My Trip To The WSOP & Full Tilt Poker Rumor

My Trip To The WSOP & Full Tilt Poker Rumor

WSOP 2011

I fly into Vegas on Thursday night. It was rather quiet in the Rio for a WSOP.

It was around 9 pm, so I decided to play in a middle limit hold'em cash game. There was only one $5-$10 and $10-$20 game going. Oh my, how times have changed.

After a 15 minute wait, I sat down at the $5-$10 game.
I played for 3 hours...and incredibly I won $700. It is remarkable to win so much at a limit game at this low a level. Frankly, I got the right mix of good cards, luck, a few good moves and bad players.

The next day I entered the $1,500 limit hold'em tournament. I didn't even make it to the dinner break.

The players were making some surprising pre-flop calls of raises. For example, a player raised under the gun, I found K-K and re-raised, and the player to my left called. The flop came down A-A-3. I bet and he raised. He was predictable after the flop, so he had to have an Ace, right? We both checked the turn and river since four hearts were on board. He showed A-7 of spades. That was a loose call, in my opinion, but he won the pot.

I left the Rio and went to the Mirage to check out their poker room. It was rather dead. No limit holdem games only no limit games. I wonder where all those Mirage, limit poker pros are these days?

They were about to start a $70 sit n go, so I signed up. The players in this game were novice ones, except for me and one other guy. Sure enough, he and I were the ones left to play for the money. He ended up getting some great hands heads up and beat me. I cashed but I was not happy about it.

On Saturday, I entered the super satellite for $330 to win a main even seat. There were over 80 players and again, I was fortunate in that the competition was not that strong. The payout was going to be 2 seats plus a third place cash of $3,400.

In the middle of the event, I took a tough beat with my K-Q vs 9-7--it cut my stack almost in half. The action was that he moved all-in pre-flop and I called on the big blind. I had just moved to this table and it was clear that players were pushing with a wide wide range of hands.

Fortunately, I came back to be at the final table. I believe of the times I moved all-in, I was only called once throughout the entire event. It was at the final table. I had 5-5, moved in, and was called by K-J. I won that pot.

When it got down to 5 players we agreed to a chop. One player was way ahead since he recently found pocket aces on the big blind after the small blind moved all-in with K-Q. The rest of us were about even in stacks so we agreed to the chip leader having the seat and the rest of us chopping things based on chips. It took 6 hours and it was a nice cash win.

One bad note about the satellite was the guy who was the WSOP satellite director for our game. The guy was bad news. It was like the Rio was the last place he wanted to be at the moment. He made one really bad decision at the final table and he useless when we wanted to calculate the payouts for chopping. The guy needs a major attitude adjustment.

His poor decision was the following. A player with a big stack raised in early position. Another player with a smaller stack pushed all of his chips into the pot and then said "Ok, I call." The first player, believing that his opponent had more chips, says "I'll call whatever is in there." The dealer turns over the cards and the original raiser wins.

Now, the dealer counts the chips of the small stack and realizes that he put out more than the original raise. He calls over the tournament director who says "verbal is binding" so the small stack doesn't lose all of this chips. Not correct. Verbal is binding when there is no action. There was action before he made his statement. Anyway, it was no big deal as this small stack eventually got knocked out, but still it should not have happened.

After that event was over, I went to Aria. I had not been there before and I wanted to check out their poker.

I arrived a little after 11pm. The poker room was packed. The hotel was packed. But, the restaurants adjacent to the poker room were both closed. And, if you wanted to order from the table it was at least a one hour wait.

Who is the genius at Aria who decided no one wants to eat after 11pm on a Saturday night in Vegas?

Anyway, after an hour wait, I sat down at the $2-$5 no limit cash game. I don't care for this style of poker even if it is the most popular now. It is boring to me, since the action often slows to a crawl. And the play is so predictable. But, I thought I would give it another try since it is almost the only game in town.

I played for 2 hours and I couldn't take it anymore. I won $100 but the whole thing is so boring to me.

The guy who was the worst player lost the most money--but he was some rich guy with a stack of hundreds in his pocket who wanted to play stupid starting hands to surprise his opponent with a stupid hand to win the pot. Everyone at the table won because of his play.

Brad Garrett, from Everyone Loves Raymond, sat down and played at our table for one round. The man is tall and has hands that are huge. He wore earbuds so he did not interact much--which is totally understandable. He was very polite. He had his tall, blonde girlfriend with him.

Net, I ended up adding to my Sunday Oaks win with this trip. I may try to head back for some more action at the WSOP. Overall, it did appear that fewer players were attending probably due to the economy, the end of online poker and, of course, not getting their money back from Full Tilt.

