Top Stories of 2024, #2: Poker Greats Ivey and Negreanu End Bracelet Droughts

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Dec 30, 2024 7 min read

Every sport has its legends—icons who define the game and inspire generations. In soccer, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo reign supreme. Michael Jordan and LeBron James tower above the rest on the basketball court. On the gridiron, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are synonymous with greatness.

In poker, two names shine just as brightly: Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu. They're the faces of the game—the players who captivate both seasoned pros and home game heroes. Their influence transcends poker; even those who’ve never squeezed a pair of hole cards or wagered a single chip know their names. Ivey and Negreanu aren’t just poker’s greatest; they’re its foundation and undisputedly make up one-half of poker's Mount Rushmore.

Their careers have been intertwined from the very beginning, crossing paths as young stars during their formative years on the journey to poker’s upper echelons. Both were central figures in poker’s boom era, navigating the spotlight with a unique blend of charisma and unparalleled skill that brought in a wave of new players to the game.

That shared legacy reached new heights at the 2024 World Series of Poker, where both legends ended lengthy bracelet droughts and added fresh chapters to their already illustrious résumés. For Ivey, it was another patented masterclass performance, as he claimed his 11th bracelet in the $10,000 2-7 Triple Draw Championship. Meanwhile, Negreanu silenced any whispers of decline by taking down the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, adding bracelet number seven to his collection and ticking off the number one item on his poker bucket list.

Negreanu Furthers Legacy with $50k PPC Victory

Negreanu's Poker Players Championship at the 2024 WSOP came more than a decade after his previous bracelet victory in the 2013 WSOP Europe €25,600 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller for €725,000. In the 11 years between, Negreanu had five runner-up finishes and plenty of other close calls.

He also had tremendous swings. In 2023, Negreanu lost $2.2 million on tournament buy-ins and vowed to change his game the coming year.

The change was immediate. Three days into the year, Negreanu won a PokerGO High Roller for $218,400 to shave off 10% of his 2023 losses. In March, he won a second PokerGO High Roller for $147,500.

Heading into the prestigious Poker Players Championship, Negreanu was fresh off an 11th-place finish in the $10,000 Razz Championship but still down over $900,000 on the summer. He was ready for a victory.

He had some help in the event that drew 89 of the world's top and most varied poker players. On Day 4 with six players remaining, Negreanu hit a one-outer straight flush against Bryce Yockey during an orbit of Omaha hi-lo to keep him alive for Day 5.

In poetic fashion, it was Negreanu and Yockey who made it to heads-up play before a final Pot-Limit Omaha confrontation that went Kid Poker's way to cause eruption throughout the Horseshoe Event Center.

Negreanu told PokerNews' David Salituro he was feeling "a lot of relief" after winning his first bracelet in over a decade. "I have a lot of anxiety about coming heads-up because I’ve had so many seconds. And it was just nice for things to feel like they went my way at this final table."

“There is one event in the world I want to play more than any and I wanted to win more than any, and it’s this one. This is the one,” Negreanu said. “Obviously, the Main Event is special in a different way. But this one is all the best players in the world, pro-heavy field, playing 100-minute levels, days and days of grind, 12 hours a day. So to come out on top, you can’t fluke that.”

The $1.2 million victory was not only his first bracelet win in 11 years; it was also the first win with his wife Amanda Negreanu, who he met on the set of The Big Game and who he since has launched the Mania Podcast with to discuss non-poker things like marriage and mental health.

“It’s very cool," Negreanu said about having Amanda there for the victory. "This is the first time she’s been down here since we moved here. Because she was going to come when I win, and I haven’t been winning. So it was nice to have her here for the moment, for sure."

It was also Negreanu's first bracelet victory as a who broadcasts hands to hundreds of thousands of interested fans, some of whom were there in person when the final cards were dealt.

“I always sort of just fell into it. It’s something I’ve always felt I could do, I was a natural for,” he said. “Being on camera doesn’t bother me one bit and I thought it would be fun to give people the chance to sort of sweat along with me. So that’s why I do what I do. It’s just fun.”

