He was the big favourite going in to the final table. Being Phil Ivey, he usually is, and at the WPT L.A. Poker Classic he even came to the final table as massive chip leader after doubling through the always loveable Phil Hellmuth just before the final table bubble burst.
But then again ... Ivey, before the L.A. final table, had seven other WPT final tables in his wake and still no title, so things weren't looking that grim for the rest of the best at the Commerce Casino. And they on the other hand were no pushovers either. This is what it looked like at the beginning of play:
Seat 1: Quinn Do - 1,450,000
Seat 2: Nam Le - 1,180,000
Seat 3: Phil Hellmuth - 2,380,000
Seat 4: Phil Ivey - 4,100,000
Seat 5: Charles Moore - 1,510,000
Seat 6: Scott Montgomery - 2,680,000
So a massive chip lead for Mr. Ivey, but that all changed in the very first hand of the final table, when Charles Moore pushed all-in over the top of Ivey's initial raise. The most erratic eyes of poker took more than five minutes and a whole lot of darting around before finally calling.
Bad decision.
Ivey's
was dominated by Moore's
and when no help rolled in for Ivey, he was down to 2.6 million and 3rd in chip count more or less before the whole thing even got started.
Not the best way to kick off a final table, and Ivey responded by tightening up quite a bit, staying pretty much out of the action for the next 50 hands.
Luckily others were more than ready to step in as final table aggressors. Phil Hellmuth for instance.
Unfortunately for 11 time WSOP bracelet winner, he just picked the worst time possible for his aggression.
In a pot against Nam Le, Hellmuth chose to just call Nam Le's continuation bet on the flop, holding a Jack for top pair. The turn brought a King, and when Nam Le bet again, Phil Hellmuth moved all-in with his second pair, 8-kicker. But Nam Le had an easy call, since the King on turn had given him two pair Kings up.
Down to nearly nothing and still complaining how lucky Nam Le had been, Phil Hellmuth then became the first man out, when he pushed his short stack in against Moore.
Phil's A9o found no miracle cure against Moore's AQo, and Hellmuth took sixth and $229,820.
Quinn Do then doubled up twice - once against Montgomery and once against Moore - to go above 3 million in chips, leaving particularly Scott Montgomery with very few chips. And Montgomery would take fifth a few hands later, when Nam Le relieved him of the remaining 800,000 chips in a preflop all-in KJs vs. J8o.
Then it was Ivey time again - big time. After more than 50 hands of not a lot of Ivey involvement, the arguably best poker player in the world kicked back into gear and tore the table apart, winning big pots left and right. When the decisive hand of the final table came however, it wasn't the great skill or aggression of Phil Ivey that took down his most fierce opponent. It was blind luck ... the "oh my God!" kind of luck. The stuff bad beat stories are made of.
Holding a narrow chip lead, Phil Ivey got all-in preflop against Nam Le, 2nd in chip count, and was in bad shape!
Pocket Three's for Ivey against Nam Le's pocket Aces. Two outs, not much difference in stack sizes, and Ivey looked like he'd just stepped in something cold and sticky.
Flop:
Turn...
Boooom!
No Ace on the river, and Nam Le - instead of taking a huge chip lead - was heading for the rail in 4th, cashing $411,770. That's just cruel.
Ivey on the other hand was unstoppable, and five hands later he eliminated Charles Moore, when Two Pair was plenty to beat a busted openended straight draw.
Heads-up it never got exciting. Ivey was simply too far ahead - and catching too many flops.
Only a couple of hands into the heads-up match against Quinn Do it was all-over. Ivey got a call on a preflop raise and flopped top Two Pair Aces up against Quinn Do's Middle Pair. Another bet and call later, Do was pot committed and Ivey turned a second Ace for the Full House.
The all-in from Ivey and call from Do was inevitable, and with Quinn Do drawing dead, Phil Ivey could finally celebrate his first WPT title.
Last Hand:
Ivey: Do:
vs. 
