Phil Ivey Fan Blog

New Online Poker Room For US Players : BetOnline.com

2011-09-16T01:39:00.001-07:00

With the reversal of USA's stance on the Wire Act, it seems that legal real money poker is on the verge of reality in America. See RealMoneyPoker.org's article on the subject.

What blind structure favor Ivey?

2011-05-24T21:03:00.001-07:00

The blind structure of a poker tournament is important in terms of giving certain players an edge over one another. The number of chips that players start with, as well as the amount and frequency that blinds start and increase are all factors that influence how a poker tournament plays. When considering playing in a live or online texas holdem poker tournament, it makes sense to know the blind structure and decide whether the tournament’s structure caters to your abilities and skill level.

A holdem tournament that features shorter stacks and higher blinds typically favors the novice poker player. While such a structure does not guarantee that a new or inexperienced holdem player will win the tournament (or even cash for that matter), a short stacked poker tournament does bring a higher element of luck into the equation. Short stack poker tournaments do not afford the luxury for players to make elaborate plays after the flop, as players often run out of chips to bet. As a result, they find themselves having to shove on the flop or turn (correctly).

Being correctly able to shove early takes the edge away from the more advanced holdem players, as the new players are unable to be outplayed in many tournament situations. Basically, a shorter stack helps to protect new, inexperienced tournament players from themselves because they cannot be outplayed easily. The short starting stack and quick-paced blinds caters mostly to players who play quality hands early and hard.

While short stacked poker tournaments are ideal for new players, a deep stack poker tournament allows pros such as Phil Ivey the opportunity to shine. The deeper the chips stack relative to the level of blinds, the more ‘play’ a tournament player has in them. The more room to play that the tournament pro has, the more likely they can cause their opposing players to make a mistake. Likewise, the more opportunity for mistake, the greater the chance that pros such as Ivey can exploit and benefit from their opponent’s errors in the tournament. Consequently, a deeper stacked poker tournament that has a slow and deliberate blind structure is the type of tournament that holdem tournament experts such as Phil Ivey thrive in.

When looking for a holdem poker tournament with a blind structure worthy of Phil Ivey himself, you may want to try LuckyAce Poker tournaments. LuckyAce Poker gives a 25% instant bonus on new deposits, which means you get up to £100 in bonus money immediately upon deposit to give some of the deeper stacked poker tournaments a try. With nice blind structures, relatively loose play and an instant bonus designed to impact your bankroll immediately, Lucky Ace Poker is a great online poker room to put your skills to the test.

The WSOP Launches Famous Main Event Rematches

2011-04-07T03:47:00.001-07:00

Who isn't going to love a proper rematch? Unsurprisingly the WSOP feels poker devotees would like to see former opponents go at it one more time. The World Series of Poker announced a series of rematches from past Main Event showdowns.

The WSOP has done a fantastic job deciding on the matchups, Chris Moneymaker vs. Sammy Farha (2003), Johnny Chan vs. Phil Hellmuth (1989), and the final they are leaving up to the fanatics. You may opt for the third match up over at the WSOP Facebook fan page.

The fan options will be:

1988 WSOP: Johnny Chan vs. Erik Seidel
2004 WSOP: Greg Raymer vs. David Williams
2006 WSOP: Jamie Gold vs. Paul Wasicka
2010 WSOP: Jonathan Duhamel vs. John Racener

My personal favourite is 2004 WSOP: Greg Raymer vs. David Williams

The WSOP is doing something slightly different with each of the matches that is truly unique.

Moneymaker vs. Farha is going to be best two out of three. The first contest will have both players with the same exact chip count that they had going heads up in 2003. The second battle will reverse the chip stacks. And in the event that there exists a necessity for a third match it'll be fixed with equal chip stacks.

Chan vs. Hellmuth is a straight-up one match with even chip stacks.

No details have been supplied for the framework of the third, fan selected, match.

The Moneymaker vs. Farha rematch should be a favourite one. It was Moneymaker's win of the 2003 WSOP Main Event championship that has been credited as the beginning of the online poker boom. The story of a regular person participating in a $40 online satellite and making his way through the top poker players on the planet to win the ultimate prize in poker was nearly too good to be real.

Similarly, Raymer vs. Williams was one more story of somewhat unheard of but extremely personable players making it a lot farther than some people considered probable.

The rematches will be recorded for ESPN on June 2 in the Rio in Vegas. If you are in Vegas the events will be open to anyone and free to watch.

Full Tilt Support For Private Tournaments

2011-04-07T01:29:00.001-07:00

Just in time for their Take 2 campaign Full Tilt Poker has released the latest update including quite a few extra features, including the opportunity to ask for exclusive tournaments and your account history.

The most significant improvement in the upgrade could be the private tournament option. Though Full Tilt has offered private tournaments they were only available by making contact with support. Now, private tournaments are far more on par with the PokerStars Home Games feature that allows players to plan their own events whenever they desire without worrying about the intervention of a customer service agent.

Examples of the other highlights rolled out in the upgrade:

- Ring game tickets: Building off the concept of tournament tickets now you can order buy-ins for cash games.

- Custom bet buttons: Go ahead and arrange custom buttons depending on how you play pre and post flop.

- Request account history: Need an review of your recent history? Well, Tilt has finally released the ability for you get at this information while not having to get in touch with customer service.

Download the latest version of Full Tilt Poker now.

Full Tilt Announces 2011 WSOP Qualifier Schedule

2011-04-04T13:51:00.001-07:00

Full Tilt Poker recently announced their schedule of 2011 WSOP Qualifiers, with numerous means players to win their seat in the world’s most important poker contest.

Along with their schedule of Direct Qualifiers, Full Tilt Poker offers the following ways to win WSOP seats:

$1 Main Event Seats
Daily Shootouts
150 Seat Main Event Guarantee
Race to the Main Event
Steps to the Main Event

What's more, players are provided 10 million good reasons to win their 2011 WSOP Main Event seat at Full Tilt Poker with $10 Million Main Event Mania. If players earn their Main Event seat online at Full Tilt Poker and go on to win, they're going to be qualified for a $10,000,000 bonus on the top of their first-place prize money!

On top of the $10 million bonus, if participating players finish off in the money at this year's Main Event, Full Tilt will give to them a zero cost seat to the 2012 Main Event.

Full Tilt is also holding another carrot in front of the players whom win a minimum of one WSOP Main Event seat at Full Tilt Poker; players that win multiple seats for this year’s Main Event collect an entry to an exclusive $35K Multi-Entry Freeroll Tournament for every seat won.

Sign up at Full Tilt and we might see you at the final table.

Onyx Cup Series at Full Tilt Poker

2011-04-04T13:29:00.001-07:00

Satellite events are now running to Onyx Cup Series, which consists of six impressive high-stakes live tourneys with buy-ins from $100K to $300K. The six-event prize pool is anticipated to get to $30 million - and you have a chance to there.

Full Tilt's Onyx Cup Series Qualifier tourneys award $105K Onyx Cup Series Event 1 Prize Packages - which include the $100K buy-in plus $5K for expenses. Onyx Cup Series Event 1 Qualifier tourneys are scheduled for the below times:

March 27th at 18:30 ET - $600+$40 buy-in
April 10th at 18:30 ET - $1,000+$60 buy-in
May 1st at 18:30 ET - $2,000+$100 buy-in

Players may buy-in direct as well as win a seat for a tiny proportion of the price tag via Full Tilt's super-satellites tournaments. Players may also win their Event 1 seat if you take part in the Onyx Cup Series Freeroll events.