Full Tilt Poker Rumor

Here is what I heard. I did not substantiate this information, although my source is fairly reliable.

Phil Ivey is suing Full Tilt since they are not paying the players back, and he is not attending the WSOP. This has already been in the news. Now, for the rest of the story...

Ivey owns about 10% of Full Tilt. He has made millions and millions of dollars due to his ownership. (Does that mean he is suing himself..lol?)

I was told that the owners, including Ivey, had a vote about paying the players back. Ivey voted against paying the players since he wanted to get his money out of Full Tilt before the players would see a penny. When that was not approved, Ivey was not happy. Instead, he decided to play the publicity game and sue...not really on behalf of the players but really just wanting the money he is owed. What a gem of a guy, if this is true.

It seems that Full Tilt may counter sue, of course. (I wonder where all this lawyer-ing will take place?)

Overall, Ivey sounds like a real jerk here. Who knows maybe he needs the money for all the money he loses playing craps.

More importantly, I think this is another bad sign for players getting their money back. It smells more and more like these guys ran a Ponzi scheme on us.

Oh yeah, my source told me that no one has heard from Lederer or Ferguson, and they may not make an appearance at the WSOP.

That is the rumor I heard. If you know the real story, please share. Thanks!

Why Phil Ivey Won't Win the WSOP Main Event

Why Phil Ivey Won't Win the WSOP Main Event

Here are the final 9.
(And Congrats to Leo Margets, who was the woman who did the best at the 2009 main event.)

• Darvin Moon: being portrayed as the worst player
• Eric Buchman: New York poker pro.
• Steven Begleiter: helped to put you, me and the world in a recession. If he wins, there is no God.
  
• Jeff Shulman: his dad just won the WSOPE, so enough already.
• Kevin Schaffel: has ESPN shown him play one hand yet?
• Joseph Cada: did anyone card this kid? I think he asked me to buy him beer at the 7-11.
• Antoine Saout: the French Moneymaker? Uh oh, watch out, I think the French invented poker--pogue.
• James Akenhead: pro from London. He seems way too nice too win.
• Phil Ivey: the best player

My thoughts

I am rooting for Phil Ivey to win because it would be the best thing to happen to the game. A top pro winning would help to support legislation that is based on the fact that poker is a game of skill and not chance. (It would not make the two-faced NFL go away, and they will continue to pay off politicians to block legislation that allows online poker to be regulated and taxed.)

Ivey is the best poker player at the table, and maybe the world.

Ivey likes to be aggressive and control a table with his play. This may work in his favor since the tendency is to tighten up at the final table of the WSOP. Heck, I don't think I'd play a hand until it got down to 7 or 6 handed.

There are a number of poker pros at the final table. The difference between Ivey and another poker pro is not that great. It is not like comparing Barry Bonds against Marvin Bernard (although neither knew what that stuff was they were injecting into their body. =) It's more like comparing A-Rod and David Wright.

Bottom Line

Phil Ivey has a 25% chance to win the main event. Which means he has a better probability of losing the event.

My pick: Eric Buchman. New York, New York.

What do you think?

Who is The Best Tournament Poker Player?

Who is The Best Tournament Poker Player?

I have played against some but not all of the top tournament poker players. Here is my ranking as to the top 5 players:

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

1. Phil Hellmuth.
I know he does the brat routine for the TV cameras, but I think Phil is the best tournament poker player I have ever played against. He is smart, aggressive, tricky, and knows how to take control of a table. The thing about Phil is that he works hard at getting better each year, and I think it shows.

2. Phil Ivey.
This guy is so intimidating. He lets his chips do the talking. You just want to fold when Phil Ivey comes in raising pre-flop. I mean do you really think you are going to outplay him on the flop, or turn, or river? Phil may be the best reader of his opponents hand strength. Since he doesn't speak at the table, this is something that casual poker players don't get to see. Maybe we will learn more about Phil's poker playing skills at this year's final table.

3. David Pham.
David is one of those players who doesn't stop raising pre-flop. He is so relentless. He doesn't get much TV time, but he always seems to be one of the top ten finalists each year in the CardPlayer Player of the Year.

4. Layne Flack.
Layne Flack can play any two cards and win. He is aggressive and smart. Layne has different speeds, meaning he knows how to change his style of play in the middle of a tournament. The one thing going against Layne is that he doesn't have that same intimidation factor that the other top Pros tend to have.

