Monday, June 18, 2012 5:35 PM Local Time
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.
Monday, June 18, 2012 5:33 PM Local Time
Razz
Phil Hellmuth was the bring in with a out front. John Monnette then completed with an .
"What game are we playing again," joked Hellmuth as he made the call with his high card.
Hellmuth: / / |
Monnette: / / |
On fourth street, Monnette bet and Hellmuth called. Monnette then checked fifth street and then called the bet of Hellmuth. Another check from Monnette on sixth street and another bet from Hellmuth. A call from Monnette would send the seventh card in to the hand of each player and again Monnette would check-call a bet from Hellmuth.
When Hellmuth tabled his , it was good enough to give him a ninety-seven and enough to send Monnette's cards into the muck.
Phil Hellmuth | 1,100,000 | 396,000 |
John Monnette | 920,000 | -112,000 |
Monday, June 18, 2012 5:28 PM Local Time
Omaha 8
John Monnette raised from the hijack seat and Matt Waxman called from the big blind. The flop came down and Waxman check-called a bet from Monnette.
On the turn, both players checked and the landed on the river. Waxman checked and Monnette bet. Waxman tanked for a bit and even pump-faked a fold with his cards at one point. He also commented about how a lot of river cards have been putting him in touch spots. Then he made the call.
Monette tabled the for two pair, nines and threes. Waxman had that beat with the and won the pot. Neither player had a low.
John Monnette | 1,032,000 | -248,000 |
Matt Waxman | 420,000 | 180,000 |
Monday, June 18, 2012 5:24 PM Local Time
Omaha 8
Dan Kelly raised on the button and Paul Sokoloff called from the big blind to see the flop come down . Sokoloff led out and Kelly made the call.
The turn was the and paired the board. Sokoloff checked and Kelly bet. Sokoloff folded.
Monday, June 18, 2012 5:22 PM Local Time
Hold'em
On the flop, Phil Hellmuth checked and John Monnette bet. Hellmuth check-raised and Monnette called.
After Hellmuth checked in the dark, the turn was the and Monnette bet. Hellmuth called.
On the river, both players checked.
Hellmuth quickly tabled the and Abe Mosseri chimed up, "Trapping!" Monnette mucked and Hellmuth won the pot.
Monday, June 18, 2012 5:10 PM Local Time
Hold'em
John Monnette opened from the cutoff, and Matt Waxman defended his big blind. The dealer flopped , and Waxman checked to Monnette, who tossed out a continuation bet. Waxman called.
The turn was the , the action went check-call again, and Waxman check-called one last bet when the completed the board.
Monnette opened up for a straight, and tossed it halfway across the table. Waxman mucked.
John Monnette | 1,280,000 | 349,000 |
Matt Waxman | 240,000 | -275,000 |
Monday, June 18, 2012 5:09 PM Local Time
Stud 8
Here is how a few small hands played out during that round of Stud Eight-or-Better.
- Dan Kelly brought it in with a . Phil Hellmuth called with a and John Monnette completed with his . No player wanted to rumble and Monnette took it down.
- Phil Hellmuth was the bring-in with a on the board. The whole table got out of the way until Matt Waxman completed with a out front. Hellmuth didn't want to play and Waxman took it down.
- Paul Sokoloff brought it in with a . Abe Mosseri completed with a . Dan Kelly called with a showing and Phil Ivey called with a on the board. Mosseri checked his on fourth, Kelly bet his and both Ivey and Mosseri got out of the way, sending the pot to Kelly.
Monday, June 18, 2012 5:03 PM Local Time
Stud 8
Dan Kelly brought it in with a showing and Matt Waxman called with a out. Phil Hellmuth then completed with his . Waxman made the call and with Kelly out of the way, continued playing the hand.
Waxman: / (FOLDED) |
Hellmuth: / / |
On fourth street, Hellmuth led out and Waxman called. Fifth street and Hellmuth would check-call a bet from Waxman. On Sixth street, Hellmuth led and Waxman thought hard before letting his hand go and sending the pot Hellmuth.
Monday, June 18, 2012 4:55 PM Local Time
The final table of Event 32: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. is stacked with bracelets. Phil Hellmuth and Phil Ivey own the vast majority of them, and of the eight remaining players, only two are without hardware:
Seat | Player | Bracelets |
1 | Phil Ivey | 8 |
2 | Paul Sokoloff | 0 |
3 | Matt Waxman | 0 |
4 | Abe Mosseri | 1 |
5 | David "Bakes" Baker | 1 |
6 | Phil Hellmuth | 12 |
7 | John Monnette | 2 |
8 | Dan Kelly | 1 |
If Hellmuth or Monnette are fortunate enough to win, then they'll become the first multiple-bracelet winner of 2012. Last year, only Brian Rast won more than one bracelet, and in 2010, only Frank Kassela was able to capture two. Solokoff and Waxman would be ecstatic if they were able to capture their first WSOP gold bracelet, while Mosseri, Baker, and Kelly are all looking for their second career WSOP win.
Of course, all eyes will be on Ivey and Hellmuth – Ivey has predicted that he'll win 30 career bracelets, Hellmuth has set is goal at 24.
Monday, June 18, 2012 4:51 PM Local Time
The cards are in the air for the official final table of Event 32.
