Islander Jesse Sylvia Leads 2012 World Series of Poker

As of this afternoon, the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event final table is set and the chip leader is West Tisbury’s own Jesse Sylvia. Sylvia finished with 43,875,000 making him the lead of the final nine players who will now break until October 28^th, when they return to the final table for the $8.7 million top prize.

Sylvia, 26, is a Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School graduate and a Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School founding student. Sylvia now lives in Las Vegas and is a fulltime high-stakes player. This is his first time as a finalist in one of the biggest and most prestigious poker tournaments in the world.

Sylvia heads into the final with 15 million more than his closest rival, Andras Koroknai. According to Pokernews.com, the Final Table Chip Counts are as follows:

Rank

Player

Country

Chip Count

1

Jesse Sylvia

USA

43,875,000

2

Andras Koroknai

HU

29,375,000

3

Greg Merson

USA

28,725,000

4

Russell Thomas

USA

24,800,000

5

Steven Gee

USA

16,860,000

6

Michael Esposito

USA

16,260,000

7

Robert Salaburu

USA

15,155,000

8

Jacob Balsiger

USA

13,115,000

9

Jeremy Ausmus

USA

9,805,000

All nine finalist return to to play for the bracelet and $8.7 million on October 28^th at the the Penn & Teller Theater at the Rio in Las Vegas