The Onyx Cup Series is a group of live tournaments in the USA, Europe, and Asia. The players collect points in every tourney they participate in in and the player who amasses the most points will be provided a sports vehicle.

The Onyx Cup Series is made up of:

Half a dozen primary events with tournaments ranging from $100,000 - $300,000

Only the top 3 winners of each event get points which are then totaled

Prize pool expected at $30 million

See the Full Tilt website for additional details.

Take 2 - Make as much as $25 and Double Points

2011-04-02T00:10:00.001-07:00

Take 2 with Full Tilt Poker to earn up to a whopping $25 In addition to double the Full Tilt Points that you’d traditionally get for taking part in within your preferred ring games.

Running from Friday, April 8th to Sunday, April 17th, engage in a minimum of two normal ring-game tables at the same time or any sort of Rush Poker* game during Take 2 to get double the Full Tilt Points. Play as often as you're able during Take 2 and they’ll also incentive you with up to $25 in moolah, depending upon the number of days you play the game.

Make anywhere up to $25 in Cash

The more you play throughout Take 2, the more you’ll earn. Gain no less than five Take 2 bonus points on any five days all through Take 2 to get $5 in cash. Accomplish this on nine of the ten days to get an extra $20, for a total of $25:

Level 1: Play on any 5 days for the duration of Take 2 and collect $5
Level 2: Play on nine of the 10 days for the duration of Take 2 and acquire an extra $20, for a final total of $25

Get Double the Full Tilt Points

You'll find not one but two different methods to earn double the Full Tilt Points throughout Take 2:

Play Two normal ring-game tables concurrently and receive double points at BOTH tables. By way of example, if you happen to obtain sixty points whilst playing on a single table and forty points when playing on the other, you’d normally collect 100 Full Tilt Points with your play. Throughout Take 2, you’ll earn an overall total of 200 points - 100 points on your play plus an additional 100 bonus points.

Play any type of table of Rush Poker* - the world’s fastest poker game - and generate double points. By way of example, in the event you generate 100 points while playing in a Rush Poker* table during Take 2, you’ll get an additional 100 bonus points for a total of 200 Full Tilt Points. Rush Poker* is definitely the quickest approach to make double points during Take 2.

You may use your bonus points to obtain some great products through the Full Tilt Poker Store, including plasma Televisions, iPods, customizable Full Tilt Poker jerseys plus more. You can also make use of your points to get in very special Full Tilt Points Sit & Gos and Multi-Table Tournaments.

Tips on how to Participate in Take 2

Abide by these steps to be involved in Take 2 and claim your cash and bonus points:

If you haven’t done so already, download Full Tilt Poker and set up a free account.

Sign in to Full Tilt Poker and click on the red-colored Cashier button in the game lobby.

Click the My Promotions box and then the Take 2 link.

That will lead you to your own special Take 2 page. Refer to the instructions on this page - it's important to choose to participate in this promotion or else you not pick up cash or double points for your play in the course of Take 2.

Keep an eye on the number of bonus points along with the amount of cash you’ve obtained throughout Take 2 by using your own special Take 2 page in My Promotions. Your bonus points should be placed into your player account within one hour of being acquired; any money achieved during Take 2 shall be given out as soon as the promotion has terminated.

Who Will Replace Phil Ivey?

2011-03-29T05:17:00.001-07:00

Bluff Europe is speculating on who would be the best player in the world if Phil Ivey were suddenly not with us anymore. For years, Chip Reese was considered the best poker player of all time. When he died in 2006 many from complications due to pneumonia it's since been pretty much been accepted that Phil Ivey is the best living poker player in the world.

But who would take the mantle is something every happened to Phil? Bluff speculates that Tow Dwan is the best out there. While he has an impressive record and some very good playing skills I'm not sure that Tom Dwan has had enough longevity and diversity in his wins. He gambles big which draws a lot of attention but does he have the staying power?

You can check out Bluff's argument for Tom but the internet has been abuzz with others who they feel are as good or better players. What are your thoughts?

Is Phil Ivey Opening a Poker School?

2011-03-24T07:01:00.001-07:00

Phil Ivey seems to be coming out of his shell recently. He's started to Twitter @philivey and now on philivey.com he leaves us wondering what's up with his cryptic message "Now I'm going to teach the whole world to win at poker." What does it mean? Only Phil knows at the moment but any insights into the game of the world's best poker player are going to be very valuable for poker players around the world.

Do you want to do something for the Japanese earthquake survivors

2011-03-24T05:28:00.001-07:00

The 9.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan and caused the following tsunami is estimated to have caused over $300 billion in real damages but the emotional damages cannot even be counted. So far 9,301 are confirmed dead and 13,786 people are missing. Homes have been destroyed. Lives ruined.

But poker players can do something to help. Full Tilt Poker is hosting Aid for Japan tournaments as well as Donation Tournaments and the money will go to the Red Cross to help Japanese survivors and their families.

Full Tilt is not only donating the funds raised but has also pledged to match every dollar collected as well.

With so many lives impacted by this tragedy it's time for us to give our voice of support in any way we can.

Next Week is Double Guarantee Week at Full Tilt Poker

2011-03-24T05:20:00.001-07:00

From March 28 through April 3 Full Tilt players will be able to grab $30 million in guaranteed prize pools over at Full Tilt Poker. Double Guarantee Week means that every weekly guaranteed tournament will have it's prize pool at least doubled. For tournaments taking place during the last twelve hours of the promotion Full Tilt is upping the guarantee to triple the normal amount. That means the Sunday tournament will have a guaranteed prize pool of $2,250,000.

On top of all of this all of the weekly guaranteed tournaments will also be multi-entry format. You can register for the same tournament multiple times which gives you increased chances of winning or moneying in the events.

For those of you not familiar with the multiple entry format, you will never be seated at the same table as one of your other entries. If you still have multiple entries in the running when it gets down to the final few tables Full Tilt will merge your accounts (combine your chipstacks) so that you never end up seated with more than one entry on a table.

Click here to find out more about Double Guarantee Week at Full Tilt Poker.

Phil Ivey Scores $432K in a Limit Poker Game

2011-03-08T06:13:00.001-08:00

PLO, NL, Limit, it doesn't matter for Phil Ivey. He kicks ass at every limit, structure, and game that he plays. Case in point is a recent session he had against Kagome Kagome who fancies himself a limit Hold'em specialist. Well if you consider getting your ass handed to you for nearly half a million dollars a specialty Kagome Kagome might have a claim to the title.

So far, Kagome Kagome appears to be down over $2 million to Ivey. This last session certainly didn't help his stats.

If you want to watch Phil Ivey play or get in a little play of your own, sign up at Full Tilt Poker.

Phil Ivey wins $900K in One Evening

2011-03-08T06:09:00.000-08:00

Phil Ivey just keeps proving that he is the best player in poker. The other night on Full Tilt Poker Phil Ivey played against Daniel “jungleman12” Cates and Scott “URnotINdanger2” Palmer and cleaned their clocks. Playing $500/$1,000 CAP PLO he took $340,000 off of Cates and close to $600,000 off of Palmer.

One of the things about Ivey is that he doesn't tend to have huge downswings in terms of his overall winnings. You might have some hot-at-the-moment player winning $1 million and losing $1 million with some frequency but for Phil it seems like win, win, win, win, win, lose. So when he does have a $1 million dollar downswing it's been preceded by $3 or $4 million in winnings.

If you want to catch Phil playing or mix it up yourself (we're assuming at much lower stakes) you can sign up at Full Tilt Poker.