5. Erick Lindgren.
Erick is one of those players who I would describe as brutal. The guy is not just out to beat you, he is out to take all of your chips. He is smart, aggressive, and a great poker player.

The Common Ingredients of a Top Tournament Poker Player
Aggressive.
Forget about terms like loose aggressive or tight aggressive. They use sheer aggression to win.

Intimidating.
When you sit down at a poker table against these guys, they have an immediate edge. They are pros and intimidate the hell out of you. But it's not their celebrity that intimidates, it is their overall level of play.

Play their opponents more than their cards.
Maybe its instinct, but the top players know how to get a read on their opponent's strength. My belief is that they read betting patterns a lot more than they trust poker tells; although, they certainly can spot tells.

Smart.
They know when to take a risk, and when to put an opponent at risk. They know the odds and the percentages. They know more poker moves than the rest of us. Most importantly, they understand that the fame and fortune comes about from winning.

Tricky.
The pros know how to take advantage of situations. They know who to trap and how to trap. They know who to bluff and who not to bluff.

Great timing.
The pros often seem to have more card luck than the rest of us. This could be their positive outlook to the game. Or, it could be that they play every day so they just have more experience and card sense than the rest of us. Most likely, it is all of the above.

Who is the best tournament poker player you have ever played against and why?

Tournament Poker for Donkeys: Table of Contents and Foreword

Tournament Poker for Donkeys.
Expert Strategy Guide for Players Who Want to Stop Losing

Foreword

How to Win a Poker Tournament

It’s all about winning. Nothing else really matters when you play a poker tournament. The money is in first place. Play to win. Not to cash.

That’s the theme of this book: Play to win.

My objective is to help you significantly improve your chances of winning your next poker event. If you have been a losing player, this book will force you to rethink your game and come to terms with your why you fail. If you have been getting close to the end but bleeding out chips, it’s probably because you are playing survival poker.

Whether you are a beginner or intermediate level poker player, the time is now to look at winning as your only goal. Your attitude must change and you must stop being afraid of getting knocked out. If you go bust on the first hand, it’s not big deal. There will be another tournament.

You can cash one hundred times in a row and it will not be worth as much as that one victory. That is true in the small buy-in events, and it’s true in the major events. In a major event one win can change your life. Are you on the road to winning a WSOP bracelet? “Not very likely.”

Learning how to win a poker tournament starts when you no longer fear losing. If you get knocked out, it’s because you pushed the action. You gambled and lost. So what? What are you doing to do--sit there and wait for the nuts?

If you’ve been playing poker tournaments for a while, my guess is that you think you are pretty good. Guess what? 80% of poker players think they are in the top 20%. Yeah, I know that’s not possible.

Have you watched how the Pros play tournaments? Read through that chapter on Phil Ivey. He had to put a few bad beats on players to get to the final table. When was the last time you put a bad beat on a player?

The reality is that there is not a system to follow. Mike Sexton says that tournament poker takes a “lifetime to master.” He is right. But you don’t need to master the game to win a poker tournament. Want proof? Take a look at who just won your local tournament or that last online event.

You need an expert strategy guide that shows you how to stop losing! And start to win. It’s here. Let’s start…

Table of Contents

Foreword
How to Win a Poker Tournament

Introduction
Texas Hold'em Poker Rules
Tournament Poker Basics

Key Poker Concepts
36 Poker Why's To Improve Your Game
How to Play The Player and Not Your Cards
How To Take Advantage of Your Position
Table Image
Table Image in Action
Identifying Betting Patterns
Outs, Pot Odds and Probabilities Made Simple
How To Take Advantage Of Poker Odds To Win Big Pots
Poker Odds In Action
Gap Concept
Pre-Flop Raises: Does Size Matter?
Expected Value
Unexpected Value
Poker Domination-Does It Really Exist?
End Game Strategy: Concept of M
Using M To Guide Your Decisions
When is the Right Time to Move All-In?
Reading Hands
Three Ways to Spot a Bluffer
Bluffing
8 Poker Tells That Work (Usually)
Poker Tells

Stages of the Tournament
A Game Plan
Poker Quiz
A Simple Secret to Winning
Bubble Play by Jonathan Gelling
After the Bubble Bursts – Now What? by @ChrisKristofco
Heads-Up Play
Heads-Up Play in Action
What To Do When You Are Card Dead?
Card Dead Plays in Action
Card Dead Plays in Action #2

