12:11
16 Oct
Phil Ivey’s disappearance from the tournament circuit this past year or so has been as much of a mystery as Tom Dwan’s similar situation a couple of years ago, but this week saw him give an interview which may have clarified a few things, with Ivey looking set to return to competitive play next year.
In one of the final hands of 'The Return of Tom Dwan' finale on PokerGO, Bill Klein's aces are looking for help against Matt Kirk in a $980,000 pot. Phil ivey Tom dwan new prop bet Has anyone watched the most recent episode of the $100,000 Buy In PLO Poker After Dark. Dwan and Ivey have now made what could be the largest prop bet in poker history.
SoMuchPoker, a site is dedicated to poker players living in the Asia-Pacific region, caught up with Ivey in Beijing – on a visit which PokerTube reported a couple of weeks ago where he was helping to launch the Zhi Zou poker app which wealthy Chinese entrepreneur Sun Ji Jun, the brains behind the new app, hopes will challenge for top spot in the Far East market.
Ivey, never the most forthcoming of men in interviews, was guarded about what games he was currently playing, although he was quite clear they weren’t on mainland China: “No, no, it’s illegal”, he stated bluntly.
Claiming that “personal/family issues” were behind his non-appearance at the biggest events in 2017 – Ivey missing the World Series of Poker although he was able to play some cash games at Bobby’s Room in the Bellagio when the show was in town.
His dual court cases relating to his huge baccarat wins in the now-infamous edge-sorting ‘scandal’ have also taken up much of his time and energy – and no doubt money as well, although reputed to be worth $100million it’s doubtful Ivey is feeling the pinch just yet.
Now living in Hong Kong, Ivey confirmed he was still playing the big games in both Macau and in the Philippines’ capital Manila, although when asked to comment on the details he replied:
“No, I cannot”.
Ivey did open up when asked about when or if he planned to play again.
“I’m still interested in live tournaments… I love tournaments, I’ll always play tournaments,” but explained that with his “personal/family problems” he just “didn’t want to be part of the media at that moment, so I just decided to take some time off, but next year I’m going to start playing again.”
Great news for fans of the game, Ivey still being pone of the most popular and successful players of the modern era.
Youtube Phil Ivey
Poker After Dark will air a previously recorded but never-before-seen cash game starting on June 4, a source close to the show told Card Player. The $200,000 minimum buy-in includes Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, Patrik Antonius, David Oppenheim, Eli Elezra and David Peat.
Phil Ivey
The cash game was previously slated to air during winter 2011, before the show took a hiatus in September. The program currently has reruns on the NBC Sports Network, which was previously Versus.
Phil Ivey Poker Room
The last season — number seven — was filmed at Aria in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Poker After Dark Phil Ivey
Poker After Dark has been home to some of the most memorable cash game hands ever filmed. Here’s a look at a classic bluff from the hyper-aggressive Dwan in 2009.
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