Phil Ivey Bluffs Tom Dwan

2010-09-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

Just to show that Dwan isn't the only one who can bluff, Ivey lays a massive bluff on Dwan. T8 (Ivey) vs. 87 (Dwan) pre-flop. Technically some might not consider Ivey's better hand as a bluff but there's no way he can think he's got the best hand there so he's obviously bluffing trying to push Dwan off of a questionable hand. Good read!

Tom Durrr Dwan Bluffs Phil Ivey in Monster Pot

2010-09-11T21:31:00.000-07:00

Want to play against both Tom Dwan and Phil Ivey? Get a $600 sign up bonus on Full Tilt Poker

Phil Ivey Up $2 Million in August

2010-09-04T21:40:00.000-07:00

Phil Ivey is running hot on Full Tilt in August. Phil tore up the competition winning a cool $2 million.

Come check out Phil Ivey on Full Tilt Poker.

Phil Ivey Up Almost $20 Million on Full Tilt

2010-09-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

Phil Ivey, probably the greatest poker player ever, is up nearly $20 million on Full Tilt Poker since 2007 according to the High Stakes DB. That doesn't even include his offline tournament and cash game wins (or his sick prop betting). Those who speculate that Phil's net worth could be $50 million or even $100 million might not be too far off the mark if Phil has managed to not lose back a good chunk of his winnings at the craps tables or the sports books.

Fancy a crack at Phil? Check out Full Tilt Poker.

Phil Ivey Interview at the WPT London

2010-09-03T03:40:00.000-07:00

Phil Hellmuth Gets Owned By Phil Ivey

2010-08-16T00:33:00.000-07:00

Just to show how unpredictable and how unsettling Phil Ivey can be even against some of the best players, Phil Hellmuth calls the turn and the river with a hand that can only beat a total bluff.

Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth Mix It Up

2010-08-10T03:47:00.000-07:00

Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth in a huge hand on High Stakes Poker.

Play with Phil Ivey on Full Tilt Poker

Phil Ivey Confirmed to Play in WPT London

2010-07-29T02:53:00.000-07:00

Hot off of a final table appearance at the WPT Bellagio it's been announced that Phil Ivey will be participating in the WPT London.

Clash of the Phil's

2010-07-20T10:51:00.000-07:00

Phil Hellmuth who isn't exactly known for being modest or keeping his opinions to himself was recently asked if he thought Phil Ivey could ever best his 11 WSOP bracelets. Hellmuth's response was

“Ivey won't pass me in five years. That's impossible... I shouldn't say it’s impossible, I don't think it'll happen.”

Well, it's not hard to imagine that Phil Ivey has a different view on the topic. When told about Hellmuth's remarks Ivey responded

“Impossible? I don’t really like the word impossible. I think it’s very possible. It’s very likely.”

With eight WSOP bracelets already under his belt in only 8 years Ivey probably has the best chance of anyone of overtaking Hellmuth who won his first WSOP over 20 years ago (1989). Ivey is on fire in both cash games and tournaments. His only problem in tournaments is that he plays for such dizzying high-stakes at cash games that winning a tournament is -EV for him. He's kept himself engaged in the tournament world only by making similarly dizzying-stakes prop bets during tournaments. It isn't unusual for him to have prop bets going for 4 or 5 times the amount of the first place prize.

On the other hand, Hellmuth is considered one of the biggest fish when he sits down at cash games. While Ivey is dominant in almost every form of poker known to man, Hellmuth is a hold'em specialist which heavily weighs on his prospects of capturing more bracelets.

If I were a betting man (and I am) I would put my money on Ivey over Hellmuth any day of the week and twice on Sunday!

Ready to get a $600 bonus on Full Tilt Poker and play with Phil Ivey?

Full Tilt Poker's FTOPS XVII Announced

2010-07-19T00:07:00.000-07:00

With the WSOP out of the way it's time for people to jump back online for a fantastic, big money, tournament series, the Full Tilt Online Poker Series. Full Tilt will be running 34 events starting on August 4th with a $750K online poker tournament and finishing up with a $3 million main event. All in all $19 million is on the table in guaranteed tournaments.

All of the normal events you would expect from the FTOPS are there, Hold'em, Omaha, HORSE, Stud, and Razz but to throw in a little twist sex events will be in Full Tilt Poker's Rush Poker format. Talk about exciting action.

As with all FTOPS you can satellite and super-satellite into the events on Full Tilt Poker so you should get over there now because the first event isn't too far away.

Find out how you can get a $600 bonus at Full Tilt Poker

Phil Ivey Finishes 3rd in the WPT Bellagio

2010-07-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

Phil Ivey had an uphill climb from the get go at the final table of the World Poker Tour Bellagio event but he made the best of it finishing in 3rd after losing to Justin Smith. This was a record setting 9th final table appearance at a WPT event for Phil and he took down $350K for his troubles. Of course, for Phil $350,000 is loose change. He's been known to win more than that in one hand at cash games. Regardless, Phil once again proves why he's such a tough competitor by setting a WPT record.

Looking for a $600 deposit bonus on Full Tilt Poker?

Phil Ivey Makes Record Setting 9th WPT Championship Final Table

2010-07-15T23:45:00.000-07:00

The Amazing Phil Ivey will be sitting at the WPT Bellagio Cup final table. Ivey is fifth in chips out of the six remaining players with 1.5 million in chips. The chip leader, John Caridad has over 5 million. It will be an uphill battle for Ivey but he's shown he's a threat as long as he has a single chip left so nobody should be sitting back and thinking they can push Ivey around the table.

The other four players at the final table are Justin Smith, Rob Akery, Eric Afrait, and Moritz Kranich.

BTW, this is the same Justin Smith who, along with Mike Matusow, made a $2 million prop bet with Ted Forrest that Forrest couldn't drop 50 pounds in a month. Curious to find out who won the prop bet?

Looking for a $600 deposit bonus on Full Tilt Poker ?

Phil Ivey Survives Day 4 of the WPT Bellagio Cup

2010-07-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

Phil Ivey may have *only* earned one new bracelet (making for a total of 8) at the 2010 WSOP but he hasn't slowed down his dominance at the poker tables. Phil is still in the running at the $15,000 buy-in WPT Bellagio Cup IV. He's sitting pretty in eighth out of a remaining 32 players. If he makes it to the final table this will be his 10th WPT championship final table.

Phil Ivey and Barry Greenstein Trade Jabs

2010-07-09T22:51:00.000-07:00

Funny little video on PokerRoad of Barry Greenstein and Phil Ivey trading jokes about each other.

What to play poker with Phil Ivey and get a $600 signup bonus at Full Tilt Poker?

Rush Poker Week at Full Tilt Poker

2010-07-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

Looking for a way to make a little extra money while we wait to see if Phil Ivey will make the final table at the WSOP Main Event again this year? Full Tilt Poker is looking to put up to $250 in your pocket if you play Rush Poker.

Earn at least 10 Full Tilt Points (FTP's) per day for four days and earn $5

If you earn at least 10 FTP's per day the entire week they'll give you $10

Crank it up a bit and if you earn 100 FTP's per day for four days you'll get $50. Do at least 100 FTP's per day all seven days and they'll give you $100

And for the truly committed, if you earn at least 1000 FTP's per day for four days they'll give you $125. Do it all seven days and they'll pay you $250.

It's a great deal if you already love Rush Poker and a great way to get paid to do what you already love to do.

Don't have an account on Full Tilt Poker? Shame on you :-) Seriously though, click here and get a $600 signup bonus at Full Tilt Poker .

