Favorites to Make the Final Table

Sure, its still the first level in the tournament, but why not pick some favorites to make it all the way down to the final table.  We’ve put together a list of the top 20 players to watch during the tournament.  Here’s 20-11:

20. Amit “amak316” Makhija
Cashed for just shy of one million his first year on the live tournament circuit.

19. Kristy Gazes
Media pick.

18. Brandon Cantu
Runs like a god.

17. David Pham
Made the first WPT LAPC final table. Makes deep runs all the time.

16. Peter Eastgate/ Ivan Demidov
Although niether player has been seen at the tournament as of yet, but both will be watched closely if and when they appear.  Niether have played many tournaments since the final table of the WSOP. In baseball terms they’re on a full five day rest and could be ready to pitch a great game.

15. Chino Rheem
In the past few months Chino has gone from a relatively unknown professional to poker superstar. He finished second in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. event a couple of days ago.

14. Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi
He proved that his aggressive style works well at this tournament once before. He has been on a tough run lately, but could break out once again here.

13. Nam Le
Mr. Consistant. Quietly runs deep in almost every tournament. Final tabled this event last year.

12. Kenny Tran
Commerce regular. Amateurs really enjoy playing with Kenny and he knows how to work that to his advantage.

11. Hafiz Khan
Waiting for his first big WPT score. 2nd at the PCA in ’08 and constantly killing online tournaments, including over a quarter of a million in earnings in the first two months of 2009.