Stud 8

Phil Ivey: / /

John Monnette: / /

On fifth street, both players checked to see sixth street. Then Phil Ivey bet and John Monnette called. Ivey then check-called on seventh.

Ivey tabled the and held a pair of tens. Monnette had the for the low and the two chopped this one up.

Stud 8

Phil Hellmuth: / /

John Monnette: / /

Picking up the action on fourth street, Phil Hellmuth checked and John Monnette bet. Hellmuth made the call. On fifth street, both players checked and then on sixth, Hellmuth check-called a bet from Monnette.

On seventh street, each player received a final card down and Hellmuth checked. Monnette bet and Hellmuth folded.

With that pot, Monnette moved to over two million in chips.

John Monnette	2,150,000	450,000
Phil Hellmuth	1,200,000	-275,000

Stud

John Monnette: / /
Phil Ivey: / /

Monnette brought it in, Ivey completed, and Monnette called. Ivey led out on fourth street, Monnette called, and then Ivey slowed down, check-called a bet on fifth.

Monnette made a better board on sixth, and led out. Ivey called, and both players checked on seventh.

"Sevens," Monnette said, tabling .

Ivey checked his cards a couple more times before he mucked them, and Monnette raked in the pot.

John Monnette	1,700,000	480,000
Phil Ivey	485,000	-290,000

It took two hands to see Matt Waxman eliminated from this final table. The first was a Razz hand and it left him crippled and the very next hand was Stud and that sent him home.

The Razz hand began when John Monnette brought it in with a . Paul Sokoloff then called with a and Waxman completed with a . Sokoloff called and drew and , while Waxman drew a . Sokoloff bet and Waxman called as Sokoloff drew a and Waxman a . When Sokoloff bet here, Waxman said, "I can not beat you in a pot, no matter what," and folded his cards.

That left him with less than a big bet and on the next hand, when the rotation was changed to Stud, Waxman committed the last of his chips during the first round of betting with an showing against Abe Mosseri and John Monnette. Mosseri and Monnette battled it out until fifth street when Mosseri folded, and then the cards were turned face-up.

Monnette's (in no particular order), was good for two-pair and enough to send Waxman's into the muck.

For that effort, Waxman goes home with $58,093 and we are now six-handed.

Matt Waxman

0

-200,000

Omaha 8

From under the gun, Matt Waxman limped in. David "Bakes" Baker limped in from the hijack seat and Phil Ivey completed from the small blind. Paul Sokoloff checked in the big blind before the dealer dealt out the flop.

On the flop, Ivey checked and Sokoloff bet. Waxman and Baker called before Ivey folded.

The landed on the turn and the three remaining players checked to see the hit the river. Sokoloff led with a bet and Waxman called. Baker folded.

Sokoloff turned over the for a full house and a seven low. Waxman mucked and Sokoloff scooped the entire pot.

Paul Sokoloff	1,005,000	225,000
Matt Waxman	200,000	-100,000

Omaha 8

Action folded to Abe Mosseri in the hijack seat and he raised. Phil Hellmuth reraised from the button and Phil Ivey called from the big blind. Mosseri also called and the flop came down . Ivey led with a bet and Mosseri folded. Hellmuth called.

The turn card was the and Ivey bet out again. Hellmuth stuck right with him by making the call to see the land on the river. Ivey bet and Hellmuth called.

Ivey turned over the for the nut low and Hellmuth had the for a pair of kings. The two chopped up the pot.

Omaha 8

From the hijack seat, Matt Waxman limped in. Abe Mosseri limped behind him in the cutoff seat and then Phil Hellmuth called from the big blind. John Monnette checked his option in the big blind and the flop came down paired with bullets as the rolled out. Hellmuth and Monnette checked, Waxman bet and Mosseri raised. Hellmuth and Monnette folded before Waxman called.

The turn was the and Waxman checked. Mosseri bet and Waxman folded.

Omaha 8

David "Bakes" Baker raised in early position, John Monnette made it three bets in middle position, and Phil Ivey made it four bets by the button. Baker made it five bets, and both Monnette and Ivey called.