Phil Ivey Wins Eighth WSOP Bracelet - Closing in on Hellmuth

2010-06-24T21:51:00.001-07:00

Phil Ivey continues to prove that he is the best player in the world today by taking down his 8th WSOP bracelet in Event #37, $3000 HORSE. Ivey's win banked the Full Tilt Poker pro $329,840 but the real money is in Phil's side/prop bets with other players. In fact, much joking has taken place after Phil Ivey had to ask how much the first place prize was completely unaware of what the payout was.

See for someone who has at least $5 million riding on a bet with Howard Lederer the $329,840 payout is tipping money for someone like Phil. And that's just one of several rumored big money side bets Phil has made on himself.

The truth is that Ivey needs the side action to make tournaments worth his while. He's never really taken tournament poker seriously because a $330K win is often less than what he can make in a few hands at cash games. So either he or Howard Lederer figured out that the best way to keep Phil's head in the game was to put enough zeros behind is payday that it was worth it to him. Thus Lederer's $5 million bet. Lederer and Full Tilt probably won't even mind paying out because of all the of insane media coverage and publicity it brings to Full Tilt.

Congrats to Phil on his 8th WSOP bracelet and good luck on catching Phil Hellmuth.

Want to take a shot at Phil Ivey yourself? Sign up at Full Tilt Poker and get a $600 bonus.

Want to play poker with Phil Ivey?

2010-06-24T21:09:00.000-07:00

This week saw the first airing of Full Tilt Poker's, The Poker Lounge, in the UK market (Channel 4). One Full Tilt qualifier matched wits with Team Full Tilt players like Phil Ivey and Gus Hansen.

The format is a $20K buy-in where six players battle it out for a chance at a winner-take-all $120K prize pool. Each week one online qualifier will play against a table of sharks supplied from Full Tilt Poker's pro lineup.

If you want to catch the show it airs weekly starting at 00:05.

Find out more about The Poker Lounge

Phil Ivey Bluffing With Nothing

2010-06-17T20:20:00.001-07:00

With Phil Ivey it almost becomes commonplace to see him bluff with absolutely nothing. Here he pushes Vekdhuis off of a hand with nothing more than 52o.

Phil Ivey Top Vote Getter in WSOP TOC

2010-06-16T18:31:00.001-07:00

It should come as no surprise that one of the best and most liked players in the world received the most votes for to be included in the WSOP Tournament of Champions event. Phil will join other top pros such as Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, Phil hellmuth, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Johnny Chan, Howard Lederer, Greg Raymer, Mike Matusow, Annie Duke, and Barry Greenstein for a chance to win the $500,000 first place prize (runner-up gets $250,000, third gets $100,000, and fourth through ninth get $25,000 each).

Play will start at the Rio on Sunday, June 27 at noon. Players will play until they bust out or complete four one-hour levels (whichever comes first). At that point the players will go home and rest for the evening and the remaining players will return on Money, June 28th at noon. Again the players will play until they bust or four one-hour levels. All remaining players will return on Sunday, July 4 for the final showdown.

Vote Getters

Phil Ivey (16,267 votes)

Daniel Negreanu (16,239 votes)

Doyle Brunson (13,796 votes)

Phil Hellmuth (12,637 votes)

Chris Freguson (11,585 votes)

Allen Cunningham (10,486 votes)

Johnny Chan (10,434 votes)

Scotty Nguyen (9,834 votes)

Barry Greenstein (9,806 votes)

John Juanda (8,835 votes)

Erik Seidel (8,802 votes)

Jennifer Harman (8,206 votes)

Huck Seed (8,180 votes)

Dan Harrington (7,342 votes)

TJ Cloutier (6,281 votes)

Sammy Farha (6,085 votes)

Howard Lederer (5,596 votes)

Greg Raymer (5,404 votes)

Joe Hachem (5,272 votes)

Antonio Esfandiari (5,129 votes)

Automatic Entries

Annie Duke - 2004 TOC Champion

Mike Matusow - 2005 TOC Champion

Mike Sexton - 2006 TOC CHampion

Joe Cada 2009 WSOP ME Champion

Barry Shulman - 2009 WSOPE ME Champion

Exemptions

Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier - WSOP Academy Playoff Winner

Andrew Barton - WSOP.COM UK Qualifier

Want to play with pro players like Phil Ivey, Allen Cunningham, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, John Juanda, Erik Seidel, Jen Harman, Huck Seed, Howard Lederer, and Mike Matusow? Check out Full Tilt Poker for more details!!

Join Phil at the WSOP Main Event

2010-06-15T23:35:00.001-07:00

Until Sunday June 20th you can get in on Full Tilt Poker’s WSOP Main Event Week which has more than 200 WSOP seats up for grabs. At least five WSOP Main Event prize packages will be available daily. The finale of the WSOP Main Event Week will be a $640 buy-in 150 Seat Guarantee on Sunday June 20th at 18:00 ET.

The prize packages include a $10,000 Main Event buy-in plus $2000 in spending money for a total value of $12,000.

Package winners will also have access to the Full Tilt Poker hospitality suite at the Rio Hotel. They’ll also receive free off-Strip accommodations during their stay in Las Vegas.

More information on the Full Tilt Poker Main Event Week

Phil Ivey and Tom "Durrrr" Dwan in Monster Pot

2010-06-15T22:58:00.001-07:00

Absolutely sick, sick bluff by Tom Dwan against Phil Ivey.

Tony G and Phil Ivey in $233K Pot

2010-06-15T22:29:00.001-07:00

You have to wonder what Phil Ivey put Tony G on in this hand. There aren't many hands that Tony would push with here that Phil Ivey could beat.

Men "The Master" Nguyen Ties Phil Ivey

2010-06-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

Men "The Master" Nguyen took home another WSOP bracelet this year at the 2010 WSOP. His win at the $10,000 seven-card stud put a seventh golden bracelet on his wrist and tied him for sixth place in overall bracelet wins with Phil Ivey and Billy Baxter. Nguyen takes home $394,800 for his efforts.

It was reported that in typical Nguyen style he played the final table with an aggressive style that frustrated many of his opponents. He played several hands without even looking at his cards and his verbal jousting with runner-up Brandon Adams was considered over the line at times.

Here are the final table payouts for the $10,000 WSOP Seven-Card Stud Event

1. Men Nguyen -- $394,800

2. Brandon Adams -- $243,958

3. Steve Billirakis -- $152,788

4. Nikolay Evdakov -- $110,629

5. Joe Cassidy -- $86,461

6. Michael Mizrachi -- $68,949

7. Vladimir Schmelev -- $55,991

8. Sirous Jamshidi -- $46,206

Phil Ivey's Grandfather, Leonard 'Bud' Simmons

2010-06-15T22:16:00.000-07:00

Phil Ivey certainly has many major accomplishments under his belt but it could be argued that he's running second to his own grandfather Leonard 'Bud' Simmons. Leonard, or Bud as he was known to family and friends, was the first black policeman, the first black police commissioner, and first black school board member of his town Roselle. Not content on those accomplishments Bud also was the founding president of the Roselle branch of the NAACP and organized the Union County African-American Republicans.

Bud participated in the Washington marches in 1963 and the Selma/Montgomery march in 1965. He met with both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X. He was a staunch fighter for equal rights and spearheaded many civil rights initiatives in Roselle.

Before accomplishing all of that Bud served in World War II with the 648th Ordnance Company participating in the French, Belgium, England, and German campaigns. He was awarded five battle stars and received two citations for meritorious service.

Bud Simmon passed away in 2007 at the age of 87. His daughter Simmons Ivey and her son, poker wonder kid Phil Ivey, founded the Budding Ivey Foundation to provide educational opportunities to at-risk children.

