Before the November Nine was decided some 16 weeks ago we didn't know Dennis Phillips. In the interim Phillips has done everything he can to change that. Four months of big buy-in tournaments, charity events and media appearances ensured that when he sat down at the final table we'd see a familiar face.
Phillips brought literally hundreds of people from his home town of St. Louis to cheer him on and share in the experience of the biggest poker spectacle in the world. Dressed in his signature white button-up shirt and Redbirds hat Phillips' army descended on the Penn and Teller theatre and gave voice to their support.
Phillips was the fan favorite and, had he won, he would have been the people's champ. While finishing third and raking more than $4.5 million is no small victory it would have been an interesting year with Dennis Phillips as world champion.
After making his exit from the final table Dennis spent a few minutes in the media bullpen for a press conference style interview.
Congratulations Dennis, you've finished third in one of the biggest poker tournaments in history. How are you feeling right now?
Well [Laughs] I wish I had gone out on a better hand than that but how can I complain about any of this? My per hour rate today was not too bad. I have so much support here. I have over three hundred people here with me.
I've had nothing but fun for four months. I came in here telling you I was going to have fun and let me tell you, I had fun!
Your day started out pretty rocky. How were you able to get back on track?
I just buckled down and started playing the players a bit more. I tried to really push hard at the beginning but after I lost those two big hands I had to slow down. I made a few bad moves.
How do you feel about your opponents today, particularly Peter and Ivan?
Peter and Ivan are two great guys. I've played with them in other tournaments and we've been together at so many interviews. You got two really good guys playing there.
Peter's young and he's going to be around for a long time. His game improves every time I see him. He's definitely one of the up and coming players to watch. And Ivan really proved himself at the WSOP in Europe. He will be back.
Are you going to start a trend of bringing your own private army of fans to the Main Event final table?
Well, the way I look at it we're already trained and ready for next year! [Laughs]
How much does it help to have your people here supporting you?
It's fantastic. This was like a family reunion and a college reunion and I don't know what else. Heck, half my coworkers are here. I guess they're not getting a whole lot done back at the office. [Laughs]
So what's this going to mean for you as a poker player? Are you going to become a professional or are you still going to work for a trucking company?
Honest to god guys, I really am going back to my job at Broadway Truck Centers. I really am. I will be playing a lot of poker and traveling around the world. I will have a lot of vacation time from Broadway but I can't see myself living out of a suitcase for six months of the year.
Truthfully I had a whole lot of fun for the last four months. I got to meet people and do a lot of great work with the charities I love. It was a good thing.
You had a crazy day and your stack saw a lot of ups and downs. Tell us about the day's progression.
Like I said, I came into it thinking I was going to try and win this thing and at the beginning of the day I got a little crazy. I got all the way down to like $5 million and I really had to tighten up and buckle down. I think I was able to outplay a few people to climb back up.
But the entire day I had pocket queens once, pocket jacks once and the next best hand was pocket eights. So I didn't have a whole lot in the way of hands.
People started out a little tight but every time I was trying a move it seemed like they had something. So it was bad timing and some bad decisions.
So what's next?
Sleep! But I have a tee time at Bear's Best tomorrow morning.
Thanks Dennis an congratulations again.
There was an interesting dynamic at the table when it got three-handed, Phillips, very much the live player, against two young online professionals. There's no denying his heart but in this instance it wasn't enough for Dennis against the obvious talent of his two opponents.
Phillips put on a great show and his supporters added a tangible arena quality to the final table. If you're asking whether this delayed final table was a success Dennis Phillips is a big part of why we'd answer yes.
To get to know Dennis even better click through to the Special Features channel on PokerListings TV and watch his episode of Nine Lives: Road to the 2008 WSOP final table.
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