Phil Ivey proved he was still one of the best poker players on earth, making a deep run in the 2019 World Series of Poker $50,000 buy-in Poker Players Championship event. But perhaps the legally embattled high-stakes gambler still has a bit of rust to shake off.
Ivey was seemingly in cruise control mode after the field made the money, and found himself in a three-way pot of stud eight-or-better with 11 players left in the tournament.
Ivey has given money to a number of charitable causes. In March 2008, he donated $50,000 to Empowered 2 Excel, a Las Vegas charity for underprivileged children, and later that week created the Budding Ivey Foundation, a non-profit organization to continue the work of his grandfather, Leonard 'Bud' Simmons. Phil Ivey’s Ambitious Choices. At 17, Ivey was frequenting casinos in Atlantic City and was known to cardroom players and managers as “Jerome” until he turned of age.That’s when he really started making the push to play professionally. Ivey’s ambition was to make as much money he could at the biggest games he could win at.Sounds simple, but very few have the boldness that Phil Ivey does. Kay Ivey (Republican Party) is the Governor of Alabama. She assumed office on April 10, 2017. Her current term ends on January 16, 2023. Ivey (Republican Party) ran for re-election for Governor of Alabama. She won in the general election on November 6, 2018.
While at the featured table, PokerGo cameras caught Ivey holding the best and only low while facing off against John Esposito and Talal Shakerchi.
Phil Ivey: (J 2) 4 7 A J (3)
Talal Shakerchi: (K K) 2 5 K8 (Q)
John Esposito: (2 10) 9 9 A 6 (5)
Shakerchi was looking to fill up with his trip kings, but wound up making a king-high heart flush. That wasn’t good enough to top Esposito’s backdoor ace-high spade flush, and neither player made qualifying eight low.
Ivey’s pair of jacks were no good, but his 7-4-3-2-A low was plenty good enough to take half of the large main pot. Unfortunately for him, the ten-time WSOP bracelet winner either thought he had missed his low draw, or he believed the table was playing stud high.
Check out the action below.
Did Phil Ivey fold another WSOP winner!? ali_nejad</a> and <a href='https://twitter.com/PrahladFriedman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw'>PrahladFriedman break down the PPC blunder: https://t.co/6DynX4XdZe#WSOP50pic.twitter.com/uY5DOAfnk6
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) June 28, 2019
Phil Ivey Chris Moneymaker
Shakerchi was eliminated in 11th place, earning $72,078. Ivey went on to finish in eighth place, banking $124,410. The eventual winner of the 74-player tournament was Phil Hui, who took home his second career bracelet and the $1,099,311 first-place prize.
This isn’t the first time that Ivey has folded the winner at the WSOP. Back in 2009 when he was making his run to the main event final table, Ivey accidentally folded what would have been a winning spade flush.
How Much Is Phil Ivey Worth
Ivey, who has more than $26 million in career tournament earnings, still sits in a tie for second-place all-time with Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan behind Phil Hellmuth with 14 bracelets. This was his fourth cash this summer. Last year, he also cashed four times, finishing ninth in the Poker Players Championship.