The World Series of Poker Main Event champion will be decided Tuesday, and two of the three contenders for the title and a $7,680,021 grand prize are Jewish.
Neil Blumenfield and Josh Beckley will take their seats at the most prestigious poker table in the world on Tuesday night, along with Joe McKeehen — the odds-on favorite with a colossal chip count of 128,825,000.
Of the 6,420 people who entered the tournament back in July, an unlikely four of the final nine, known as the “November Nine,” were Jewish: Max Steinberg and Ofer Zvi Stern, an Israeli, were knocked out Monday night. Steinberg earned $2,615,361 for his fourth-place finish, while Zvi Stern walked away with $1,911,423 for fifth place.
Whoever comes in third will take home $3,398,298. Second place is worth $4,470,896.
So who are these poker machers?
Neil Blumenfield
From: San Francisco, Calif.
Chip count: 40,125,000
Blumenfeld, 61, a veteran Silicon Valley entrepreneur, serves as the president, COO and director of Elastic Intelligence Inc., PokerNews reported. Blumenfield is reportedly a life-long cards lover but only got into competitive poker later in life, entering a World Series of Poker seniors tournament in 2008. Blumenfield was responsible for ending Zvi Stern’s run on Monday — putting himself second in the chip count — when his Ace-King card combo topped the Israeli’s Ace-Jack.
Josh Beckley
From: Marlton, N.J.
Chip count: 23,700,000
Beckley, 24, has reportedly been playing the game since he was 16, working his way up from playing for $1-2 to bluffing for seven figures. Beckley previously worked at a grocery store and was a student at Drexel University, ESPN reported. He reportedly dropped out after three semesters to pursue poker full time. Beckley climbed into the top three by unsettling Zvi Stern from his second place perch early in Monday’s proceedings, winning a face-off with a pair of aces.
Max Steinberg
From: Las Vegas, Nev.
Winnings: $2,615,361
Aside from playing professional poker, Steinberg, 24, a Las Vegas native, also makes a living in the online fantasy sports circuit, PokerNews reported. Unlike many of his hoody and sunglass wearing rivals, Steinberg is most often seen at the poker table sporting a tailored three-piece suit. McKeehen eliminated Steinberg in devastating style, topping his Ace-Jack combo with an Ace-Queen.
Ofer Zvi Stern
From: Herzliya, Israel
Winnings: $1,911,423
Zvi Stern, 36, from Herzliya, Israel, is the second Israeli to qualify for the November Nine. He follows in the footsteps of Amir Lehavot, who made the cut in 2013. A high-tech worker, Stern only considers himself an amateur poker player, according to PokerNews. He told the website that the game has just started to catch on in his home country.
Zvi Stern entered Monday’s table with the second highest number of chip behind McKeehen, but it was not his lucky day. Blumenfield and Beckley commandeered his chip collection.
Fans were not particularly sad to see Zvi Stern go: He aggravated viewers with lengthy, and vocal, contemplations of his cards, the Associated Press reported.
The World Series of Poker Main Event final table begins play at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time Tuesday on ESPN.
