Badi Bunara: The Most Experienced Player at the November Nine Final Table

Badi Bunara, at 49 years old, is the most experienced player at the final table of the Main Event. Born and raised in Lebanon, Bunara's journey to the poker world is as unique as his story. His grandfather moved to Belize 56 years ago, and Bunara himself moved there in 1982. He now lives in Belize City, the largest city in Belize, with a population of 80,000 people, along with his wife and three children—a 29-year-old son and a 24-year-old daughter.

Bunara's poker career is marked by both steady play and memorable moments. He owns a wholesale food business and manages a private poker room at Princess Casino. Despite his busy schedule, Bunara finds time to participate in tournaments worldwide. In 2008, he won an NLHE tournament at the Latin American Poker Tour in Costa Rica, earning $30,054.

Bunara will start the final table with the 6th largest stack of 19,700,000 chips. He plans to reserve 60 seats for his supporters at the Rio. His stack sizes at the end of each day of the Main Event were: Day 1: 105,375, Day 2: 35,900, Day 3: 205,500, Day 4: 924,000, Day 5: 640,000, Day 6: 1,860,000, Day 7: 3,835,000, Day 8: 19,700,000. In Day 6, Bunara was ready to leave the tournament but made a comeback after a crucial hand. He considers poker a 100% hobby and does not plan to change his playing style. Bunara plays online poker on PokerStars under the nickname LEB_BEL.