How To Play Specific Hands
Should You Slowplay Pocket Aces?
Did Phil Hellmuth Play His Pocket Aces Poorly at the 2009 WSOP?
How To Play Ace-King
How To Play Ace-King
How to Play Ace-King: Gus Hansen
How to Play Ace-King: Daniel Negreanu
How to Play Ace-King: Dan Harrington
When You Miss Ace-King on the Flop
How To Play Pocket Jacks
How to Play Small and Medium Pairs: Daniel Negreanu
How to Play Small and Medium Pairs: Gus Hansen
How to Play Small and Medium Pairs: Dan Harrington
How to Play Small and Medium Pairs: Chris Ferguson
How to Play Small and Medium Pairs: Kathy Liebert
Medium Pair in Action
Small Pair in Action
How To Play Suited Connectors

Winning Moves
Don't Look At Your Cards
How to Play From the Small Blind
How to Play From the Big Blind
How To Use The Isolation Play
Do You Know How To Float in Poker?
The Min-Raise
The Position Power-Raise
When to Make a Lead Out Bet
How to Set a Trap With Top Pair
Take Advantage of Scare Cards
How to Use The Naked Ace Bluff
The Blocking Bet
Fire That Third Bullet!
The Intimidation Factor

Inside the Mind of Daniel Negreanu
Small Ball Strategy
River Play
Small Ball Strategy in Action

Inside the Mind of Gus Hansen
12 Early Stage Strategies
How To Play Like Gus

New Trends in Poker
Pre-Flop Re-Raise Without A Premium Hand
How to Turn the Small Blind Into the Button by Angel "GiJoe" Valdez
Gap Concept Leads To Small Ball

Poker Leaks
FPS
10 Common Mistakes To Avoid
3 Popular Strategies To Avoid
“I Just Got Unlucky”
Don't Do Anything Stupid
Another Leak
Tilt

Online Poker
Danger, Danger
Thoughts on How to Beat Low Stakes MTT Online Tournaments by Mark owner of The Poker Bankroll Blog
Online Poker Is Different Than Brick and Mortar Play
Ka-Ching! 2 Online Poker Tells That Work
A Secret to Winning at Online Poker
My Bad
My Bad?

Poker Concepts in Action
How to Triple Your Chip Stack
How to Make Critical Poker Decisions
Pushing All-In Blind
Learning from Las Vegas
A PokerStars Win

Inside the Mind of Phil Ivey
Phil Ivey at the WSOP

Poker Quizzes
Poker Quiz #1
Poker Quiz #2
Poker Quiz #3
Poker Quiz #4

Fun Stuff
At the WSOP
Do you believe in ESP?
Superstitions Gone Mad
My New Poker Rule

Putting It All Together
A Reminder
Get The Right Mental Approach
Start With A Plan
Embrace the Risk
You Can Be The Next Poker Super Star

The Hands Phil Ivey Played at the Main Event of the WSOP to Get to The Final Table

Phil Ivey-Not Every Hand Revealed

Let's see how Phil Ivey got to the final table of the 2009 WSOP Main Event. This is information from hands reported by cardplayer.com. The event started with 6,494 players. The winner will take home over $8.5 million.

Image via Wikipedia

Day 1D. July 7, 2009.

The first obstacle. Phil entered on the last day of the event. He got in, unlike 500+ other players who were left out and forced to find an outlet for $10,000 in that sleepy city of Las Vegas. By math, $5+ million in cash was standing in line outside the cage. By rumor, strippers had their best night of WSOP action.

Level 1 Hour 1.
Blinds: 50-100

Hand: Ivey builds his stack.
Flop 10h-6s-3s. Ivey bets 300 and is called by his lone opponent.
Turn Ks. Ivey bets 600. His opponent mucks.
Ivey: 31,000.
(My Comment: Your basic continuation bet on the flop by Ivey takes down the pot.)

Hand: The river helps...
Board: As-6c-9d-4c-6h. First player checks, and second player bets 1,250. Ivey raises to 4,000. First player folds but second player calls. Ivey shows Kd-6d, making trips on the river.

Level 3
Blinds: 150-300

Hand: Gotta know when to fold'em...
Turn: Ad-8s-8d-Kh. Player bets 1000, Ivey and another player calls.
River: 9s. Player bets 6,000, Ivey calls, but the last player raises to 16,000. Both Ivey and the first player fold. The raiser shows Ah-8h for a full house.
(My Comment: It's nice when you flop a full house. An easy fold with the river raise and two opponents.)

