The fourth day of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) proved to be a special one as Phil Ivey made his 2024 WSOP debut, giving poker fans a chance to watch the widely recognized poker G.O.A.T. in action.
Ivey, who has kept a light poker schedule in recent years but consistently shown up to play the WSOP, made his entrance in Event #8: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (8-Handed), an event that drew 733 runners including many of the best and biggest players like Daniel Negreanu, Erik Seidel, Scott Seiver, Erick Lindgren and Brian Rast.
But Ivey, the biggest star of them all, waited until the end of registration to hop into the PLO event after playing in Tiger Woods’ Tigers Poker Night at ARIA Las Vegas.
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Can Ivey Break the Ten-Bracelet Tie?
It’s been a decade since Ivey won his last WSOP bracelet, an accomplishment that put him second on the all-time bracelet list alongside Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson (Seidel joined the ten-bracelet club last year at WSOP Paradise).
Still, it seems only a matter of time before Ivey breaks the four-way tie. At the 2022 WSOP, he finished runner-up in Event #42: $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em for $1.2 million. He had two WSOP final table appearances the next year, including a sixth-place finish in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $228,793.
Since the last WSOP, Ivey has cashed in dozens of Triton High Rollers and won two titles at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series London in August 2023.
In around an hour of play in Day 1 of the $5,000 PLO event, Ivey managed to build up a stack of around 250,000 worth four starting stacks. In typical Ivey fashion, he sat in his chair backward slumped comfortably over the table while receiving a back massage.
After a few levels of play, Ivey ended Day 1 with a stack of 159,000. Also in typical Ivey fashion, he dipped out early and let the dealer bag his chips while leaving behind a $100 tip.