Phil Ivey among final 26 at Aussie Millions
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Phil Ivey among final 26 at Aussie Millions
January, 26, 2012Jan 262:42PM ET
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By Andrew Feldman
For the last six months or so, the only time Phil Ivey's name has been spoken around the poker tournament scene was usually part of a simple question: Will Phil Ivey show up to play? Since making a statement regarding his decision to pass on the 2011 World Series of Poker, Ivey has made only a few choice poker-related appearances. He's participated in the Macau cash games and played in the APPT Macau main event, but speaking very generally, he hasn't been part of the poker circuit since Black Friday.
As the year kicked off with PCA and the Aussie Millions, there were a few events that, if this were a 2012 without a 2011 Black Friday, we'd assume Ivey would've been the first to register. The biggest buy-in events always brought out Ivey, with many holding onto the idea that he really only wanted to play for the highest stakes. PCA's $100,000 Super High Roller came and went without Ivey, but the $100,000 Challenge at the Aussie Millions tempted the player many believe to be the best in the world. Ivey was part of the 22-player field, but bubbled the final table and watched as Dan Smith captured 1.1 million AU$. Regardless of his finish, Ivey's appearance spoke volumes.
The 10,000 AU$ main event offered three starting days and on the third day, Ivey began his chase for the 1.6 million AU$ top prize. Robert Lam may have ended Day 1C with the chip lead, but the buzz was simply about Ivey's third-place finish. Needless to say, the spotlight for the next few days has stayed on Ivey, who was looking for his first cash in an open event since December 2010. His last win? His eighth WSOP bracelet earned in June 2010.
Day 2 ended with Ivey in second and the money bubble about to burst. On Day 3, the field of 75 became 26 after only three levels and Ivey, in sixth, was one of seven players to bag than one million in chips at the end of play. According to Lance Bradley of Bluff magazine, a win in this event would be Ivey's largest single tournament cash of his career.
Matthew Turk will bring in the chip lead when Day 4 action begins late Thursday night on the east coast. His previous best live cash is for $3,742 for a third-place finish in a 200 pound event in 2010. His minimum cash at this point is 35,000 AU$.
While Ivey's run steals headlines, there are a number of other established pros still in contention. Lee Nelson, the 2006 champion of this event, begins the day in 10th; WSOP bracelet winner Dan Idema is in seventh, and both Grant Levy and David Steicke will have to work their way back from short stacks to continue their bid for Aussie Millions victory.
Wherever Ivey may end up in this event, his future attendance remains unclear. Many don't expect him to return to the felt full time until there's some decisive action regarding Full Tilt, and that seems unlikely to happen anytime soon. Regardless of how you personally feel about Ivey given his relationship with FTP, seeing Ivey at the felt is a good first step for the industry to get going once again. Every "sport" needs their best player to be present and in the spotlight. The public knows about Ivey and whether or not he's your favorite player at the moment, having him stand out for a good reason could be seen as a very big positive for an industry that is constantly searching for anything to shed the negative stigma.
Small blinds: The 250,000 AU$ challenge, originally scheduled for Jan. 27, may be pushed back until Jan. 29. Bluff is reporting that there may be 18 participants in the event. … David Bach won the $2,500 HORSE side event at the Aussie Millions. … The World Poker Tour Season X will return to television (FSN) on Feb. 12. … The next hearing regarding online poker will take place in the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Feb. 9. … The European Poker Awards have been handed out. The winners included Sam Trickett (Player of the year), Andrey Pateychuk (Rookie of the year), Bertrand Grospellier (Poker Personality of 2011), Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies (Online player of the year) and the WSOP Cannes (Event of the year). … Will Failla and Kevin Saul have won two of the preliminary events at the Borgata's Winter Poker Open. Failla has three cashes so far this series. The $3,500 re-entry main event begins on Jan. 29. … The $65 Event 1 of the LA Poker Classic attracted a field of 3,333. Van Rowin Manlambus earned the victory, but not the biggest payday after a six-way chop. Manlambus earned $14,365 while Brian Columbia turned his $65 into $18,220. … The NASCAR Foundation is holding a charity poker tournament in February. The event will feature at least 22 "celebrities or professional poker players," with one placed at each table. … Joseph Hachem announced that he has joined a partnership with AsianLogic and has become an ambassador for the Asian Poker Tour.
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