David “Chino” Rheem certainly has all the attributes needed to be the last person standing when everything is said and done at the final table of the World Series of Poker’s 2008 Main Event. The 28-year-old Los Angeles resident is the most successful and experienced member of the Nov. 9 contest. He won big poker competitions, has WSOP finals experience, and seems to enjoy the spotlight as well as knowing how to handle the pressure of playing in front of a TV camera. 안전한 파워볼사이트
But when the most anticipated final table in WSOP history takes place on Nov. 9 at the Penn & Teller Theater at the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Lim will sit in front of the third-shortest stack on the table. This isn’t the best position when he wants to play aggressive, as Lim typically does. “I know my job is right for me,” Relaxed Lim told Casino City on Sunday night in Bellagio as he competed in World Poker Tour Festa Lago. “But I’m not going to change the way I play the game. That’s not my plan.”
He’s calm, comfortable, and poised, as Lim said. If you see him on ESPN’s WSOP, he’s a likable character. He’s someone who wouldn’t mind sitting next to a poker table, except for the fact that he’s likely to take your chips. Reem, who represents PokerStars, started the game 10 years ago at the age of 18 when he was a skinny kid who grew up in Miami, Florida. He started by participating in a cash game at The Seminole Hollywood Casino, and eventually became friends with poker professional brothers Robert and Michael Mizrahi, who taught him the basics with Reem under their tutelage.
“I was really fascinated by the game,” Lim remembers. “After getting to know the Mizrahi brothers, I started to get really serious about the game. They taught me so much. Once I had the foundation, I started developing my own style of play, and then once I started making decent money, I knew that was what I wanted to do as a way to survive life.”
With his emerging poker skills, Reem has come to do more than just “get by.” His first big break at a major tournament came in 2005, when he placed third in the EPT Grand Final Monte Carlo and earned $10,129. Three months later, he made his WSOP debut and cashed in both events for a total of more than $45,000, including a 193rd-place finish in the Main Event, which earned $39,075. “I remember thinking my best poker hands were ahead of me at the time,” said Reem, who takes great pride in his ability to read opponents. “It gave me more confidence in my abilities.”
Since then, Lim has received cash prizes at the Los Angeles Poker Classic, the Mandalay Bay Poker Championship, the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic, and the Five Star World Poker Classic. In 2006, he won second place in the WSOP $1,000 Unlimited event, falling behind Alan Cunningham. In his career, Lim has five WSOP cash prizes, including fifth place in this year’s main event and the $5,000 mixed host event, which earned $93,624. Eric Lindgren, who ended up being the WSOP Player of the Year in 2008, was the final winner of the mixed event.
“I’ve been tested at this kind of event before and I’ve had a lot of experience, but that doesn’t mean I’m sitting at the last table and going through it,” he said, finishing in the top three in chips with 17 players remaining in the main event field, but he lost two big hands late on and dropped back to the stack of 10,230,000. Dennis Phillips has risen to the chip leader with 26,295,000. “The other eight are all great players. Anyone can win. I’m just hoping to make the right decisions at the right time and get some luck along the way.”
Since qualifying on Nov. 9, Lim’s life has changed significantly. In addition to the $900,670 he already received for finishing at least ninth in the main event, which began with 6,844 stadiums, Lim had to deal with all the attention that came with being the final table list. He gave his share of interviews and played as much poker as he could to keep sharp, including competing in WSOP Europe in London, where he didn’t make any money. He watched all ESPN episodes of the World Series to figure out his final table opponent’s tendencies, and made some trips as well.
But no matter where you go and what you do, the final table for the main event and the $9 million prize are always in the back of his mind. “It was exciting but I was also very nervous at the same time,” he says with a smile. “I can’t wait to go and play poker. I know the spotlight will be on us and I’m happy with it. Hopefully some of these other people will put pressure on them so I can take advantage of their mistakes. That’s what I’m hoping.”