The dealer fanned , and Baker led out. Monnette and Ivey both called. The turned, and Baker bet all in for 16,000 (less than a big bet). Monnette and Ivey called 60,000 (the size of an actual big bet).

The completed the board, and Monnette led out. Ivey called.

"Nut high," Baker said immediately, and all three hands were opened.

Baker
Monnette
Ivey

Baker raked in half of the main pot, Ivey and Monnette both received a quarter, and Monnette took three-quarters of the side pot.

John Monnette	1,220,000	-180,000
Phil Ivey	775,000	-165,000
David Baker	327,000	-23,000

Hold'em

Phil Hellmuth opened the first hand of the hold'em round from the cutoff and only Phil Ivey in the small blind would make the call. The flop would see Ivey check-call a bet from Hellmuth and the would fall on the turn.

Ivey again checked here and Hellmuth again bet. This time Ivey opted to fold, which prompted Hellmuth to ask, "Do you want me to show?" He didn't really get an answer before tabling his .

Stud 8

Matt Waxman: / (FOLDED)

Abe Mosseri: /

When Phil Ivey brought it in with a showing, Matt Waxman completed with a out front. Abe Mosseri then made it an extra bet to go and a call from Waxman would take us to fourth street. On fourth, Mosseri bet and Waxman called. On fifth, Mosseri again bet and this time, after much thought, Waxman let go of his hand and sent the pot to Mosseri.

Matt Waxman

300,000

-251,000

Stud 8

John Monnette has seen his stack increase to huge heights again, courtesy of a nice Stud Eight-or-Better hand. The hand in question began when Phil Ivey completed with the . Phil Hellmuth called with a showing and Monnette completed. Ivey was out of the way Hellmuth called.

Monnette: / /

Hellmuth: / /

On fourth street, Monnette check-called a bet. On fifth, Monnette led and Hellmuth called. When Monnette paired his ace on sixth, he led again and Hellmuth called. On seventh, Monnette again bet and then showed his in the hole for an ace-high flush, enough to take the pot off Hellmuth.

John Monnette

1,400,000

220,000

Stud 8

Phil Ivey | / (FOLDED)
Phil Hellmuth | /
John Monnette | / (FOLDED)
Dan Kelly | /

On fourth street, Monnette checked, Kelly bet, and Ivey called. Hellmuth raised, and only Kelly and Ivey called. On fifth, Hellmuth led, Kelly raised, Ivey folded, and Hellmuth re-raised. Kelly called.

On sixth, Hellmuth bet enough to put Kelly all in, and Kelly called.

Hellmuth
Kelly

Hellmuth's last card was the , Kelly's the , and Kelly was eliminated from the tournament.

Phil Hellmuth	1,475,000	383,000
Dan Kelly	0	-215,000

Stud

Matt Waxman	/
David Bakes Baker	/ /
John Monnette	/ /

On fourth street, Monnette bet, and Baker called. On fifth, Monnette led again, and Baker raised. Monnette called. On sixth, Monnette led a third time, and this time Baker just called.

Both players checked on seventh, and Monnette tabled for a pair of jacks. Baker mucked.

Stud

Phil Ivey	/
Paul Sokoloff	/

Sokoloff check-called bets on fourth and fifth, but on sixth, he check-folded to a bet from Ivey.

John Monnette	1,180,000	319,000
Phil Ivey	940,000	181,000
Paul Sokoloff	780,000	14,000
David Baker	350,000	-282,000

Level 23 has begun, and the cards are back in the air.

The players are now on a 20-minute break.

Razz

Phil Hellmuth brought it in with a and Abe Mosseri completed with a . David Bakes Baker then called with a and it was on Hellmuth. He fought hard before letting his hand go and Mosseri and Baker would play out the hand.

Baker: / /

Mosseri: / /

On fourth street, Baker bet and Mosseri called. Fifth street was the same. Sixth and Baker would check-call a bet from Mosseri. On seventh, Baker again check-called and then mucked his hand when Mosseri tabled , with his eighty-six good for the win.