Hand: ...and to hold'em.
Flop: Ad-Jd-3h. Pot has 2,850. Ivey bets 1,700 and only gets one caller.
Turn: 2d. Both players check.
River: 9d Both players check. Ivey shows Ac-Kh to win pot.
Ivey at 58,000.
(My Comment: Excellent learning here. Even though, Ivey has top pair, top kicker he checks the turn. It's not because he thinks his opponent has a better hand. It's too control the pot size and possibly win more on the river if a scare card does not hit. A scare card did hit, though, and he had to check.)

Level 4
Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Hand: He's got him dominated.
Ivey calls an all-in bet of 8,825. Ivey show Ah-Qc. Opponent Ac-Jd.
Board: 8d-6s-3c-Ks-9d. Ivey wins pot.
Ivey at 82,000.
(My Comment: An easy call. A-Q and only risking a small percentage of his chip stack.)

Level 5
Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Hand: A semi-bluff on a draw?
Flop: As-6d-3s. Dutch Boyd bets 1,500 from the big blind. Ivey raises to 4,500. Boyd calls.
Turn: 4s. Both players check.
River: 8s. Both players check. Boyd shows 6h-3c for two pair. Ivey mucks.
Ivey at 105,000.
(My Comment: Difficult to know what is going on here. Maybe Ivey is playing his aggressive opponent with that flop raise. Maybe it's a semi-bluff on the flop. Not sure.)

End of day 1D: Ivey at 105,000. Leader at 340,000. Players left: 3,572

Day 2B: July 8, 2009
Level 6
Blinds: 250-500 with a 50 ante

Hand: They're just pocket Jacks...oh, it's Ivey.
Pre-flop a player limps, Erick Lindgren raises to 2,500 from late position and is called by Ivey in the big blind as well as the limper.

Image via Wikipedia

Flop: 9c-8d-4d. Ivey bets out for 6,000. The limper folds but Lindgren moves all-in, for only 17,500. Ivey calls and shows Jd-Jc. Lindgren shows Qh-Qd.
Turn: 7c.
River: Jh. Ouch!
(My Comment: You gotta get lucky to win. Could you fold an overpair here?)

Level 7
Blinds: 300-600 with a 75 ante

Hand: Was it Ivey's stare?
Turn: 4h-Js-9h-7c. Ivey calls a bet of 15,000
River: 8s. Ivey's opponent checks. Ivey bets 45,000 and his opponent mucks. He shows a set, 9c-9d! Ivey does not show and collects his chips.
Ivey at 148,000.
(My Comment: What happened on the flop would be nice to know. But, what exactly do you think Ivey has here? Did he turn a straight? Is he going to call a big turn bet, to complete a straight on the river?)

End of Day 2B-Ivey at 325,000

Day 3: July July 10, 2009. 2,134 players left.

Level 10
Blinds: 600-1,200 with a 200 ante

Hand: Can't win 'em all.
Player moves all-in pre-flop and Ivey calls. Opponent has Ah-10c. Ivey has 9h-9s.
Board: 6d-4d-3h-5c-10d. Ivey loses hand.
Ivey at 355,000.

Level 11
Blinds: 800-1,600 with a 200 ante

Hand: Sometimes you got to fold the winning hand. Maybe here?
Pre-flop Ivey raises to 4,500 from under the gun and two players call.
Flop: Js-5s-5h. Ivey bets 9,000, next player raises to 18,000. Other player folds but Ivey calls.
Turn: 2h. Ivey checks, and his opponent moves all-in with 85,400. Ivey thinks for a few minutes and mucks. Opponent shows one card, the Jd.
Ivey at 358,000.
(My Comment: All-in moves on the river are often either a complete bluff or the nuts. Looks like the nuts to Ivey.)

Day 3 ends. Ivey at 358,000. Leader at 1,380,500.

Day 4: July 11, 2009. 810 players left.

Level 16
Blinds: 3,000-6,000 with a 500 ante

Hand: The rockets hold up and get paid big. Oh, yeah, it's Ivey.
Ivey raises pre-flop to 16,000 from early position and is called by one player.
Flop: 7s-2d-Qh. Ivey bets 23,000 and is called.
Turn: 8h. Ivey bets 55,000 and is called.
River: 4d. Ivey bets big enough to put opponent all-in. Opponents calls. Ivey shows As-Ah. Opponent mucks.
Ivey at 900,000. (Note: There is no reporting on how much of this pot contributed to Ivey's increase in chips from 358,000.)
(My Comment: Ivey fires the third bullet on the river. No resistance. No scare card. Maximum rewards.)