Phil Ivey Passes Daniel Negreanu on All-Time Money List

2010-01-27T00:16:00.000-08:00

Mounting evidence that Phil Ivey is the greatest poker player of all-time. With Phil Ivey's 2nd place finish in the Aussie Millions $100,000 Challenge Ivey beats Daniel Negreanu for the most cash won in poker tournaments. Ivey's win takes his lifetime earnings in poker tournaments to $12,813,990. Negreanu is close behind at $12,432,367. Third on the list is WSOP ME winner Jamie Gold who has cashed for $12,201,061 but that was mostly his $12,000,000 win in the 2006 WSOP. Doing some quick math shows he's only made $201,061 since he started playing in 2005. The gap between Gold and the two hot tournament champs is only likely to widen.

For information on playing with Phil Ivey on Full Tilt Poker, click here.

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2010-01-23T00:07:00.001-08:00

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Full Tilt Poker’s $25 Million Double Guarantees Week

2010-01-22T23:17:00.000-08:00

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Gus to take some time off from poker

2009-12-25T01:10:00.000-08:00

Full tilt Poker pro player Gus Hansen has decided to take some time off after losing $5.3 million in 2009.

Could You Lay Down a Full House on the River?

2009-12-21T09:33:00.000-08:00

An amazing hand between Phil Ivey and Jerry Fitt. Fit calls a pre-flop raise from Ivey with J9s against Ivey's KK. Flop comes KK9. Ivey and Fitt check the flop and a see a rag hit on the turn. Ivey bets, Fitt raises, and Ivey takes awhile to call. River is the worst card in the deck, a 9. Fitt is staring at a full house, 9's full of kings. He checks and Ivey pushes.

Could you lay that hand down?

Phil Ivey and Jen Harman Mix It Up

2009-12-14T08:03:00.000-08:00

Unlucky for Phil. He picks up JJ against Harman's AA and follows her to the river. Fortunately he read the hand right and figured there's no way Jen's firing three barrels without having something so he folds and saves himself calling $20,000.

Phil Ivey and Doyle Brunson Arguing at 2009 WSOP

2009-12-06T08:12:00.000-08:00

Phil Ivey is famous for being a man of few words but in this video he and Doyle Brunson go at it. Not sure what the argument is about but Phil obviously feels slighted in some way.

Free eBook: Full Tilt Poker Tips from the Pros

2009-12-05T03:20:00.000-08:00

Every wish you had Phil Ivey, Mike Matusow, Phil Gordon, or Howard Lederer sitting over your shoulder giving you advice? Yeah, me too! The next best thing is getting tips from them on how to play better poker. Suited Rags is offering a 404 page roundup of tips from Full Tilt Poker's pros on playing the game of poker.

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Check out the Full Tilt Poker Tips from the Pros offer on Suited Rags.

WPT and Full Tilt Poker - What a Combo

2009-12-04T00:41:00.000-08:00

Just got news that the online home of Phil Ivey, Full Tilt Poker, will be offering satellites into two major WPT events. You can win a seat into either the WPT LA Poker Classic or the WPT Bay 101 (or both, if you're good/lucky). Both are $10,000 buy-in events and the Full Tilt Poker package comes with money for travel and acomodations so it's really a pretty sweet deal.

For more information on the Full Tilt Poker Qualifiers for the WPT.

Do You Play Sit N Go's?

2009-12-03T06:49:00.000-08:00

If you play Sit n Go's this offer from Full Tilt Poker is sure to be worth your while. It's Full Tilt Poker's SnG Madness. Some really amazing prizes and many of them look pretty easy to win.

Isildur1 Down $5.3 Million

2009-12-03T00:50:00.000-08:00

If you've been watching the high-stakes games on Full Tilt Poker recently you'll note that a mysterious player Isildur1 has been giving players like Phil Ivey and Tom Durrr Dwan a good run. He's posted some serious wins as well as some spectacular losses. But nothing is as sick as his loss the other day of $5.3 million. Dwan is down a cool $5 million in just the last month alone himself but Isildur1's $5.3 million one-day loss has to be some sort of online poker record.

Don't forget to watch these high-stakes games on Full Tilt. They are amazing.

Phil Ivey Putting Pressure on Jeff Shulman

2009-12-01T07:03:00.000-08:00

Jeff Shulman raises with pocket nines and Phil Ivey looks down at KQ and challenges Shulman for a big chunk of his stack by going all-in. Ivey knows that Shulman is trying to stay out of confrontations early at the final table and takes advantage of the fact that Shulman doesn't want to coin flip for most of his chips.

The Value Bet Bluff

2009-12-01T06:59:00.000-08:00

A truly excellent example of why Phil Ivey is one of the best poker players in the world. Sensing weakness in his opponent he bets the river with nothing hoping his opponent will read it as a value bet designed to milk some more chips out of him.

Phil Ivey Winning his 6th WSOP Bracelet

2009-12-01T05:25:00.001-08:00

Watch Phil Ivey Win his 7th WSOP Bracelet

2009-12-01T05:24:00.001-08:00

Best Interview With Ivey Ever

2009-11-30T11:39:00.000-08:00

Phil Ivey is known for shying away from the media but in this rare glimpse into his life he gives a behind the scenes look into what life is like for the best poker player in the world.

Although Ivey is known to love the craps tables and some blackjack when he's not playing poker it's still surprising to seem him play and win approx. $1,000,000 in just under an hour gambling at the craps tables. To him it doesn't even register. It's just money.

Video of Ivey Mucking Winning Hand

2009-11-30T10:57:00.000-08:00

Ouch. That's got to hurt when you watch it on television later. But it just goes to show that even the greats can make mistakes sometimes. Makes some of us feel better about our own mistakes :-)

I'm not exactly on the Phil Ivey level but one has to wonder what was going through his mind. We've seen Ivey bluff with nothing in hands and push weak opponents off winners but here he has a pretty solid pocket pair and checks the flop, turn, and river in position.

It must have been a really off day for Phil because the guy I see winning million dollar sessions on Full Tilt Poker so frequently it's become boring doesn't let stuff like that happen.

Think you can take on Phil Ivey? Give it a shot at Full Tilt Poker.

Tom “Durrrr” Dwan Makes Poker TV History

2009-09-28T02:06:00.000-07:00

Most people who have been following Phil Ivey know that Tom “Durrrr” Dwan has been a recent opponenet of his for some very huge pots. But just the other week Dwan secured a spot for himself in the record books by taking down the largest pot in televised poker history. And no, we're not talking about in a tournament. This was Full Tilt Poker's Million Dollar Cash Game.

Playing in a field that included Phil Ivey, Allen Cunningham, Patrik Antonius, Tom Dwan, Mike Matusow and Gus Hansen Dwan shocked everyone when he beat Phil Ivey for a $1.2 million pot. Yes, $1.2 in cash in a single hand!

Dwan bet out and Ivey raised him SB. Dwan called. The flop was Qc-5c-3d. Ivey bets out $40,000. Dwan calls. Turn is 4h. Ivey took the lead betting out again and got raised by Dwan to $250,000. After some thought Ivey re-raised all-in. Dwan instantly called and showed 6h-7h giving him the nut straight and Ivey turned over Ac-2h for smaller straight.

Todd Brunson Eliminates Phil Ivey from WSOPE

2009-09-27T20:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things just don't go your way and that's exactly how Phil Ivey must feel. Ivey pushes on the turn with a 7s-9s-Jd-Ts board and Brunson calls. Ivey is able to show 8c-9c for the straight and Brunson is drawing with As-6c. Of course the river is a spade (4s) giving Brunson the flush and the pot.

Phil Ivey and Sammy Farha in Big Pot

2009-09-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

Great hand. Not a too much on the betting strategy because Farah gets all his money in on the flop but interesting to watch regardless.