Board:
Final result of the WPT L.A. Poker Classic:
1. Phil Ivey - $1,596,100
2. Quinn Do - $909,400
3. Charles Moore - $625,630
4. Nam Le - $411,770
5. Scott Montgomery - $296,860
6. Phil Hellmuth - $229,820
But then again ... Ivey, before the L.A. final table, had seven other WPT final tables in his wake and still no title, so things weren't looking that grim for the rest of the best at the Commerce Casino. And they on the other hand were no pushovers either. This is what it looked like at the beginning of play:
Seat 1: Quinn Do - 1,450,000
Seat 2: Nam Le - 1,180,000
Seat 3: Phil Hellmuth - 2,380,000
Seat 4: Phil Ivey - 4,100,000
Seat 5: Charles Moore - 1,510,000
Seat 6: Scott Montgomery - 2,680,000
So a massive chip lead for Mr. Ivey, but that all changed in the very first hand of the final table, when Charles Moore pushed all-in over the top of Ivey's initial raise. The most erratic eyes of poker took more than five minutes and a whole lot of darting around before finally calling.
Bad decision.
Ivey's
was dominated by Moore's
and when no help rolled in for Ivey, he was down to 2.6 million and 3rd in chip count more or less before the whole thing even got started.
Not the best way to kick off a final table, and Ivey responded by tightening up quite a bit, staying pretty much out of the action for the next 50 hands.
Luckily others were more than ready to step in as final table aggressors. Phil Hellmuth for instance.
Unfortunately for 11 time WSOP bracelet winner, he just picked the worst time possible for his aggression.
In a pot against Nam Le, Hellmuth chose to just call Nam Le's continuation bet on the flop, holding a Jack for top pair. The turn brought a King, and when Nam Le bet again, Phil Hellmuth moved all-in with his second pair, 8-kicker. But Nam Le had an easy call, since the King on turn had given him two pair Kings up.
Down to nearly nothing and still complaining how lucky Nam Le had been, Phil Hellmuth then became the first man out, when he pushed his short stack in against Moore.
Phil's A9o found no miracle cure against Moore's AQo, and Hellmuth took sixth and $229,820.
Quinn Do then doubled up twice - once against Montgomery and once against Moore - to go above 3 million in chips, leaving particularly Scott Montgomery with very few chips. And Montgomery would take fifth a few hands later, when Nam Le relieved him of the remaining 800,000 chips in a preflop all-in KJs vs. J8o.
Then it was Ivey time again - big time. After more than 50 hands of not a lot of Ivey involvement, the arguably best poker player in the world kicked back into gear and tore the table apart, winning big pots left and right. When the decisive hand of the final table came however, it wasn't the great skill or aggression of Phil Ivey that took down his most fierce opponent. It was blind luck ... the "oh my God!" kind of luck. The stuff bad beat stories are made of.
Holding a narrow chip lead, Phil Ivey got all-in preflop against Nam Le, 2nd in chip count, and was in bad shape!
Pocket Three's for Ivey against Nam Le's pocket Aces. Two outs, not much difference in stack sizes, and Ivey looked like he'd just stepped in something cold and sticky.
Flop:
Turn...
Boooom!
No Ace on the river, and Nam Le - instead of taking a huge chip lead - was heading for the rail in 4th, cashing $411,770. That's just cruel.
Ivey on the other hand was unstoppable, and five hands later he eliminated Charles Moore, when Two Pair was plenty to beat a busted openended straight draw.
Heads-up it never got exciting. Ivey was simply too far ahead - and catching too many flops.
Only a couple of hands into the heads-up match against Quinn Do it was all-over. Ivey got a call on a preflop raise and flopped top Two Pair Aces up against Quinn Do's Middle Pair. Another bet and call later, Do was pot committed and Ivey turned a second Ace for the Full House.
The all-in from Ivey and call from Do was inevitable, and with Quinn Do drawing dead, Phil Ivey could finally celebrate his first WPT title.
Last Hand:
Ivey: Do:
vs. Board:
Final result of the WPT L.A. Poker Classic:
1. Phil Ivey - $1,596,100
2. Quinn Do - $909,400
3. Charles Moore - $625,630
4. Nam Le - $411,770
5. Scott Montgomery - $296,860
6. Phil Hellmuth - $229,820
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