Phil Ivey Wins Event #37: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E ($329,840)

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We started out today with 25 world-class mixed games players and although we knew we were in for a long day, you had a feeling that today was going to bring something very special. Of course when you come back for a day three with superstars like David Benyamine, John Juanda, Jeff Lisandro, Dan Heimiller, Chad Brown, David Singer and several other previous bracelet winners, we were destined for a final table for the ages.

When the field was reduced to 16 players, Phil Ivey was the short stack of the field. By the time the final table was formed, Ivey was amongst the leaders and looking in control. However Ivey never had it easy and his chip stack fluctuated as the going was tough against such a strong lineup.

We've witnessed Ivey destroy final tables in the past, but you never got the feeling that this title was his, until he got heads up. Bill Chen put up a great fight and excelled on the final table, but once Ivey got some momentum heads up, it seemed like there was only ever going to be one winner.

That man is Phil Ivey. Bracelet number eight. It puts him in rare company with the elite in poker's history. Of course, bracelets mean a lot to Ivey, but the talk tomorrow will be about the side bets he stands to collect from this victory. In fact after it was all over, Ivey was overheard to comment, "So how much is it for first place anyway?"

That's any day in the books from the WSOP, and it's one that will be forever remembered for the legendary Phil Ivey. Good night from the Rio!

Tags: Phil Ivey