WSOP Day #17: Ivey now second only to Hellmuth on WSOP winners list

Phil Ivey wins the 2-7 Triple Draw Championship at the 2024 WSOP
Author Adam Hampton
Adam Hampton
Posted on: June 14, 2024 06:07 PDT

Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan and Erik Seidel make one heck of a trio. With 10 WSOP bracelet wins apiece, they’re up there with the very best of all time. Phil Ivey used to be in that group, too, but as you may have seen he just graduated.

Bracelet number 11 - won in yesterday’s conclusion to the $10K 2-7 Limit Triple Draw Championship - puts Ivey in a spot all of his own. While still a few great summers behind Phil Hellmuth, who sits atop the WSOP winners list with 17, Ivey is now officially the second winningest player in the 55 year history of the World Series of Poker.

Thursday’s win was his first in the glare of the WSOP spotlights for a decade. Here’s a rundown of his bracelets so far:

  • 2000: $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha
  • 2002: $2,500 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo
  • 2002: $2,000 S.H.O.E.
  • 2002: $1,500 7 Card Stud
  • 2005: $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha
  • 2009: $2,500 No-Limit 2–7 Draw Lowball
  • 2009: $2,500 Omaha Hi/Lo / 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo
  • 2010: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E.
  • 2013A: A$2,200 Mixed Event
  • 2014: $1,500 Eight Game Mix
  • 2024: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship

Ivey wasn’t the only one to win a bracelet on Day 17, as four events drew to a close. Let’s take a quick tour to see what went down.

Ivey climbs to victory over star-studded field

It’s the headline news: Phil Ivey won bracelet number 11. After three days didn’t get the job done, he returned for an unscheduled Day 4 along with Danny Wong and Jason Mercier for a final three-way showdown.

In 2-7 Lowball the nuts is , also known as the wheel, and Ivey was lucky enough to make a few of them when it counted. Coming into the last day with the shortest stack, Ivey soon hit a wheel against Mercier early on to boost his stack back up to a decent size.

When Wong eliminated Mercier ($151,412) on the turn of his last card it gave him the chip lead, putting the LA player in the driving seat to win his second WSOP bracelet. Then Ivey hit another wheel against Wong’s 9-8 to turn the tables.

Phil Ivey, by Matthew Berglund Phil Ivey en route to his 11th WSOP win

A few big hands later and Wong was down to a few chips and a prayer. He got the last of his stack in holding a 10-8, as Ivey took one card for his last draw holding . That last card was a , giving Ivey another wheel, another WSOP bracelet and $347,440. Wong takes $225,827 for his great run to second place.

Ashby repeats the feat in 7-Card Stud

If Phil Ivey had to wait 10 years between bracelet wins, spare a thought for the UK’s Richard Ashby. The Englishman, known locally as ‘Chufty’, notched a previous win at the WSOP back in 2010 when he won the $1,500 7-Card Stud event for $140K. 14 years later he’s back as the winner of the
 $1,500 7-Card Stud event.

Ashby, who told the WSOP he “hardly ever plays” 7-Card Stud, outran a field of 406 to pick up $113,725 and complete his matching pair of bracelets.

Heads-up was an all-British affair, as Ashby and Adam Owen ($75,805) swapped chips, and the lead, on plenty of occasions. Owen may be left cursing his luck after missing several opportunities to bag bracelet number one, but when they eventually got it all-in for the title it was Ashby who started with the strongest hand, and Owen who couldn’t catch up.

Ashby: //
Owen: //

Richard Ashby poses with his bracelet, by Matthew Berglund Stud winner Richard 'Chufty' Ashby will be chuffed, as they say in the UK

Seward wins $3K NLH as Holskyi narrowly misses dream comeback

The final day of event #31: $3,000 NLH 6-Handed was, well, 6-handed. Those six remaining players were led by David Coleman who had built a significant chip lead over the field, but ultimately couldn’t see the job through.

