05 Nov 10

November Nine: Ylon Schwartz

Each day a November Nine in detail. Today: Ylon Schwartz – Before playing poker, Schwartz was a ranked chess player, and entered his first WSOP in 2005. So far, the final table is his twelfth success at the World Series.

Thus he is one of the most experienced players at the table. By his own account, he already plays poker for over 15 years. At first, however, it was only a hobby amongst friends as the chess game still seemed to be more lucrative for him. Until 2006, he was very active at the chess tables, and in his best times he had an ELO rating of over 2,300, which gave him the title of a FIDE master.

Games of skill have always been part of his life. His chess career started when he was only 13, playing for money in the Washington Square Park in Manhattan, New York. Within three years, he was already making a living with chess and backgammon in the East Village.

As of 2004, he entered more, and bigger poker tournaments, and in 2005, he played his first WSOP. Quite successfully too, as he finished four times in the money ranks for almost $45,000 – however without a top placement.

And it is this phenomenon which runs like a golden thread through Schwartz' career. 30 cashes are on his resume already, however only a few final tables were amongst them, and no important win at all. His best result – and at the same time his biggest cash so far – was a third place in a $500 No-Limit Hold'em tournament during the World Poker Finals 2005, for which he received almost $50,000.

However the tournament will end, Schwartz has already earned three times his lifetime winnings so far by reaching the final table and the already paid out $900,000. To get even more out of it, he tried to sell some advertisement spaces on his clothes via eBay, however without much success.

If he wins the tournament, he will first of all take a trip to Africa and chill in a hammock at one of the gorgeous beaches, as he said himself. Apart from that, he also wants to head to France and drive around in a nice car, buy an apartment and lots of DVD's.

Schwartz will start the final table on November 9th with 12,525,000 in chips, which is a bit less than what the chip leader, Dennis Phillips, holds.

Origin of photo material: WSOP