Big Payouts If Ivey Wins Main Event

Phil Ivey has long been regarded by many as one of the finest poker players alive today. Every year comes the WSOP Main Event and every time Ivey is inevitably included in most people's list of favourites to take down the coveted title. This year could just be his year, as he has made it to the Main Event final table for the first time.

If Ivey, who will start as one of the short stacks, manages to overcome the odds to take down the title, many bookmakers will stand to lose a lot of money. Prior to the start of this year's Main Event, he was made a 150-to-1 favourite along with Daniel Negreanu, Gus Hansen and online sensation Tom "durrrr" Dwan. This means that punters who bet on Ivey could turn $7 into more than $1,000.

Darvin Moon A Big Favourite

With Ivey's high profile and his legion of fans and admirers, it would not be a stretch to say that substantial sums of money have been staked on his success this year. For those who were a little more conservative, Phil's final table appearance earned them $1,000 from a mere $50 bet, as he was 20-to-1 to make the final table.

None of the other November Niners were in the radar of the bookmakers prior to the final table, so no odds were offered on them. But now that the final table has been set, punters can now place bets on their favourites to win the Main Event bracelet this year. A few prominent bookmakers have already set their odds, based on the players' chip count so far.

Darvin Moon who holds a huge lead is of course rated as a big favourite thanks to his dominant chip lead. However, there is still a lot of poker left to be played. Dennis Phillips (pictured left) who was the chip leader and strong favourite last year finished in third place. As an acknowledgement of his superior skill, Ivey's odds are significantly shortened. His chances are rated as equal to those of Jeff Shulman, who has twice the number of chips.