Having suffered a few setbacks against Nikolaos Angelou and Akinobu Maeda, Coleman eventually got his chips all in holding against his good friend Nicholas Seward’s . Seward flopped two-pair and Coleman was out in fourth ($168,448), but soon joined the rail to cheer his friend on to the win.

And win he did. Japan’s Akinobu Maeda was next out ($238,886) when his dominated ran into Seward’s , leaving the latter heads-up against Konstantyn Holskyi.

Final table of the $3K NLH Matthew Berglund Holskyi, left, and Maeda at the sharp end of the $3K NLH

The player from Ukraine was inches from pulling off an incredible comeback, going from a single big blind with five remaining to the chip leader of the final two. With stacks almost even the two both flopped top pair, this time with Seward holding the dominated hand.

Seward:
Holskyi:
Flop:

The chips soon got in the middle and hands were turned over. Seward had the slightly larger stack, putting Holskyi at risk, but the Ukrainian would be firmly in the driving seat if his hand would hold.

Spoiler: it didn’t. The on the turn gave Seward an open-ended straight draw, which came in with the on the river. Seward takes $516,135 for the win, while the unfortunate Holskyi wins $344,092.

Nicholas Seward, by Matthew Berglund Nicholas Seward, winner of the $3K NLH 6-Handed event

Noisy rail sings Manzano to victory in PLO Deepstack

Chile’s Alex Manzano busted four of his final table opponents to win event #33, the $600 Pot-limit Omaha Deepstack. Day 2 started with 95 of 2,402 players still standing, and by the time the final table was set there was the feeling that it was all going to come down to Manzano and California’s Robert Gill.

Manzano’s rail were supporting him in full voice, while Gill was often showing his cards after his opponents folded, which made for a friendly and fun final table. Manzano and Gill eventually, and seemingly inevitably, got heads-up and it could have gone either way. In one crucial hand late on, Gill even appeared to talk Manzano out of folding the stronger hand.

As recounted by the WSOP, Gill 3-bet Manzano’s preflop raise, which sent the latter into the tank. “You can’t fold,” Gill told Manzano, and so it proved. Manzano had , which was ahead of Gill’s and stayed there throughout the board.

The hand was a turning point, and just minutes later Manzano was dragging the final pot for a $161,846 payday and his first bracelet win. For an impressive run to second place, Gill takes a healthy $107,874.


Photo of the day

Ivey commiserates, Wong congratulates.

Phil Ivey wins number 11, Matthew Berglund The conclusion of the 2024 2-7 Triple Draw Championship

Hand of the day

The wheel for the bust comes round and round


Video of the day

As Phil Ivey told Tiffany Michelle, “You just play the stack you’ve got.”

Tweets of the day

With the European Championships starting the same day as the $2,500 Freezeout final table, Patrick Leonard is having to switch up his plans.

Meanwhile, when the man with the ‘Timex stare’ needs to hide his eyes, you know he’s up against something special.


The day in numbers

7

Bracelets Phil Ivey needs to win to take the top spot from Phil Hellmuth

2

Times Richard Ashby has won the $1.5K 7-Card Stud event, in a game he “hardly ever plays”

6

American players remaining in the final 13 of the $2.5K Freezeout


Coming up on Day #18

While four events crowned winners on Thursday, four more were whittling down their fields to a manageable size.

The $800 NLH Deepstack kicked off with 4,278, of whom 259 come back on Friday to hopefully play down to a winner. That’s still a big number, but the 30-minute levels should help move things along. Joe Couden, fresh off a deep run in the $600 Mixed NLH/PLO, is the current chip leader.

Just 13 remain in the $2,500 NLH Freezeout, including a strong ‘Euro type’ contingent featuring Patrick ‘Pads’ Leonard (UK, 2nd, 5,090,000), Juha Helppi (Finland, 5th, 3,610,000) and Johan ‘Yoh Viral’ Guilbert (France, 6th, 3,320,000). Spain’s Antonio Galiana has a decent lead at the top with 8,990,000 chips, and will doing all he can to bag the $439,395 up top.

