Behind The Scenes

Hartford-native Russell Thomas at home as contestant on ESPN’s WSOP Final Table

Some 6,598 poker players — from professionals to everyday players — entered this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event with the chance to win $8.5 million and the coveted WSOP bracelet.

The 43rd annual event began in July and has been chronicled by ESPN on Tuesday nights for the past several months.

The event reaches its dramatic conclusion Tuesday night in prime time on ESPN (9 p.m. ET) with a virtually live presentation of the Final Table (presented on 15-minute delay). ESPN.com’s coverage of the event can be found here and includes a live blog in addition to extensive WSOP coverage.

As of Monday, only nine contestants remained and one of those finalists, Russell Thomas grew up less than 30 minutes from ESPN’s Bristol, Conn. headquarters.

The Hartford, Conn., native finished 248th last year and entered the 2012 WSOP Final Table fourth in chips.

In the video above, Thomas talks about his summer visit “home” to ESPN’s campus, how he developed an interest in poker and his tips for aspiring players.

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