Abe Mosseri	595,000	0
David Baker	580,000	-240,000

Razz

Paul Sokoloff	/ /
Matt Waxman	/ /
Abe Mosseri	/ (FOLDED)
David Bakes Baker	/ (FOLDED)

Baker brought it in, Sokoloff completed, and Waxman, Mosseri, and Baker called. Waxman led out on fourth street, and all three of his opponents called. On fifth street, Sokoloff had the best board, and he checked. Waxman bet, and only Sokoloff called.

Sokoloff led out on sixth, Waxman called, and both players checked on seventh. Sokoloff tabled for an eighty-seven low, and Waxman mucked.

A few hands later...

Baker	/ /
Dan Kelly	/ /

Baker completed, and Kelly called. Kelly led out on fourth, fifth, and sixth street, and Baker called all three bets. Kelly checked for the first time on seventh, and Baker took the opportunity to bet. Kelly tank-mucked, and Baker pulled in the pot.

David Baker	820,000	-22,000
Paul Sokoloff	770,000	124,000
Matt Waxman	350,000	-70,000
Dan Kelly	220,000	-77,000

The man everyone thought was Jerome Graham got his start playing poker in the casinos of Atlantic City when he was just 21 years old. What the casinos didn't know was that Jerome's real name was Phil Ivey, and that his real age was 18. It was only after a few years of fake I.D. use that Ivey legally turned 21 and was of age to play in the casinos.

Upon turning 21, "No Home Jerome" as he was called, for the amount of time he spent playing in card rooms, strolled into his regular casino and introduced himself to the floor staff as Phil Ivey. Putting in long hours on the felt and honing his game just about every waking minute that he could, Ivey grew and grew as a player.

While Ivey had a very recognizable face on the East Coast poker scene, he didn't waste much time cleaning up in Las Vegas. In 2000, Ivey took on the World Series of Poker, cashing in three events. The third cash out of the three proved to be his best when he took home first first gold bracelet and almost $200,000 in prize money. Ivey wasted little time in returning to WSOP glory when, just two years later, he won three more bracelets after cashing in seven events.

Another year later in 2003, Ivey made a name for himself on the World Poker Tour circuit at the Five-Star World Poker Classis where he won two events and placed third in the Main Event. One can't forget back in 2003 when Ivey bubbled the final table of the WSOP Main Event at the hands of eventual winner Chris Moneymaker. Who knows which direction poker would have gone if Ivey had instead bested Moneymaker in the key matchup.

After that, the tournament winnings just seemed to pile up. In 2005, Ivey had his best year ever when he made multiple deep runs in WPT and WSOP Circuit events before winning his fifth bracelet in the summer at the WSOP.

Multiple big cashes were to follow his fifth bracelet. Some of the most significant wins include a first-place finish at the Monte Carlo Millions in 2005 and a first-place finish at the L.A. Poker Classic WPT event in 2008. Those two events alone netted Ivey over $2.5 million.

Tournaments aren't all that Phil Ivey does, though. He is a regular fixture in the largest cash games in the world where he locks horns with some of the greatest players in the game today including Doyle Brunson, Barry Greenstein, Chau Giang and Tom Dwan. It's even reported that Phil won over $16 million from banker Andy Beal after he challenged some of the best high-stakes players to a match.

Widely considered as the best player in the game today by his peers, Ivey is confident, yet humble. Ivey is often referred to as the "Tiger Woods of poker" for his resemblance to the golf professional and also because he expects to win every time he performs to his greatest ability. There aren't many comparable professional figures that have such a successful record as Ivey, which makes the Woods comparison fit so much. He also loves to gamble and can regularly be seen shooting dice, wagering on sports, prop betting, or gambling on a game of golf while away from the poker table.

Ivey has eight WSOP gold bracelets and over $16.5 million in live tournament earnings, which is good for second all time. He's already made three WSOP final tables this year, making this his fourth.