How much will Phil Ivey make if he wins the WSOP Main Event?

2009-08-01T00:09:00.000-07:00

This year's WSOP was quite a successful venture for Phil Ivey. In addition to picking up two WSOP bracelets and winning untold millions in side games Phil Ivey could be set up for one of the biggest paydays in poker history.

First prize for the WSOP Main Event will be $8,546,435. It's also rumored that Full Tilt Poker will pay the winning player $10,000,000 if they qualified on the site. Assuming the offer still holds for Ivey as sponsored player that would make his total take $18,546,435.

But wait, there's more.

He also has an outstanding sidebet with Andy Bloch that will add another $2,000,000 if he wins the Main Event. He also has bets out with Phil Gordon which Gordon has claimed would be very painful if he had to write the check if Ivey wins. There's also another $1,000,000 bet Ivey has with Tom Dwan.

And that is on top of the $5,000,0000 bet he has with Howard Lederer that Ivey can grab 2 more bracelets within the next three years. Of course, Ivey already one one bracelet after making the bet so the WSOP Main Event would make his bet a winner.

So all in all, Ivey has a potential $26,546,435 riding on his winning the WSOP Main Event. That doesn't even include the Phil Gordon bet which is for an undisclosed sum.

Ivey on a Roll. Up Another $750K

2009-08-01T00:07:00.000-07:00

As if winning two WSOP bracelets, a seat at the final table of the WSOP in Nov, and making millions in side bets and cash games during the WSOP wasn't enough, Phil Ivey decided to hit the virtual felt at Full Tilt Poker this week and cleared $750K for his efforts.

Andy Bloch Facing $2,000,000 Bet Phil Ivey Won't Win WSOP

2009-07-31T21:52:00.000-07:00

As mentioned previously on this blog, Phil Gordon and Andy Bloch got themselves into a little hot water when they made a bet with Phil Ivey that he wouldn't win the WSOP Main Event. While Phil Gordon was the first to leak news about the huge bets, Andy Bloch has revealed exactly how much is on the line.

When there were 2,400 players left in the Main Event, he bet Ivey 20K at 99-1 that he couldn’t close the deal. That puts Bloch on the hook for $2,000,000 if Ivey manages to outlast the other 8 players in November. Even though Ivey is a short-stack at the final table his skills on the felt are still something to fear. If anyone can come from behind and take home the bracelet it is Phil Ivey.

Phil Ivey Too Young for Poker Hall of Fame?

2009-07-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

Well that seems to be what the granddaddy of poker thinks. Doyle Brunson said in his blog:

It's almost time to vote for the 2009 inductees into the Poker Hall Of Fame and I'm unsure of who my choices will be. I'm leaning toward the older guys with my first choice being Mike Sexton. We have to pick two and I'm thinking hard about my other vote. Phil Ivey is the best player on the list, but he is only 33 years old. Chip Reese is the youngest player to be inducted at the age of 40. Phil is great, but he still isn't Chip. Give Phil a few more years and he will certainly be elected. I'll be cheering for him and Jeff Shulman in November at the WSOP final table.

Andy Bloch and Phil Gordon Make Huge Bets Against Phil Ivey

2009-07-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

Phil Gordon has admitted that he and Andy Bloch made huge bets against Phil Ivey to win the WSOP Main Event. When there were still 2400 players battling it out for the most coveted bracelet in poker Phil Ivey offered 100/1 odds to any takers. Both Bloch and Gordon took Ivey up on the bet for very large amounts.

Gordon wouldn't say how much he was on the hook for if Ivey wins but he did say the amount was “so big that my wife was upset with me that I took the bet. We’re quaking in our boots but Andy is quaking about 20 times more than I am”.

Ivey a 13/2 Favorite to Win the WSOP Main Event

2009-07-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

According to Bluff Magazine's poll of various betting rooms publishing odds on the final 9 at the WSOP Phil Ivey is rated 3rd most likely to win with 13/2 odds.

Darvin Moon 3/1 with Victor Chandler

Eric Buchman 4/1 with Blue Sq

Phil Ivey 13/2 with Victor Chandler

Steven Begleiter 13/2 with Victor Chandler

Jeff Shulman 7/1 with Ladbrokes

Joseph Cada 12/1 with Ladbrokes

Kevin Schaffel 12/1 with Blue Sq & Ladbrokes

Antoine Saout 18/1 with Blue Sq & Ladbrokes

James Akenhead 20/1 with Victor Chandler

Phil Ivey Snubs Featured Table

2009-07-18T03:13:00.000-07:00

Word has it that Phil Ivey refused to be part of the featured table in ESPN's coverage of the WSOP early into the Main Event. The WSOP website had reported that Ivey's table was scheduled to be the featured table but was later changed when Ivey protested.

Later Ivey would explain that he was very tired from playing the night before and simply wanted to concentrate on his cards and not on the television cameras and the crowds.

Some rumors speculated that Ivey paid off his fellow table-mates as compensation but others have denied that any payments were offered or made by Ivey.

Whatever his reasons, Ivey seems to have made a wise choice as he has not made the November Nine players who will come back and play the final table of the Main Event in November. Sometimes it pays to concentrate at the tables.

Phil Ivey Survives Day 1D

2009-07-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

Phil Ivey finally made his debut at the $10,000 WSOP Main Event on day D. He finished the day without any real big news to report either good or bad.

Let's see if Phil can take down bracelet number three in this series.

Phil Ivey Wins Bracelet Number 7 at 2009 WSOP

2009-06-17T03:45:00.001-07:00

Winning a single WSOP bracelet is difficult. Winning multiple bracelets is a sign you're in an elite class. Winning two in a single year means you're a poker legend. Well, if that's the definition of a poker legend then Phil Ivey has entered into that class. Phil Ivey took down the $10,000 Omaha 8/Stud 8 event for his second bracelet of the year.

No telling how many more he might accumulate but rumors have it that he has a $5 million bet with Howard Lederer that he will win more 2 bracelets within the next 3 years. But the kicker is that the bet was made after his first bracelet this year but before the second so he's one down and one to go to collect $5 million and he has this year and two more to do it.

Also worth a watch here is Daniel Negreanu's commentary on how many bracelets Phil could win over the next several years. Doyle's probably got one or fewer WSOP wins left in him at his age, Hellmuth and Chan might have a few more. But if Ivey keeps focused he could become the all-time leader in bracelets won.

And for a laugh, check out Daniel's impression of Ivey around 1:30 into the clip :-)

Watch Daniel Negreanu: Angels and Demons on RawVegas.tv

Ivey Captures Sixth WSOP Bracelet

2009-06-17T03:20:00.000-07:00

Phil Ivey was able to secure his sixth WSOP win in the $2,500 No Limit Deuce-to-Seven event. Coming back from being a short-stack going into the final table Phil - ever the warrior - battled back and soon found himself heads up with John Monnette. Monnette started the heads-up face-off with the advantage and the lead changed several times before Monnette was overcome by Phil's play and he was out in second place.

Phil's cut was $96,361 but the big money was in sidebets he had with other players. Rumors are that his actual profit on the match was into the millions of dollars.

You know you have too much money when . . .

2009-06-17T03:18:00.001-07:00

Here's a pic I found on Pocket5's that shows Phil Ivey seeming not to really care about several thousands in hundred dollar bills laying around his feet.

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2009-04-16T03:31:00.000-07:00

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Ivey Up $1.8 Million Dollars in First 12 Days of March

2009-04-04T02:15:00.000-07:00

Phil Ivey who was the most profitable player of 2008 has taken down $1.8 million in just the first twelve days of March alone. Granted, he was stuck to the tune of $2.5 million in Jan and Feb but Ivey's ability to log huge (really huge) sessions means swings like that are part of the game for one of the best poker players in the world.

