WSOP day 7 preview: 64 players remain, Ivey #3 in chips

[Steve Ruddock]

Can one of these men take down Phil Ivey????

Phil Ivey seems hellbent on cementing his legacy as one of the games legends. Apparently winning two bracelets at the 09' WSOP wasn't enough for Ivey, and he has eyes set on the big prize: The Main Event.

With 64 players left Ivey is currently 3rd in chips with 6.345 million; and within striking distance of Darvin Moon's 9.745 million, and Billy Kopp's 8.245 million.

Day 6 saw both former champions fall --Joe Hachem and Peter Eastgate-- but many big name players were able to not only survive, but thrive:

Antonio Esfandiari -- 5,610,000
Jeff Shulman -- 4,745,000
Dennis Phillips -- 2,305,000
Blair Rodman -- 2,130,000
Joe Sebok -- 1,000,000
Prahlad Friedman -- 840,000

Esfandiari's only bracelet came in 2004, and the "Magician" has not made a final table at the WSOP since 2005.

Shulman who has gone from Cardplayer editor to legitimate poker player is looking for his 1st bracelet, to go along with his 16 cashes.

Phillips is proving his run last year was no fluke; hopefully he learned something from last year's final table where he went from chip leader to short-stack very quickly.

Rodman, who authored the book Kill Phil, has quietly amassed 34 cashes at the WSOP, 1 bracelet, and is approaching $2 million in career tournament earnings.

Sebok is perhaps best known for being Barry Greenstein's son, but has become a formidable payer in his own right.

Friedman, better known as "spiritrock" to the online world, is another former bracelet winner left in the field. Perhaps best known to the general public for his over the line accusations toward Jeff Lisandro in the 2006 Main Event.

[Wallace]

Ivey HAS to be the favorite in this field. Seems to be more focused in 09 than he has ever been before.

It would be really really special to see a player of his caliber and poker fame to take this down.

[Steve Ruddock]

Friedman and Sebok are both out along with 7 other players....Slow down fellas, don't you realize you could win the WSOP???? So much gamble in these guys

[azeldin]

They play for 1st, not for 2nd, 3rd, or final table. 1st all the way. That's why they're the top dawgs.

[Steve Ruddock]

No kidding

I'm not talking about playing to win, I'm talking about players just flinging their chips in the middle. Hachem said something about it yesterday. I know most of them are playing to win, but tat doesn't mean you have to bust out because you got dealt an Ace.

and when 9th pays 1.2 million many players would be more than happy with that

[Steve Ruddock]

Ivey close to 10 million

Dennis phillips is out

Rodman has about 1.2 million

[Steve Ruddock]

Blair Rodman is eliminated

with 29 players left; Ivey is 2nd in chips with 11.5 million or so (Billy Kopp is still chip leader with about 15 million). Shulman has healthy 7.5 million stack, and Antonio is still over 5 million.

[KRE8R]

Go Ivey!!!

[Bagonirix]

[straight_8s]

He's just so hard to figure out sometimes. I've watched him play and felt that I was really starting to get in synch with his directives only to have him abruptly do a u-turn, then turn back again a few hands later. Other times he'll be totally unpredictable, followed by a string of super conservative play, topped off with simply not participating. The genius to Phil Ivey is that he doesn't exist; he's a sublime phantom that occasionally wins a ton of chips from you!