Level 17
Blinds: 3,000-6,000 with a 1,000 ante

Hand: Fold, dude. It's Phil Ivey!
Turn: Ac-Jc-7s-8s. Ivey bets 70,000. Opponent calls.
River: 3d. Ivey bets 120,000. Opponent folds.
Ivey near 1 million.
(My Comment: Pre-flop and flop play would be nice to know. He may just have top pair on the turn, and he is betting for value and making it expensive for his opponent to catch.)

Hand: Hello, it's Phil I-v-e-y!
Board: Qh-5h-9c-7c. Opponent checks. Ivey moves all-in. Opponent calls and shows Ad-9d. Ivey shows Kd-Kc.
River: 7s. Ivey wins.
Ivey at 1.1 million.

Hand: Does he have to wear a name tag?
Pre-flop Ivey raises to 16,000 preflop and the player on the big blind calls.
Flop: 9c-6s-3d. Opponent check-calls Ivey's bet of 22,000.
Turn: 8d. Ivey bets 55,000 and is called.
River: Kc. Ivey bets 120,000 and opponent folds.
Ivey at 1.2 million.
(My Comment: Ivey keeps firing even with that King on the river. The check-call is an interesting play by his opponent. A check raise on the turn may have forced Ivey to fold.)

Day 4 ends: Ivey with 1,276,000. Leader at 1,819,000.

Day 5-July 12, 2009. 407 players left.

Hand: You ain't gonna hit a set against The Man.
Pre-flop a player moves all-in and Ivey calls. Opponent shows 9h-9c. Ivey has Kd-Kc. Board: Ad-Ac-5c-Ah-8h. Ivey wins.
Ivey at 830,000. (It's noted that Ivey had dropped to 220,000 but no hands were reported. Maybe you are not allowed to report when Ivey losses a lot of chips.)

Day 5 ends. Ivey with 1,400,000. Leader at 4,872,000.

Day 6-July 13, 2009. 185 players left.

Level 21
Blinds: 8,000-16,000 with a 2,000 ante

Hand: Will they ever learn?
Flop: Qc-10c-10h. Ivey and opponent checks.
Turn: As. Ivey and opponent checks.
River 8h. Ivey bets 50,000 and his opponent mucks.
Ivey at 1.7 million.
(My Comment: Whoever bets first here wins on the river, I believe.)

Level 23
Blinds: 12,000-24,000 with a 3,000 ante

Hand: You are moving all-in with A-K against Ivey? You are not playing online.
Pre-flop a player raises to 75,000 from early position and another player calls. Ivey pushes all-in from the small blind for 1,800,000. Original raiser calls the all-in bet for his last 700,000. The other player folds. Ivey has Ks-Kc. Opponent Ah-Kd.
Board: Jc-5s-4d-7d-Js. Ivey wins.
Ivey at 2,680,000.
(My Comment: The first raiser has a tough decision since it's a re-raise from Ivey in the worst position pre-flop. Ivey is aggressive pre-flop, but is he going to re-raise an upfront raiser unless he has a premium hand? I don't think so. If I was the player with the A-K, I would put Ivey on pocket Queens and be wrong.)

Level 24
Blinds: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante

Hand: Q-Q beats J-J--except against P.I.
Pre-flop a player raises to 80,000 and Ivey re-raises to 260,000. His opponent moves all-in for his last 620,000 and Ivey calls. Opponent shows Qs-Qc. Ivey Jc-Jh.
Board: Js-9s-4c-5c-7c. Ivey wins.
Ivey at 3,260,000.
(My Comment: He got lucky, but he wasn't risking many chips.)

Hand: Charity for an author.
Pre-flop Ivey raises to 80,000 and Blair Rodman moves all-in for 362,000. Ivey calls and shows Ad-9s. Rodman has 8s-8h.
Board: Kc-10c-4d-6h-2s. Ivey loses a small pot.
(My Comment: Same as before. The risk is small. Ivey actually was in better shape than he might have thought he would be in, given that he has two overcards.)

Level 25
Blinds: 20,000-40,000 with a 5,000 ante

Hand: Meet the son of the Poker Gods.
Pre-flop Ivey bets 110,000 from the button and his opponent re-raises to 325,000 from the big blind. Ivey calls.
Flop: Qs-4h-2h. Opponent checks and Ivey moves all-in for 910,000. His opponent calls and shows the Qc-7h. Ivey reveals Jh-5h.
Turn: not a heart.
River: is a heart. Ivey hits his flush.
Ivey at over 5,000,000 now.
(My Comment: He tried to steal from the button, and decided to call with the suited hand. The play on the flop is not a bad one since it's a semi-bluff--and in this case, the "bluff" didn't work but the "semi" did:))