In the $1,500 HORSE event defending champ Yuri Dzivielevski will be hoping to mount a late charge down the home straight, pushing hard from the back of the field where he will start the day 16/23. All remaining players have $7,401 locked up, but that’s some distance from the $193,545 first prize.

Another $10K Championship started on Thursday, as 300 players threw their hats in the ring to compete for the Big O title. 120 made it through to Day 2, when they’ll play 10 x 60-minute levels, with another two days scheduled to come in this 4-dayer. Dylan Weisman, winner of the $1.5K PLO, has one of the biggest stacks in play.

Three new events get started today, including the first starting flight of the $1,500 Monster Stack NLH. Three starting flights will run across the weekend before players reconvene for a combined Day 2 on Monday. Expect a monster field for this one, which starts at 10am.

Noon should see cards in the air for the $50,000 NLH High Roller, a three-day event which should draw some big names, while the $1,500 Razz begins at 2pm.


WSOP Day #17 gallery

Indulge us with a 2-7 Championship special...

gallery image

  • Results

    Event #29: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Championship (6-Handed)

    Place Player Prize
    1 Phil Ivey $347,440
    2 Danny Wong $225,827
    3 Jason Mercier $151,412
    4 Benny Glaser $104,825
    5 Jonathan Cohen $75,015
    6 Philip Sternheimer $55,553
    7 Justin Saliba $42,625
    8 Renan Bruschi $33,930

    Full results on WSOP

    Event #31: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed

    Place Player Prize
    1 Nicholas Seward $516,135
    2 Konstantyn Holsky $344,092
    3 Akinobu Maeda $238,886
    4 David Coleman $168,448
    5 Nikolaos Angelou $120,672
    6 Stephen Buell $87,846
    7 Onur Unsal $65,003
    8 Sami Bechahed $48,904

    Full results on WSOP

    Event #32: $1,500 Seven Card Stud

    Place Player Prize
    1 Richard Ashby $113,725
    2 Adam Owen $75,805
    3 Michael Noori $51,626
    4 Mengqi Chen $35,880
    5 Brandon Shack-Harris $25,458
    6 Jaycin Cross $18,450
    7 Aaron Kupin $13,662
    8 Hal Rotholz $10,343

    Full results on WSOP

    Event #33: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack (8-Handed)

    Place Player Prize
    1 Alex Manzano $161,846
    2 Robert Gill $107,874
    3 Kelly Kim $78,018
    4 Damon Sita $57,034
    5 Oziel Velador $42,149
    6 Mitchell Hynam $31,492
    7 Nicholas Gonzalez $23,792
    8 Ruslan Nazarenko $18,177

    Full results on WSOP.com

    Ongoing events

    Event #34: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout (final 13)

    Place Player Chips
    1 Antonio Galiana 8,990,000
    2 Patrick Leonard 5,090,000
    3 Romain Lewis 4,390,000
    4 Connor Belcher 3,690,000
    5 Juha Helppi 3,610,000
    6 Johan Guilbert 3,320,000
    7 Brett Apter 2,690,000
    8 David Goodman 2,020,000
    9 Dinesh Alt 1,890,000
    10 Jeremy Ausmus 1,690,000
    11 David Hoffenberg 1,510,000
    12 Eoghan O'Dea 1,085,000
    13 Joshua Reichard 456,000

    Event #35: $1,500 HORSE

    Place Player Chips
    1 Bryan Jolly 3,045,000
    2 Xixiang Luo 1,425,000
    3 Christian Gonzalez 1,365,000
    4 Tyler Schwecke 1,345,000
    5 Daniel Mayoh 1,220,000
    6 Phillip Hui 1,100,000
    7 Kevin Cote 1,075,000
    8 Thanhlong Nguyen 955,000
    9 David Avina 905,000
    10 Daniel Strelitz 880,000

