Phil Ivey Eyeing 10th World Series Of Poker BraceletPoker Pro At Final Table Of $1,500 Eight-Game Mix |
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Card Player’s 2014 WSOP coverage is sponsored by CarbonPoker.
It took until the 50th event of the summer for Phil Ivey to make a final table—but when you are Phil Ivey and you only care about bracelets, all it takes is one to have a huge summer.
The 38-year-old poker pro was the chip leader with eight remaining in the eight-game mix at around 5 p.m. local time on Friday in Las Vegas. It was a great chance for Ivey to capture his 10th career WSOP bracelet, as many regard him as the best all-around poker player in the universe.
The top prize of $167,332 is likely meaningless for the veteran gambler, since he has massive side bets on winning a bracelet this summer. Earlier this year, Ivey partnered up with Daniel Negreanu to give the gambling world even-money on either of them sitting in the winner’s circle at the Rio Convention Center in 2014. The max bet was $1 million, while the minimum bet was $5,000.
Negreanu, who actually finished ninth in the eight-game mix, told Card Player that no one wagered the full $1 million, but there was a lot of action on the bet. Ivey put up the majority of the money, which means that he’ll win the bulk of it if he captures gold before the Series is over.
Just as it seemed Ivey had fully shaken off any remnants of the Full Tilt Poker mess that began in 2011, he became embroiled in a legal battle with a London casino over $12.1 million that the joint refused to pay because it said Ivey noticed manufacturing defects in some cards. A year later, the Borgata casino in Atlantic City accused Ivey of basically doing the same thing and sued the high-stakes gambler for $9.6 million. That case is still pending. The casino, which sits in a city that’s experiencing horrible economic times, says Ivey cheated and broke the law.
When the news broke of Ivey’s alleged cheating, many within the poker community defended Ivey, saying Ivey’s method of having an edge on the house was not cheating. He and his observant accomplice never did, after all, touch the cards while playing baccarat—the technique is called “edge sorting.” So while Ivey could be a controversial figure within the casino industry right now, he is still beloved by his poker fans and respected by his peers. Despite a full table still in the eight-game mix, a large crowd had gathered around the rail near Ivey’s final table.
To watch Ivey’s quest for bracelet no. 10, which would put him in a three-way tie with Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan on the all-time list, check out the WSOP live stream linked to below.
For more coverage from the 2014 summer Series, visit our WSOP landing page.
If you can’t get to the Rio, you can still compete with Carbon Poker. Click the banner below for more info. Card Player readers are eligible for an initial deposit bonus of 200 percent up to $5,000.
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