Cruising in the $250k, Is 2022 One of Phil Ivey's Best WSOP's Ever?

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Jun 24, 2022 2 min read

It's not a matter if, but when will Phil Ivey become just the second player ever to win that elusive 11th World Series of Poker gold bracelet. Perhaps, he's just a day away, especially if he continues to dominate Event #50: $250,000 Super High Roller No-Limit Hold'em.

Ivey's been stuck on 10 since 2014, tied for second with Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson. He still has his work cut out for him to catch Phil Hellmuth, who holds the record with 16 WSOP titles. But it's clear now that he's as focused now to win bracelets as he was in the 2000s.

Ivey Getting Close

The Poker Hall of Famer came within a few cards from ending his eight-year drought without a bracelet earlier this week when he finished runner-up to Aleksejs Ponakovs in Event #42: $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em. Cashing for over $1.1 million was certainly an impressive accomplishment, but it wasn't the end result he sought.

At the time of publishing, with 29 players remaining in the Super High Roller, the 10-time bracelet winner held a fairly large chip lead and had well over 200 big blinds. Payouts had just been disclosed, and the winner will take home $4,563,700. Should Ivey come out victorious, that would put him at over $41.6 million in live tournament cashes, and bring him into fifth place all-time, according to Hendon Mob.

Justin Bonomo was hoping to catch up to Bryn Kenney, who busted shy of the money, as the all-time live tournament cashes leader. All he had to do was finish in the money, but he was eliminated not too long after Kenney when he moved all-in with 8x8x and ran into Ivey's KxKx, which held up.

Ivey's Best WSOP?

In 2009, thanks in large part to a seventh-place finish in the Main Event, Ivey cashed for $1,761,008 at the World Series of Poker. That has been, to date, his best series in terms of earnings. But that figure could be shattered this summer, potentially as early as Saturday.

Entering the Super High Roller, the poker legend had five cashes, three final table appearances, and $1,460,211. After sitting out the 2021 WSOP and only playing in a few events during some years since his last bracelet in 2014, his fans are ecstatic to see him back at the series dominating and competing for bracelets and Player of the Year.

From 2000-2014, he racked up 10 bracelets, the shortest period of time anyone has ever reached the double-digit bracelet plateau.

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