WSOP Event #25: Phil Ivey Goes For Another Bracelet

Phil Ivey seems to be a force to be reckoned with in any game of poker - a fact he confirmed again when he took down his second bracelet this year in the $2,500 Mixed Omaha-8/Stud-8 Event. With this achievement, he has now boosted his record to a total of seven bracelet wins; it's also the second time he has managed to win more than one bracelet in a single year.

When the final day of the tournament started with 14 remaining players, short stack Chad Brown was the first to be eliminated. In a three-way pot, Ming Lee took him down with a 8-high straight and a six-low. Mark Scott was thereafter eliminated on 13th place - while Dutch Boyd was sitting out one orbit as penalty for just calling with the nuts.

At first, it didn't really look like Phil Ivey was going much further when he dropped down to less than 70,000 in chips. While other players were eliminated, he however kept struggling and made it to the final table as second but last in chips with a mere 145,000.

Source: IMPDI for 2009 WSOP

On the final table, though, Phil Ivey (pictured right) just kept gaining momentum as he scooped pot after pot against the aggressive opposition. He seemed to make all the right moves at all the  right times as he hardly ever seemed in any imminent danger of elimination.

In a notable hand against Jon Turner, he finally cracked the chip lead as the play had already gotten down to five players.

When the board came down in a hand of Omaha-8, his for two pair and nut low broke out a big chunk of chips from former chip leader Jon Turner's stack. Just minutes later, Ivey was first to crack the one million mark when he forced a fold on Carlos Mortensen - and he would never look back.

In the deciding hand of Stud-8, his heads-up opponent Ming Lee was all-in on third street with against Phil Ivey's . Lee's board unfolded , which made Ivey's trips with queens somewhat unnecessary as his pair held up.

Phil Ivey took yet another bracelet in a flawless and impressive fashion, and the question whether he really is the best poker player in the world has just become another tiny bit easier too answer.

World Series Of Poker Event #25 Results
Place	Name	Prize
1st	Phil Ivey	$220,538
2nd	Ming Lee	$136,292
3rd	Carlos Mortensen	$89,342
4th	Dutch Boyd	$61,919
5th	Jon Turner	$45,237
6th	Eric Buchman	$34,747
7th	Tom Koral	$27,993
8th	Peter Gelencser	$23,600
9th	Steve Wong	$16,517