Day 6 Ends. Ivey at 6,345,000 Leader: Darvin Moon - 9,745,000

Day 7 July 14, 2009. 64 players left

Level 26
Blinds: 25,000-50,000 with a 5,000 ante

Hand: You are not playing against Phil Hellmuth, bro.
Pre-flop Phil Ivey raises to 135,000 and gets one caller.
Flop: 9c-3h-3s. Both players check.
Turn: 9d. Opponent bets 150,000. Ivey calls.
River: 7s. Opponent bets 360,000. Ivey calls. Opponent has nothing with a Qh-10h. Ivey shows As-Qh, a better nothing.
Ivey now over 7 million.
(My comment: This is another good learning hand. His opponent is one of the chip leaders. He wants to keep the pot small and keep his decisions easy. If he bets the flop and get called, his opponent will win this hand. Instead, he decides to call down his opponent's small bets. He induced a bluff on the turn and the river, to win a decent pot..)

Level 27 Update
Blinds: 30,000-60,000 with a 10,000 ante

Hand: He had to take an early bathroom break, I guess.
Pre-flop Ivey raises to 150,000 from the cutoff and opponent calls from the big blind.
Flop: Ad-5d-Kc. Opponent check-calls Ivey's bets of 225,000.
Turn: 3h. Both players check.
River: 5s. Opponent bets into Ivey with 350,000. Ivey folds and loses small pot.
Ivey at 8.4 million.
(My Comment: My guess is that his opponent has either top or second pair. Ivey clearly tried to steal pre-flop and take down the pot with a continuation bet on the flop. Once it didn't work, he was done with this hand.)

Level 27
Blinds: 30,000-60,000 with a 10,000 ante

Hand: Chip leader my ass.
Billy Kopp is the new chip leader with over 16 million. He raises pre-flop to 150,000 from the hijack position. Ivey calls from the cutoff.
Flop: 7d-7c-2c. Both players check.
Turn: 4h. Both players check.
River: Ac. Kopp bets 225,000. Ivey raises to 700,000 and his opponent folds.
Ivey up to 8.6 million.
(My Comment: Maybe he hit his Ace or maybe he felt his opponent was weak. A river raise usually indicates strength but it's hard to know what is happening here between these top 10 chip leaders.)

Hand: Ivey ain't three betting with 7-2 offsuit, buddy.
Ivey raises pre-flop from the button to 150,000 and gets re-raised to 460,000. Ivey re-re-raises to 1,160,000, and is called.
Flop: Kh-10d-4s. Ivey bets 1,200,000 after opponent checks. His opponent folds.
Ivey over 10,000,000.
(My Comment: His opponent has to fold to that re-raise. Give up when you are beat.)

Level 28
Blinds: 40,000-80,000 with a 10,000 ante

Hand: You just got pocket Kings? I got a 7!
Pre-flop a player raises to 205,000 and Ivey calls from the small blind.
Flop: Qs-7h-4c. Both payers check.
Turn: 7d. Ivey bets 350,000 and is called.
River: 4d. Ivey bets 750,000 and is called. Ivey shows 9c-7c. His opponent shows his pocket kings before mucking.
Ivey at 11,300,000.
(My Comment: His opponent got too fancy and it cost him. Ivey will defend his big blind with a big range of cards. If you want him to fold, pre-flop raise more than normal. If you want Ivey in, bet smaller pre-flop but make a larger flop bet. While the flop looks safe. It turned out to be a tough loss for his opponent with K-K.)

Level 29
Blinds: 50,000-100,000 with a 10,000 ante

Hand: You making fun of my 7. This time I got a 9!
Pre-flop a player raises to 260,000 from early position and Ivey calls from the big blind.
Flop: 10s-9d-6h. Both players check.
Turn: 9s. Ivey checks. Opponent bets 200,000 and Ivey check-raises to 600,000. Opponent calls.
River: 8c. Ivey bets 1,000,000 and is called. Ivey shows Jh-9h and wins with trips.
Ivey at 14,890,000.
(My Comment: A check raise on the turn can be a bluff, but with that scare card and coordinated board, Ivey is telling you I have a big hand and I'm going to get maximum value for it.)

Day 7 ends: 27 players Ivey at 11,350,000. Leader: Darvin Moon - 20,160,000

Day 8: July 15, 2009...Play 'till final table of 9 players

Level 30.
Blinds: 60,000-120,000 with a 15,000 ante

Hand: He owed the gods a Queen from before.
Player moves all-in preflop for 1,030,000. Ivey calls with Jc-Js. Opponent has Qc-5c.
Board: 10s-8h-2d-Qd-8s. Ivey loses.
(My Comment: It was a good call with only about a 10% chip loss.)