Learn How to Play Poker From Phil Ivey

2009-03-11T00:07:00.000-07:00

If you ever wanted to get lessons from the best player in the world, Phil Ivey, you may now have your chance. Full Tilt Poker has opened the doors to the Full Tilt Poker Academy. The Full Tilt Poker Academy features videos, quizzes, podcasts, challenges and prizes going to the Academy's most gifted students.

While many sites offer poker advice and you can even pay for professional coaching, no site offers a lineup of poker talent as good as Full Tilt Poker Academy. Some of the other names associated with the academy include Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, Jennifer Harman, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Andy Bloch, Phil Gordon, John Juanda, Mike Matusow, Gus Hansen, Allen Cunningham and Patrik Antonius.

If you're serious about playing poker and interested in becoming a better player there is no better place to get an education.

Ivey No Longer Backing?

2009-03-11T00:03:00.000-07:00

Word on the street is that Phil Ivey will no longer be backing players. Ivey, who is rumored to be one of the biggest backers on the tournament circuit, will no longer be buying his friends into events. He's believed to be the money behind many players including Michael Mizrachi, David Williams and Paul Darden.

No real reason was given for his change of heart. He's been doing well in most games he's being watched in so it's not a lack of funds. Perhaps Phil hasn't seen a good return on his investment or keeping track of his horses has been taking up too much of his time.

Spoiler Alert: Russo Takes Out Phil Ivey in NBC Heads-Up Champtionship

2009-03-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

I guess the headline says it all. Vanessa Russo got it all in with pocket 10's against Ivey's 8's and the better hand held up.

Analysis of Hand Between Phil Ivey and LarzLuzak

2009-02-28T08:32:00.000-08:00

Daniel Skolovy does a really superb job breaking down this $500/$1000 NL hand between Phil Ivey and Finnish pro LarzLuzak. Really worth the read.

Quads Against a Full House

2009-02-28T04:40:00.000-08:00

It's bad enough when you have to play against Phil Ivey who is probably the best player poker has ever seen but it certainly doesn't help when you make 9's full of kings on the river against Ivey who holds quads.

Phil Ivey Takes Crushing Bad Beat at WSOP Europe ‘09

2009-02-28T04:30:00.000-08:00

If you're playing against Phil Ivey I guess that the best you can hope for is to pick up a hand that you don't mind pushing all your chips into the pot with. Keston does just that with his pocket 10's but runs into Ivey's aces.

$1.1 Million - Just Another Day at the Office For Phil Ivey

2009-02-28T04:13:00.000-08:00

As many people know Phil Ivey decided to take Tom "Durrrr" Dwan up on his 50,000 hand challenge for $! million. Looks like Phil got out to a comfortable lead making $1.1 million in a single day on Full Tilt Poker. The largest pot of the day came against Durrrr for $336,590 when Phil sucked out to make two pair on a mixed board.

The problem most players have against Phil Ivey is that not only is he one of the best players in the world but like all players he can run hot and when he does his wins can be soul crushing for his opponents. When Phil is on a heater you might as well just sign your checks over to him.

Full Tilt Poker Wants to Give You $600 to Play Against Phil Ivey

2009-02-26T21:22:00.000-08:00

Well, they're not just going to outright give it to you but if you go and sign up at Full Tilt Poker and make a deposit Full Tilt Poker will match your deposit 100% up to $600. That's almost like getting free money. All you have to do is play for real money on the site and they will release the $600 to you in chunks as you earn points.

What can you do with that $600? You could enter into one of the many tournaments hosted by Full Tilt Poker. Phil is known to play in many of the tournaments there so you could find yourself sitting across the virtual felt from one of the best poker players ever to play the game.

You could also get lucky and find Phil sitting across from you at the low limit games. It's rare but every so often Phil takes himself away from games played for so much money that your head swims to play with us poker mortals. He's been spotted at all sorts of different limits so you never know when Ivey might show up and mix it up with you.

Another Full Tilt Pro Doing Well at the LAPC

2009-02-26T21:01:00.000-08:00

One of Phil Ivey's Full Tilt Poker buddies, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson has made it to the end of Day 4 at the World Poker Tour LAPC event as chip leader with 1,721,000 chips. Anyone who has seen Ferguson's performances in the NBC Heads Up Championships should know that Ferguson deep in a tournament is a dangerous thing if you're one of his opponents.

Amazing Hand By Fellow Full Tilt Player Antonius

2009-02-26T20:52:00.000-08:00

This call by Antonius is absolutely sick. You have to see it to believe it.

NBC Heads-Up Championship Players Announced

2009-02-26T20:49:00.000-08:00

The list of players for the NBC Heads-Up Championship has been announced. Thankfully one of our favorite players, Phil Ivey, will be a featured player.

1. David Benyamine
2. Andy Bloch
3. Chad Brown
4. Doyle Brunson
5. Johnny Chan
6. Don Cheadle
7. Glen Chorny
8. Allen Cunningham
9. Ivan Demidov
10. Annie Duke
11. Tom Dwan
12. Peter Eastgate
13. Eli Elezra
14. Antonio Esfandiari
15. Sam Farha
16. Chris Ferguson
17. Scott Fischman
18. Layne Flack
19. Ted Forrest
20. Brad Garrett
21. Jamie Gold
22. Clonie Gowen
23. Barry Greenstein
24. Gavin Griffin
25. Bertrand Grospellier
26. Joe Hachem
27. Gus Hansen
28. Jennifer Harman
29. Phil Hellmuth
30. Orel Hershiser
31. Jeffrey Ishbia (Caesars qualifier)
32. Phil Ivey
33. John Juanda
34. Gabe Kaplan
35. Phil Laak
36. Howard Lederer
37. Erick Lindgren
38. Jonathan Little
39. Mike Matusow
40. Dario Minieri
41. Chris Moneymaker
42. Daniel Negreanu
43. Scotty Nguyen
44. David Pham
45. John Phan
46. Greg Raymer
47. Vanessa Rousso
48. Ilari Sahamies
49. Huck Seed
50. Vanessa Selbst
51. Erik Seidel
52. Mike Sexton
53. Gavin Smith
54. Jennifer Tilly
55. J.C. Tran
56. Kenny Tran
57. Paul Wasicka
58. David Williams
59. Jerry Yang
60. Leon Yanovski (online qualifier)
61. Caesars qualifier
62. Online qualifier
63. Online qualifier
64. Online qualifier

Phil Ivey Mentioned During ESPN2's Australian Open Broadcas

2009-01-20T21:48:00.000-08:00

According to this excited 2+2'er:

During the broadcast of the Rafael Nadal vs. Christophe Rochus match at the Australian Open, Chris Fowler and Brad Gilbert of ESPN mentioned that they saw Phil Ivey with a million dollars on the craps table at the Crown Casino at Melbourne. They mentioned Nadal was there too but gambled very small. But they were really impressed with Ivey's Ballerity.(is that a word?)

Ivey and Ziigmund Flip for $400,000

2009-01-20T11:08:00.000-08:00

Phil Ivey and Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies decided to mix it up on a 50/50 shot for about $200K each. Ivey with 6-4-T-J and Ziigmund" with 7-2-Q-4 pushed all in and let the cards decide their fate. Ziigmund made two pair but Ivey had a flush draw that never got there. Ivey suggested that the $200K richer Ziigmund buy drinks next time they see each other.

