2010 WSOP: Phil Ivey Wins 8th WSOP Bracelet In H.O.R.S.E. Event

Poker legend Phil Ivey outlasted 478 players at Event 37 of the 2010 World Series of Poker, a $3,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. tournament. Phil Ivey won $329,840 in prize money and his  8th WSOP gold bracelet, tying Erik Seidel with the most wins at fifth place. Most impressive about the victory of Phil Ivey was that he had to overcome a final table that included 5 WSOP gold bracelet winners, and they finished 1st to 5th, a first in this year's WSOP.

At the age of 33, Phil Ivey has won more bracelets than all except for Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and the late Johnny Moss. “I think I can win 30 gold bracelets,” said Phil Ivey  “I think I can reach that if I keep playing and stay healthy.”

Phil Ivey now has $5,213,809 in career tournament WSOP earnings. His overall tournament winnings worldwide now approach the $13 million mark, according to some sources, which is the highest amount won by any player in poker history. Phil Ivey’s 40 WSOP career cashes currently ranks 24th on the all-time list and his22 WSOP final table appearances rank him in a 15th-place tie on the all-time list.

The runner up was two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Bill Chen, who is one of the most-respected math-oriented players of poker. Bill Chen put up a valiant effort and was the chip leader most of the way and held a 3.5-to-1 chip advantage at one point when play was heads up. Eventually, Bill Chen failed to overcome the prowess of Phil Ivey and settled for a second place finish, winning $203,802.

The third-place finisher was four-time WSOP gold bracelet winner John Juanda, who marked his 54th time to cash, which currently places him in an eighth-place tie with Chau Giang on the all-time list. John Juanda won $129,553. John Juanda also made his fourth final table appearance this 2010 WSOP, making him a strong candidate for 2010 WSOP Player of the Year.

The fourth-place finisher was WSOP gold bracelet winner Ken Aldridge from Pleasant Garden, North Carolina, who won $93,418.

The fifth-place finisher was 2009 WSOP Player of The Year Jeffrey Lisandro from Salerno, Italy, who won $68,417.

The sixth-place finisher was Dave Baker (not to be confused with WSOP gold bracelet winner David "Bakes" Baker) from Katy, Texas, who marked his fifth time to cash at this year’s WSOP, and won $50,871.

The seventh-place finisher was Albert Hahn from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, who marked his first time to cash in a WSOP tournament to win $28,391. Albert Hahn is also a highly-accomplished Scrabble player, having competed in the World Scrabble Championships in 1997, 1999, and 2005.

The eighth-place finisher was Chad Brown from Las Vegas, Nevada, who marked his fourth cash at this year’s series, winning $29,406 for this event. Chad Brown now has 31 career cashes.

Aside the final table players, former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Ryan Hughes (9th), David Benyamine (14th), Dan Heimiller (15th), Scott Seiver (16th), David Singer (17th), Farzad Bonyadi (18th), Steve Sung (31st), Chris Reslock (33rd), Katja Thater (34th), Jason Young (37th), and Max Pescatori (47th).

Dan Heimiller cashed for the fifth time at this year’s WSOP. He how has 2nd, 4th, 9th, 15th, and 27th place finishes so far in 2010. To date, Heimiller is one of only six players with five WSOP cashes this year. The other players are: Pat Pezzin, Shawn Buchanan, Christian Harder, Dave Baker, and Tad Jurgens.

Max Pescatori has more in-the-money finishes than any Italian poker player in WSOP history, with 26 cashes.

Ming Reslock, who finished 13th, and Chris Reslock, who finished 33rd, are married. This is one of the few times in WSOP history a husband-wife duo cashed in the same tournament.