Level 30. 23 players left
Blinds: 60,000-120,000 with a 15,000 ante

Hand: What! This can't be--the favorite hand beats Ivey. Change the deck!
Pre-flop the first player raises to 290,000 and the second player moves all-in for almost 2.5 million. Ivey calls and the original raiser folds. Ivey has Jh-Jd. Opponent has Qh-Qd.
Board: 10h-5h-5c-7d-4d. Ivey loses.
Ivey down to under 6 million.
(My Comment: It's your basic cooler.)

Hand: What? Losing to Shulman. Change the dealer!
Ivey is first in pre-flop and calls from the small blind. Jeff Shulman checks from the big blind.
Flop: As-Js-2d. Ivey bets 120,000 and gets called by Shulman.
Turn: 2c. Ivey checks and folds after Shulman bets 200,000.
(My Comment: May as well take a shot with that Ace on the flop. Gotta figure your opponent would raise pre-flop with any Ace.)

Level 31. 19 players left
Blinds: 80,000-160,000 with a 20,000 ante

Hand: There is a disturbance in the Force.
Player raises pre-flop to 400,000 under-the-gun and Ivey raises to 1,150,000. His opponent moves all-in. Ivey calls and shows Ac-10h. His opponent has 2c-2s.
Board: Jc-6d-3c-4c-9s. Ivey loses.
Ivey at 2,640,000.
(My Comment: Ivey needs chips and he is forcing the action.)

Level 31. 15 players left
Blinds: 80,000-160,000 with a 20,000 ante

Hand: Phew...for a minute, I thought the world was coming to an end.
Phil Ivey raises pre-flop to 420,000 and gets one caller.
Flop: 8s-6c-4c. Ivey bets 600,000 and gets called
Turn: 4s. Both players check.
River: Kd. Both players check. Ivey shows 9s-9h, while opponent has 10c-9c. Ivey wins.
Ivey at 6.8 million. (There is no report how Ivey won over $4 million in chips. Someone check his pockets!)
(My Comment: Notice how he is not willing to make the pot bigger on the turn when the 4 pairs, or bet with the overcard on the river. He will only get called on the river by a player who has him beat.)

Level 32. 13 players left.
Blinds: 100,000-200,000 with a 30,000 ante

Hand: As it was before.
Ivey raises pre-flop to 525,000 and the big blind calls.
Flop: 6h-2h-2s. The big blind checks and Ivey bets 700,000. His opponent mucks.
Ivey at 7,200,000.
(My Comment: Your basic continuation bet on the flop by Ivey takes down the pot. Notice the texture of the flop is not threatening at all.)

Hand: As it should be.
Ivey raises to 500,000 pre-flop. Opponent calls.
Flop: 6s-5c-3d. Ivey bets 700,000 and opponent folds.
Ivey at 6.5 million (not reported on the hand or hands he lost 700,000).
(My Comment: Another continuation bet on the flop.)

Level 33. 12 players left.
Blinds: 120,000-240,000 with a 30,000 ante

Hand: As it is meant to be.
Ivey bets 675,000 pre-flop and is called.
Flop: Ad-7c-5d. Opponent check-calls Ivey's bet of 800,000.
Turn: 3d. Ivey gets his opponent to fold with a bet of 1,700,000.
Ivey at 9,030,000.
(My Comment: That looks like a scare card on the turn. I can't figure the check call on the flop by his opponent...a wide range of hands are possible.)

Hand: And as we hoped it would be.
A player moves all-in for 2,350,000 and Ivey calls. His opponent has Kc-Qs. Ivey Ah-10h.
Board: 8s-3s-3d-3h-5c. Ivey wins.
Ivey at 9,610,000.
(My Comment: I think this is the riskiest play of the day. He is risking more than one-third of his chips with A-10. Is it because the cards are suited? Even if he puts his opponent on a small or medium pair, the hand is a coin flip. I guess that's why he is Phil Ivey, and you are not=))

End of the Day

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Players Remaining: 9 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Darvin Moon - 58,930,000
2. Eric Buchman - 34,800,000
3. Steven Begleiter - 29,885,000
4. Jeff Shulman - 19,580,000
5. Joe Cada - 13,215,000
6. Kevin Schaffel - 12,390,000
7. Phil Ivey - 9,765,000
8. Antoine Saout - 9,500,000
9. James Akenhead - 6,800,000

If he is in 7th place, why is he the favorite to win?