    Full chip count on WSOP

    Event #36: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack (8-Handed)

    Plce Player Chips
    1 Joseph Couden 3,280,000
    2 GJ Hu 3,000,000
    3 Martin Zamani 2,100,000
    4 Fabian Rolli 2,075,000
    5 Christopher Taylor 1,860,000
    6 Joshua Frazer James 1,805,000
    7 Charles Revil 1,800,000
    8 Agharzi Babayev 1,745,000
    9 Brandon Sheils 1,530,000
    10 Turbo Nguyen 1,530,000
    Notables

    11 Chris Brewer 1,505,000
    46 Ari Engel 995,000
    63 Vanessa Kade 845,000
    201 Joe Cada 335,000
    220 Ryan Riess 280,000

    Full chip count on WSOP

    Event #37: $10,000 Big O Championship

    Place Player Chips
    1 Wing Po Liu 583,500
    2 Dylan Weisman 447,000
    3 Ryan Hughes 419,500
    4 Farid Jattin 417,500
    5 Yuval Bronshtein 406,000
    6 Shiva Dudani 360,500
    7 David Williams 358,000
    8 Tim Seidensticker 349,000
    9 Christian Harder 323,500
    10 Cary Aronson 309,500
    Notables

    20 Freddy Deeb 261,000
    31 Mike Matusow 197,000
    45 Erick Lindgren 161,000
    101 Brian Rast 40,000

    Full chip count on WSOP


    Bracelet winners

    • Event #1: $5,000 Champions Reunion – Asher Conniff (USA)
    • Event #2: $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em – Jose Garcia (USA)
    • Event #3: $500 Kickoff No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout – Daniel Willis (UK)
    • Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better (8-Handed) – James Chen (USA)
    • Event #5: $1,000 Mystery Millions - Malcolm Trayner (Australia)
    • Event #6: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship – Darius Samual (UK)
    • Event #7: $1,500 Dealer's Choice – John Hennigan (USA)
    • Event #8: $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha (8-Handed) - Bryce Yockey (USA)
    • Event #9: $1,500 Limit Hold'em (8-Handed) - Nick Guagenti (USA)
    • Event #10: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship - Scott Seiver (USA)
    • Event #11: $1,500 Badugi - David Prociak (USA)
    • Event #12: $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em - Simeon Spasov (Bulgaria)
    • Event #13: $10,000 Dealers Choice Championship - Robert Mizrachi (USA)
    • Event #14: $1,000 Super Turbo Bounty No Limit Hold'em - Thibault Perissat (France)
    • Event #15: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better - Caleb Furth (USA)
    • Event #16: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em - Brent Hart (USA)
    • Event #17: $800 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack - TJ Murphy (USA)
    • Event #18: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha - Dylan Weisman (USA)
    • Event #19: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship - John Racener (USA)
    • Event #20: $300 Gladiators of Poker No-Limit Hold'em - Stephen Winters (USA)
    • Event #21: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em (6-Handed) - Brek Schutten (USA)
    • Event #22: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw (6-Handed) - Aaron Cummings (USA)
    • Event #23: Event #23: $1,500 SHOOTOUT No-Limit Hold'em - Dan Sepiol (USA)
    • Event #24: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship - Sean Troha (USA)
    • Event #25: $3,000 Limit Hold'em 6-Handed - Daniel Vampan (USA)
    • Event #26: $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em (8-Handed) - Nick Schulman (USA)
    • Event #27: $1,500 Big O - Michael Christ (USA)
    • Event #28: $1,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em - Evan Benton (USA)
    • Event #29: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Championship (6-Handed) - Phil Ivey (USA)
    • Event #30: $600 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack - Alen Bakovic (Canada)
    • Event #31: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed - Nicholas Seward (USA)
    • Event #32: $1,500 Seven Card Stud - Richard Ashby (UK)
    • Event #33: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack (8-Handed) - Alex Manzano (Chile)