Negreanu had a shot at bracelet eight this month at WSOP Paradise, where he finished eighth in a $10,000 PLO event for $45,710 and fourth in the final event of the series for $65,200, which featured a stacked final table with a total of 20 bracelets between players. Of course, nearly a third of them belonged to Negreanu.

Daniel Negreanu's 11-Year Journey to Bracelet 7

Daniel Negreanu's WSOP Bracelets

Ivey Denies Mercier & Wong in Overtime for Bracelet #11

Ivey's route to the top of the 2-7 Triple Draw Championship began on the second level of Day 2, where he opted to hop in at the last moment before registration closed.

Ivey began to accrue chips slowly before he made an eight-perfect to win a sizeable pot from Joao Vieira. By the first break of the day, Ivey had turned his 60,000 starting stack into 225,000 and then claimed his first elimination, downing Christopher Claassen with an nine-six against a ten-seven.

Ivey's stack began to slip, but he made an eight-six and #3 against Benny Glaser to reach 410,000. More pots headed to the Hall of Famer, and he rounded out Day 2 with 755,000, which was good for fifth place out of the 13 players who made it through to Day 3.

Heading into what was supposed to be the final day, Ivey had locked up at least $24,145, but of course, his eyes were firmly on the $347,440 up top and the bracelet that would put him one ahead of Erik Seidel, Johnny Chan and the Godfather of Poker Doyle Brunson.

Ivey knocked out Renan Bruschi to set up the seven-handed final table, where six-time WSOP bracelet winner Jason Mercier held the chip lead. Justin Saliba, Philip Sternheimer and Jonathan Cohen departed to leave the final four players, where Danny Wong joined Mercier, Ivey and Glaser in the pursuit for the winner's spoils.

Wong entered as the short stack with just 550,000, while Mercier commanded the chip lead with 4,165,000. Glaser sat in second place, but the defending champion’s luck ran out. His dealt 8-5 perfect fell to Wong’s 7-6 in a massive pot, moving Wong into the chip lead and leaving Glaser with just 300,000. Although Glaser managed to triple up once, he eventually patted an 8-6-5-3-2, only for Wong to draw 8-6-4-3-2 and eliminate him in fourth place.

During three-handed play, Phil Ivey repeatedly dipped into short-stack territory but rallied with two crucial triples to stay alive. Meanwhile, Wong seized the chip lead from Mercier just before play was halted as the clock crept past 2 a.m. in Sin City.

Ivey began the final day with a bang, drawing a wheel in a massive pot against Mercier to nearly tie Wong for the chip lead. Wong regained momentum, though, winning a pot off Mercier with a pat eight, which left Mercier with less than 1,000,000.

Mercier doubled twice but eventually got his last 170,000 in against Wong and Ivey. He finished with a 9-7-5, while Wong drew to an 8-6. Wong’s final card was a seven, giving him the checkmark and eliminating Mercier in third place. Wong led heads-up play against Ivey with 5,315,000 to 3,630,000.

Wong’s lead was short-lived, as Ivey drew another wheel against Wong’s 9-8 to claim the chip lead. He left Wong with less than 1,000,000 after making an 8-7. Wong briefly doubled with his own 8-7 but was soon forced all in for 250,000. Wong patted a 10-8, while Ivey drew one holding 7-5-4-3. Ivey peeled a deuce, completing a wheel to secure the title and end his 3,639-day bracelet drought.

Phil Ivey's WSOP Bracelets

Connor Richards is an Editor & Live Reporter for PokerNews and host of the Life Outside Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for two Global Poker Awards for his writing.

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Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum has written for various poker outlets but found his home at PokerNews, where he has contributed to various articles and live updates, providing insights and reporting on major poker events, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

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• Tags Amanda Negreanu Benny Glaser Bryce Yockey Christopher Claassen Cristiano Ronaldo Daniel Negreanu Danny Wong Erik Seidel Jason Mercier Johnny Chan Joao Vieira Phil Ivey World Series of Poker WSOP Paradise WSOP PokerGO Renan Bruschi Lionel Messi
• Related Tournaments World Series of Poker
• Related Players Daniel NegreanuPhil IveyErik SeidelJohnny ChanJason MercierDanny Wong