Entering the 2009 WSOP November Nine final table third in chips and guaranteed $1.26 million, Steven Begleiter has been forced to take poker a little more seriously than he has in the past.

The Chappaqua, N.Y. native enjoys poker recreationally, mainly on the East Coast, and won his seat to the 2009 WSOP Main Event through an amateur league he plays in with his friends.

Their home games run in unison with the school year, September to June, and a portion of each tournament they play is put towards one $10,000 entry to the World Series Main Event.

His buddies can't be too disappointed that Begleiter is representing them in Vegas, since they all have a piece of his action.

By all accounts Begleiter is a work-hard/play-hard type of person. A former executive at banking investment agency Bear Stearns, he currently works as a Senior Principal for the investment firm Flexpoint Ford in Manhattan.

Clearly this man has a knack for dealing with currency. It seems this skill, for Begleiter at least, is transferable to the felt.

In August he finished 9th at the WPT Legends of Poker Main Event, missing the TV final table by just three spots.

Begleiter found himself seated with fellow November Niners Kevin Schaffel and Joe Cada over the course of Legends, giving him a chance to study up on two of his November opponents.

Both players chuckled when reporters inquired about whether they were able to pick up anything that might help them in November.

He's a family man with a wife and three teenage children with whom he's looking forward to celebrating his WSOP success.

Check out the video below we shot with Begleiter in Las Vegas back in July and make sure to follow Steve Begleiter and the rest of the action with our Live Coverage of the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table.

More 2009 WSOP Main Event final table profiles

• Phil Ivey November Nine Profile
  
• Kevin Schaffel November Nine Profile
• Jeff Shulman November Nine Profile
• Joe Cada November Nine Profile
• Darvin Moon November Nine Profile

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