Phil Ivey and Chris Ferguson Penalized at Aussie Millions

2009-01-19T11:38:00.001-08:00

Poker King is reporting that both Ivey and Jesus got dinged for using mobile phones.

Ivey Accepts Durrrr's $1 Million Challenge

2009-01-18T02:36:00.000-08:00

Online poker superstar Tom "durrrr" Dwan issued a challenge in Bluff magazine that he would be willing to play someone $200/$400 for a minimum of 50,000 hands heads-up. If his opponent is up even a single dollar after the bout then he will give them $1 million. If he wins the loser has to give durrrr $500,000.

“I’m making this heads-up challenge to the world. Anyone can accept. Four tables, minimum of $200/$400, and I’ll put up $1.5 million to their $500,000. We play 50,000 hands minimum and if they end up a dollar after rake they keep the side money or whatever. So basically, if you and I played and you won a dollar, you would get my $1.5 million and if I won a dollar I would win your $500,000.

So I’m giving a million dollars free if anyone thinks they can do it.”

It didn't take Ivey long to take durrrr up on his challenge. With the two of them in constant battle at the table it should be an interesting challenge.

Phil Ivey Killing MarketPulse

2009-01-18T02:26:00.000-08:00

Less than a month into the new year and Ivey and durrrr are already cleaning up. Ivey is up a little over $400K while durrrr is out in front by another $100K more.

Ivey currently holds the title for biggest online pot this year when his pocket aces held up against LarsLuzak's flush draw which won him a $406,814 pot.

Keep watching Ivey this year. If he keeps playing like this he and durrrr may smash all previous online poker records.

Phil Ivey Wins Monster $687k Pot From John Juanda

2008-10-29T06:34:00.001-07:00

Juanda on the button. Dwan is all-in on the SB. Ivey has the BB. Juanda raises to $4500. Ivey re-raises to $17K and Juanda comes over the top making it $55K. Flop comes A-5-10 with two spades. Ivey checks and Juanda bets $112k, Ivey pushes all in and Juanda calls. Ivey turns over pocket tens giving him a set and Juanda shows K 8 of spades for a flush draw. Turn and river don't give Juanda his flush and Phil scoops a $687,000 pot, one of the largest in the history of online poker. Congrats Phil!

2008-10-29T06:25:00.001-07:00

Interesting and fun interview by Devilfish. I think Phil Ivey is dead on regarding what it takes to be a top pro.

Spoiler: Phil talks about dropping a cool million on craps in one evening.

Phil Ivey Bluff @ 2008 WSOP Main Event

2008-09-16T02:53:00.001-07:00

Ivey Up $1.3M In Three Days

2008-09-05T03:49:00.001-07:00

According to highstakesdb's Phil Ivey has clicked up $1.3 million in wins in the last 3 days. In only 3,829 hands Phil scooped up a staggering amount of cash. Ivey did battle with the likes of players like Tom 'durrrr' Dwan.

Phil Ivey's $500,000 Mercedes

2008-09-05T03:43:00.001-07:00

Mike Matusow Hates Gus Hansen

2008-09-05T03:36:00.001-07:00

Ziigmund wins $399k against Ivey in PLO Heads-up Match

2008-08-19T07:50:00.001-07:00

Bluff Magazine has a great story about online player Ziigmund taking almost $400K off of Ivey.

If that pot was a sickener, it was nothing compared to the last hand of the session. Posting out of the small blind with 8h-5c-7d-3h, Ivey raised to $3k preflop, with Ilari calling with 2d-4h-4c-5d. The flop came Js-6c-3s, giving Ivey nothing more than a gutshot, while Saharies’ pocket fours and up and down straight draw still the best hand. The Finn check-called Ivey’s $5k bet, before the action card came on the turn. The 4d made Ivey his improbable gutshot nut straight, while Saharies had hit a set and a smaller straight. All of the money went in after Ziigmund’s check-raise to $55k was met by an all in for $134k.

Now, a quick look at the percentages here show Ivey to be just a 78% favourite for a $257,995 pot. When the board paired with a Js showing up on the river, the chips went over to Ilari, who promptly called the session to an end, banking a $400k profit for the session.

Ivey a Favorite in the WSOP ME

2008-07-04T04:53:00.001-07:00

PartyBets.com has listed Phil Ivey as a 22/1 favorite to win the WSOP ME. It's a pretty good indicator that punters and bookmakers feel feel that Phil Ivey has a chance to make it deep into the main event and come out a winner. With this year so many pros taking home bracelets this might be one bet that pays off.

Phil Ivey Charity Event

2008-07-03T05:46:00.001-07:00

I wasn't able to go do the Phil Ivey charity poker tournament but Tuscaloosa Johnny was and you can read his report here.

Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey Meet Barack Obama

2008-06-29T08:59:00.001-07:00

Check out this video blog with Daniel discussing flying out to Los Angeles to go to an Obama fundraiser.

Phil Ivey to Host Charity Tournament

2008-06-29T08:44:00.001-07:00

Phil Ivey will be hosting the Budding Ivey Game Night Celebration at the Golden Nugget to benefit charity on Tuesday, July 1st. Seats are open to the public. Buy-in is $1,000 with $500 rebuys.

Phil Ivey Out in $50,000 H.O.R.S.E Event

2008-06-29T08:28:00.001-07:00

Ivey went out in 12th ($159,840) when he got into a hand with Scotty Nguyen. Ivey had Nguyen all the way to the river while playing stud but Scotty drew lucky and Phil was sent to the rails.

Does Phil Ivey Have A Gambling Problem?

2008-06-12T16:31:00.001-07:00

Although it's hard to confirm anything but rumor has it that Phil Ivey has two $2 million bets out. The first is whether or not he'll take a bracelet home this WSOP for $2 million and the other is $2 million on whether or not the Lakers basketball team wins the championships. I can understand the fact that Phil Ivey has a bankroll I can't even dream of but the more and more you hear about stuff like this you wonder how similar he is to poker savants like Stu Unger.

I've been fortunate enough to chat with some of the people who know Phil the best like Howard Lederer and other top name pros and they can do nothing more than sing his praises. I get a sense that people don't give his poker game the cred it deserves because it would be disrespectful to people like Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese and ultimately guys like Stu Unger. Not that they disrespect his game. Most pros will readily admit he's the best player in the world but you have to bow down to the idols and Phil Ivey hasn't crossed that legend threshold just yet.

Phil was rumoured to have a major leak at the craps tables and his props bets are legendary. One has to wonder that when you live life so close to that edge between winner and loser if it doesn't make you take the worst of it in some sort of bizarre psychological need to try to beat every game. Unger was famous (or infamous, depending on how you look at it) for winning big at the poker tables and then getting himself stuck on sports betting. Is Phil suffering a similar sort of disease?

Of course, some pros are quick to point out the Phil's bankroll is bigger than some tip name pro's entire net worth but his willingness to take on -EV challenges like craps points in the direction that at his heat Phil is a gambler. Some of his most amazing calls or bluffs take on a whole new light when you think that he would rather dump $10,000 on an entry fee than pass up a good gambling opportunity.

Let's just hope he keeps his hear on straight and becomes a model for all current and future poker players.

WSOP Event #5 $1,000 No Limit Hold’em

2008-06-08T01:58:00.001-07:00

Phil Ivey started the event off strong and came into day two as the chip leader. Ivey ran into some bad luck and his stack was cut down to about average. Ivey then ran into two unlucky hands against the same player was was finished off.

First hand had Ivey holding QQ against AJ with his opponent catching an ace on the turn. Soon after Ivey got all his money in with AK on a A34 flop only to get called down by his opponent who was holding AA.