Monday, June 18, 2012 4:41 PM Local Time
Seat | Player | Chips |
1 | Phil Ivey | 852,000 |
2 | Paul Sokoloff | 646,000 |
3 | Matt Waxman | 515,000 |
4 | Abe Mosseri | 565,000 |
5 | David "Bakes" Baker | 842,000 |
6 | Phil Hellmuth | 704,000 |
7 | John Monnette | 931,000 |
8 | Dan Kelly | 297,000 |
Monday, June 18, 2012 4:37 PM Local Time
With the official final table being set, the players are on a short break. The official chip counts will be posted shortly.
Monday, June 18, 2012 4:32 PM Local Time
Stud 8
With the exit of Mori Eskandani in 9th place, we are heading to the final table. But first, let us explain how Eskandani's gallant elimination occurred.
It was during a hand of Stud Eight-or-Better and it all started when Paul Sokoloff brought it in with a out front. Matt Waxman then made the call with his and John Monnette called with a . Mori Eskandani then completed with his and Monnette, Waxman and Sokoloff all made the call.
Sokoloff: / / |
Waxman: / (FOLDED) |
Monnettte: / / |
Eskandani: / / |
On fourth street, Monnette bet his pair and his three opponents called. Fifth street saw Monnette again bet and another three calls came along for the ride. On sixth street, Monnette led again and this time Eskandani raised. Sokoloff made the call and Waxman got out of the way. Monnette threw in the extra chips to call and we would see the final card dealt out.
Monnette checked on seventh and Eskandani shoved his remaining 38,000 into the pot. Sokoloff called and then Monnette check-rasied. Sokoloff called and the three players turned their hole cards over.
Eskandani held was good for a flush, but Monnette's gave him the full house. With no low for Eskandani, he was sent home. The remainder of the pot was chopped up, with Sokoloff holding , enough for a low.
Mori Eskandani | 0 | -180,000 |
Monday, June 18, 2012 4:28 PM Local Time
Razz
Paul Sokoloff | / / |
Abe Mosseri | / (FOLDED) |
More Eskandani | / / |
Sokoloff completed, Mosseri raised, and Eskandani cold-called. Sokoloff called as well, and Mosseri led out on fourth street. Eskandani called, and so did Sokoloff. On fifth street, Mosseri paired, and Sokoloff led out with the best hand. Mosseri tank-folded, and Eskandani called.
Eskandani check-called another bet on sixth, but was forced to check-fold on seventh, giving Sokoloff the pot.
A few hands later...
Sokoloff completed, and Kelly called. Sokoloff led out on fourth, fifth, and sixth, and Kelly called him down until sixth, where he mucked.
Paul Sokoloff | 575,000 | 175,000 |
Dan Kelly | 350,000 | -30,000 |
Mori Eskandani | 180,000 | -30,000 |
Monday, June 18, 2012 4:17 PM Local Time
Razz
Abe Mosseri: / |
Phil Ivey: / (FOLDED) |
After John Monnette brought it in with a , Phil Ivey completed with his deuce. Abe Mosseri then raised it up with his deuce and Ivey called. On fourth street, Ivey led out and Mosseri called. Fifth street and Mosseri would lead and Ivey fold to send the pot to Mosseri.
Abe Mosseri | 565,000 | 95,000 |
Monday, June 18, 2012 4:15 PM Local Time
Razz
Abe Mosseri brought it in with a showing and Ivey completed with the . Paul Sokoloff then raised it up with a and Ivey made the call, while the rest of the table was out of the way.
Ivey: / |
Sokoloff: / (FOLDED) |
On fourth street, Ivey led with a bet and Sokoloff called. Fifth street saw Ivey lead again, but this time Sokoloff folded and sent the pot to Ivey.
Phil Ivey | 890,000 | 250,000 |
Monday, June 18, 2012 4:08 PM Local Time
Omaha 8
John Monnette opened the action with a raise from under the gun. Mori Eskandani called a couple of spots to his left and Phil Hellmuth called out of the big blind. The flop would see Hellmuth lead and Monnette call. Eskandani also called and a was dealt on the turn. This time the play would be checked to Eskandani and he would be. Hellmuth called and Monnette got out of the way as a was the last card to hit the felt.
On the river, Hellmuth check-raised a bet from Eskandani and a call would see the two players turn their hands over.
It was the full house for Hellmuth and the nut-low for Eskandani as they split up the pot.
Monday, June 18, 2012 4:03 PM Local Time
Omaha 8
Here is how a couple of small Omaha Eight-or-Better hands played out during these early stages of nine-handed play.
- Hand One: Mori Eskandani opened up the action with a raise and only Paul Sokoloff called on the button. The flop would see Eskandani check and then raise when Sokoloff bet. It was enough to scare Sokoloff off as Eskandani took it down.
- Hand Two: Folded to Paul Sokoloff, he called from the cutoff and Abe Mosseri called in the small blind. David Bakes Baker tapped the table in the big blind and a flop was dealt. Mosseri simply led here and it was enough to take down the pot.
Monday, June 18, 2012 3:58 PM Local Time
Omaha 8
From middle position, Phil Hellmuth raised. Matt Waxman made the call from the big blind and the flop came down . Waxman checked and Hellmuth bet. Waxman folded and Hellmuth won the pot.
Monday, June 18, 2012 3:56 PM Local Time
Omaha 8
Action folded to Dan Kelly in the cutoff seat and he raised. Phil Ivey made the call from the small blind and the flop came down paired with the . Ivey bet out and Kelly called.
The turn put trips on the board with the . Both players checked. They also both checked when the landed on the river.
Kelly opened the for the trip tens on board plus ace-king high. Ivey mucked and Kelly won the pot.