One More win for Phil Ivey!
Phillip Ivey, one of the brightest and fastest-rising young stars on the poker circuit, continued his phenomenal run by picking up another title, the Legends $1,000 1/2 7-card stud, 1/2 limit hold'em event. Playing his usual totally focused game, perhaps more aggressive than usual, he outlasted Joe Baron in a long heads-up finale that stretched over three half-hour alternating rounds of the two games. "He was very aggressive, always betting when I checked, raising when I bet," commented Baron, an inventor who just started a company to develop products for Harley-Davidson. "I know he was bluffing a lot, but I didn't have the cards to call him."
This was one of the very toughest final tables at this year's Legends. Ivey owns four WSOP bracelets, and Diego Cordovez, David Pham and Robert Varkonyi, the reigning World Series champion, each have one. Then there was Ken "Skyhawk" Flaton and James Hoeppner, a CPA who won last year's Legends $5,000 championship event.
The table got there after Ivey knocked out Steve Zolotow. In a hold'em round, Zolotow had K-10 and hit a king on the river. But it was too late because Ivey, in the big blind with 9-5, had flopped two pair. On a stud round with $100 antes, $200 low-card and $500-$1,000 limits, Hoeppner went out in dramatic fashion. He raised all in on fifth street with kings up and 8s in the pocket. Ivey had two aces showing and one down. Hoeppner proceeded to make kings-full, but lost when Ivey filled. A hand later, Cordovez was all in showing a board of 7-6-6-2. Baron, with queens on board, turned up two jacks and Diego mucked his hand and left.
It was now hold'em, same limits. Flaton immediately went all in with K-Q against Varkonyi's A-K. On fourth street Ken stood up, prematurely, because a river queen saved him. Varkonyi was now down to $400 and waited until he had to post in the big blind. He had K-2 of hearts. Baron, in the small blind, had 7-6 and eliminated the WSOP champ when a board of J-3-6-2-7 gave him two pair.
The remaining five players were now in the money. Phongthep Thiptinnakon, meanwhile, had stayed around after going all in three times, once when he hit a river flush in stud to overcome Baron’s Broadway straight. Still low-chipped, he went all in holding K-6 on a J-J-6 flop. But Pham, with J-6 had flopped a full house, and four were left. About 25 minutes into the hold'em round, Skyhawk, who started the table with the fewest chips, finally had his wings clipped. Holding A-3, he bet $400 all in on a board of 8-8-3-9. Ivey, in the big blind with 9-7 and a lot of chips, called and won with his over-pair of 9s.
The tournament changed to stud, $200 antes, $300 bring-in, $1,000-$2,000 limits. After taking a couple of frustrating beats, starting chip leader David Pham, making his eighth final table, finally went all in with three-way action showing 5-K-3-7. At the showdown, he made 7s and 5s to beat Ivey's queens, but he fell short against Baron's 88s and 3s.
After hauling in that big pot, Baron moved into a slight lead with roughly $45,000 to about $42,000 for Ivey. But after four hands, Ivey took back the lead with more than $50,000. They continued, in the words of tournament director Denny Williams, to "play ping-pong." After a round of hold'em, it was back to stud, $1,500-$3,000 limits, with Ivey holding better than a 2-1 lead. Finally, after folding on sixth street against Ivey's board of 10-6-K-J, Baron was left with just $1,300. Two hands later he was all in, couldn't help his two 10s and lost to Ivey's jacks. - Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
Phillip Ivey is a quiet, polite, unassuming young man who at the age of 25 already owns a garage-full of trophies. This year he turned in perhaps the greatest performance in World Series history. He tied Phil Hellmuth's record by winning three bracelets, in 7-card stud, 7-card stud hi-lo and H.O.S.E., making two other final tables as well. His fourth bracelet is in pot-limit Omaha. The 25-year-old Atlantic City pro started playing poker after high school and has been playing full time for four years. He splits his poker time between tournaments and live action, and though he's known as a stud player, he feels he plays all games equally well.
Tonight, he said, he accumulated chips early on, was never in trouble, and got into good position when he was rolled up against Diego Cordovez at the second table. He said the cards broke very well for him, which was why he was able to play with such relentless aggression.
EVENT #28 RESULTS
1/2 7-CARD STUD
& 1/2 LIMIT HOLD'EM
$1,000 + $60
$43,000 PRIZE POOL
43 PLAYERS
1. Phillip Ivey $19,350
2. Joe Baron $10,750
3. David Pham $6,450
4. Ken Flaton $4,300
5. P. Thiptinnakon $2,150
CHIP POSITION FINAL TABLE
PhongthepThiptinnakon
$3,375
James Hoeppner
$7,550
Joe Baron
$13,300
Robert Varkonyi
$5,900
Phillip Ivey
$23,925
Ken Flaton
$2,350
Diego Cordovez
$3,650
David Pham
$26,625
Chips raced and/or blinded off: $665
ALL-AROUND PAY-OFF POINTS
Name Total
1. David Pham 364
2. Men Nguyen 297
3. Daniel Negreanu 221
4. Kathy Liebert 219
5. Marlon Delossantos 192
6. Sam Sanusi 189
7. Huck Seed 183
8. Ken Flaton 161
9. Scotty Nguyen 148
10. John Juanda 145
SUPER SATELLITE
PAY-OFF POINTS
Name Total
1. Jeff Yoak 405
2. Tony Cousineau 287
3. Randy Holland 278
4. Param Gill 262
5. Mickey Mouse 245
6. Hassan Kamoei 175
7. Harley Hall 150
8. Jimmy Tran 143
9. Can Hua 140
10.Phillip Barres 138
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