Phil Ivey is a high stakes poker player. He likes to risk big money to win big money. For the past few years the World Series of Poker has been a crapshoot. More and more players every year with new amateurs making the final table every year. It's no longer about who is the best player, it's about who is good but also lucky. Not this year though. This year Phil Ivey will have the chance to flex his muscles at the WSOP in a $40k buy-in No Limit Hold Em tournament and a $50k buy-in H.O.R.S.E event. This is where the best in the world will be playing and where the best player in the world may be crowned.

This year's World Series of Poker will be as big as ever, with the surprise announcement of a special $40,000 no-limit hold'em event to commemorate 40 years of the WSOP. This high-stakes bracelet event will be Event #2 of the WSOP (behind the casino employees event, which returns to its leadoff spot) and will define the early play, as it will be a big-bet version of the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E event – one which all the pros will want to win, won't include many recreational players, and most likely will produce a TV final table to die for.

Hopefully, the success of this event will lead to it continuing past this year and become a staple (although I'd still prefer a $100k buy-in.)

Posted under Tournaments

Someday we will be posting updates about the Phil Ivey Classic, a tournament dedicated the greatest poker player the world has ever seen. Hell, at some point we could see the Phil Ivey Memorial World Series of Poker Main Event. The sky is the limit. However, until that day we just have the Doyle Brunson Classic who is a pretty legendary poker player in his own right. After Day 1A Phil Ivey sits at 83k in chips. The leader? Another Phil, Phil Hellmuth.

Day 1A of the 2008 Five Diamond World Poker Classic Main Event, aka the "Doyle Brunson Classic", is now in the books. A familiar name is sitting with the chip lead, as Phil Hellmuth Jr. finished the day with a stack of 188k, putting him comfortably in the lead at the conclusion of the first day of play.

Interesting to note is that Clonie Gowen is playing in this tournament. Clonie, if you remember, is currently suing a lot of Full Tilt pros over a perceived slight. You think playing against Phil Ivey is scary? Try playing against him when you're suing him. Woah.

Posted under Tournaments

Now that we live in an age of online poker many think a lot of the skill of the game is gone. Some think because you don't look people directly in the eye and take a cold read of them that the game has somehow changed. It hasn't. Phil Ivey proves everyday that the best in live poker is the best in online poker. There is no secret formula. Skill is skill. Take this hand from the 2008 World Series of Poker. Read More...

Posted under Strategy

Sometimes the poker gods work against us, even if your name is Phil Ivey.

Over on Full Tilt Poker table Canfield, “BeepBeepImaJeep” took his shot against high stakes gambler Phil Ivey in some $200/$400 No-Limit Hold’em action. On just the four hand of play, “BeepBeepImaJeep” managed to get his $40K stack into the middle with A♦ 9♦ again♠t Ivey’♠ ♦ominating A♥ K♥. Sure enough, the suckout came and “BeepBeepImaJeep” was quickly up over $38K. He would finish Ivey off a few hands later and earned himself a quick $40K victory in just 13 hands.

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Posted under Full Tilt, RailHeaven

Looks like Daniel Negreanu won't be collecting another $200K from Phil Ivey this year. As John Juanda takes home the 2008 WSOPE Main Event.

The 2008 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event champion is John Juanda.

Clocking in at a seemingly infinite 19 hours and 10 minutes, this was the longest final table in the 39-year history of the World Series of Poker. Measured in time from start to finish, the duration of this "final nine" exceeded the mind-numbing 16-hours played in the $1,500 buy-in Razz championship, won by O'Neil Longson (29 June 2005).

Ivey is famous for prefer the cash game to the tournament because his per hour earnings average out higher. If he'd have stuck around this one, that'd be especially true.

Posted under Other players