Phil Ivey wins sixth Bracelet ... and millions of dollars in side bets

Now here's a poker game one doesn't get to play very often: No-Limit Deuce to Seven Single Draw ... "considered by many to be the most skillful game of the various poker disciplines."

In Event 8 of the 2009 WSOP Phil Ivey bested a field of 147 to win a mere $96,361 in prize money, plus several million dollars in Bracelet bets. The heads up match lasted about three and a half hours, with the lead going back and forth several times. Phil Ivey would consistently chip away at his opponent John Monnette, making well-timed raises and some very very good marginal calls. As the blinds increased, there were some big swings towards the end. John Monnette doubled up, then doubled up again to take the chip. Phil Ivey quickly doubled up to regain the chip lead. Then all the money went into the pot in a raise, re-raise, all-in pre-draw hand. "Ivey had 7-6-4-2, while Monnette held 9-7-5-2. John Monnette showed his card first, revealing another seven, meaning that he was drawing dead. Phil Ivey turned over the five for the winning hand and his sixth WSOP gold bracelet, his first since 2005."

I was fortunate enough to watch some of the heads up match live on bluffmagazine.com. Deuce to Seven is one of the few poker games that makes sense when you watch it live (i.e. without hole card cameras) as there is no flop, and you can focus on the players, their betting patterns, and their tells, without having to worry too much about their hole cards.

Update (07 June): Some great photos of the final table are up on PokerRoad.