PROFILE
Name: Anton Makiievskyi
Age: 21
Hometown: Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine
Online Handle: Unknown

Anton Makiievskyi represents the Ukraine at the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event final table as the youngest member of the November Nine. In fact, the 21-year-old student has a chance to replace Joe Cada as the youngest Main Event winner ever if he’s able to claim victory in November.

Makiievskyi stormed to the top of the leaderboard on Day 7 and, despite slipping toward the end of Day 8, managed to reach the most coveted final table in all of poker. He’ll enter Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio eighth in chips with 13,825,000 with the blinds starting back up at 250,000/500,000.

Makiievskyi has a limited amount of live poker experience, but he’s still totaled more than $75,000 in earnings across the world, including a $17,500 payday at the ripe age of 18 at the 2008 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event. He only received his travel visa in June 2011 to make his debut at the WSOP, so his Main Event run marks his first cash on U.S. soil.

During the waning days of the tournament, the youngster wore a blue and gold Team Ukraine jacket of close friend Oleksii Kovalchuk, who won his first WSOP bracelet in a $2,500 NLHE Six-Max event for $689,000 in June. Poker players can be a superstitious bunch, so it’s assumed he’ll be donning the same jacket when play resumes on November 5.

HOW HE GOT THERE:

Day 1: 77,675
Day 2: 227,100
Day 3: 306,000
Day 4: 598,000
Day 5: 1,806,000
Day 6: 3,385,000
Day 7: 21,045,000
Day 8: 13,825,000

KEY HAND: A massive cooler on Day 7 gave Makiievskyi the chip lead and left one of the most dangerous players remaining crippled. With the blinds at 100,000/200,000, Makiievskyi raised to 400,000 from early position and Chris Moore called from middle position. Action folded around as the dealer revealed a flop of Ks-Jc-Jh. It was then that all hell broke loose.

Makiievskyi fired a continuation bet of 400,000 before Moore raised to 1.1 million. Makiievskyi responded with a three-bet to 2.8 million, leaving about 7 million behind. Moore decided to move all in and Makiievsky insta-called, generating the largest pot of the tournament:

Makiievskyi: Kd-Js
Moore: Ah-Jd

Makiievskyi flopped a full house and Moore was left drawing to an ace. The turn brought the 6s and the river was the 4h, giving the Ukrainian the overall lead with more than 20 million in chips. He finished the day in the pole position before handing it over on Day 8.

WHY HE CAN WIN: Makiievskyi isn’t fazed by all of the glitz and glamour that goes along with being a member of the November Nine. As he explained to ESPN after reaching the final table, he’s just been playing poker:

?I just don?t believe everything that?s happening now. I understand that I may not have any other chances in life like this, but I don?t feel it. I just play my game. I just push all-in when I need to push all-in.?

Should that hold true in front of the cameras and a raucous crowd at the Rio in November, Makiievskyi stands a good chance to make a run at the title. He’s not afraid of busting early, which makes him a dangerous opponent. Though he’s short stacked going in, the Ukrainian is just a double-up away from sitting third in chips.