Those days of playing at the smoky Hollywood Seminole Classic Casino have paid off for David Rheem.

Rheem, who grew up in South Florida, made the final table at the World Series of Poker late Monday night. He's one of nine players who will vie for the $9.1 million first prize when the World Series resumes in November.

Rheem, 28, was born in California and is listed as from Los Angeles, but honed his game here at Seminole Classic in the early 2000s, well before the nearby Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino opened. He lived in Cooper City, Dania Beach and West Palm Beach.

Rheem played games that often ran from 10 p.m. to 4 p.m. and also included Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, a former Seminole Classic dealer who is now among the world's top players.

"He didn't act like he knew everything, and became a good player by watching and playing a lot," said former Seminole poker manager Steve Watkins.

Rheem is in seventh place, having survived six days of play, which eliminated 6,835 players. The final table was held up until November in order to air all of the tournament play so far; ESPN then will cover the tournament in a "same-day, taped" production, World Series officials said.