never met Marc Karam, but he finished 4th at this year's European Poker Tour Grand Final Championship in Monte Carlo back in March.

None of these guys are even close to Juanda's level of course, but still noteworthy.