Kelly Kim has been playing poker since 1995. Still, in all his years at the felt nothing could compare to the sheer joy of making the November Nine at the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event.

"I've already hit my goal," he confessed to PokerListings.com in a post-tournament interview. "And everything else is just gravy."

Kim's goal was to make it to the final table. Guaranteed nearly a million dollars if he busts out in ninth place in November 2008 - which many think is likely given his well-below-average chip stack coming into the final table - Kim would still rack up by far the largest payout he's ever collected in a tournament.

And he's cashed in quite a few since he took them up in 2003.

The Grand Slam of Poker, Bellagio Festa al Lago and the Five Diamond World Poker Classic, to name a few. And lest we forget, his 17th-place finish in the WPT L.A. Poker Classic in 2006, two WSOP cashes in 2007 and one in the WSOPC Caesars Palace main event the same year.

Kelly is intelligent and experienced, and knows when to pick his spots at the felt. He excels in short-stack play and dominates games with his tight-aggressive style. In short, he's no rookie. And before 2008, he was playing a lot of tournaments, including every Main Event since 2003.

So, while the bookies lay heavy odds against Kim winning the final table, don't bet against him just yet. This poker pro still has a shot at taking down the top pot in poker.