Trio From Philadelphia Region Competing To Become World Series Of Poker Champion
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Three poker players from the Philadelphia region, one from Montgomery County and two from southern New Jersey, are still among the six at the table in the finals of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
It's an incredible run for the local players, especially for 24-year-old Joe McKeehen of North Wales, Montgomery County, who holds a mind-boggling 91.45 million poker chips going into today's second round of the three-day tournament.
Those following the competition say the Texas Hold 'em event is McKeehen's to lose given the stack of chips sitting in front of him.
In fifth position is 25-year-old Joshua Beckley of Marlton, New Jersey with 10.875 million chips. In sixth position is 23-year-old Tom Cannuli of Cape May, who's sitting with 10.425 million chips.
Cannuli tells the Poker News Podcast Network he's in the finals because of his instincts and reading abilities in the table competitions leading up to the championship.
"If I got bluffed in a hand or something like that, and I'm able to pick up on something they did, it will help me throughout the tournament," Cannuli says. "So, yeah, it's important for me, especially because I'm not one of the math guys, I'm pretty much off of feel. That's how I play."
For McKeehen, it has been quite a ride. He tells the Remko Report on the Poker News Podcast Network that the interest in his style of play has been great.
"The questions I've got are very generic like, 'Oh, like what's it like?' Like, yeah, it feels pretty good," McKeehen says. "I'm the chip leader of the November 9. It's hard not to feel good about that."
The three are guaranteed prize money of more than $1.4 million each, but if McKeehen holds on, he stands to win more than $7 million.
Tournament action at the Vegas table resumes at 7:30 p.m. eastern time Monday. The competition concludes on Tuesday.
