Eric Buchman

You probably won’t know the name but Eric Buchman may well be the smart choice to become the next WSOP Main Event champion. While everyone seems to be in agreement that Phil Ivey is the best player on the table he has a big obstacle to overcome due to his short stack status, with the opposite said of massive chip leader Darvin Moon who lacks experience at the highest level of tournament competition. Buchman however has both the chips (34.8m) and over seven years experience as a professional which resulted in more than $1m in live tournament winnings before this year’s Main Event.

Before this year’s Main Event numerous highlights stand out on Buchman’s poker CV. His first big score was in 2004 when he won the $2,500 New England Poker Classic for $275k. Possibly the most significant result however was at the 2006 WSOP when he finished as the runner-up in a $1,500 Limit Hold’em event, bagging $175k and narrowly missing out on his first WSOP bracelet. Coming into the Main Event the New Yorker was in good form having made one final table already at this year’s Series.

If there’s any value to be had betting on the outcome of the November Nine then Buchman at 9/2 (various sites) may be your best bet.