2024 WSOP: The G.O.A.T. is BACK! Phil Ivey’s Decade Long Wait Culminates in Historic 11th Bracelet Win in Event #29: $10K Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship ($347,440)

After an agonizing decade-long wait, poker legend Phil Ivey (cover image) has finally captured his 11th WSOP bracelet in an epic victory at Event #29: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship (6-Handed) at the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP). This monumental win earned him a well-deserved $347,440 top prize and marked the end of a dry spell that stretched back to June 25, 2014, when he last won a bracelet in Event #50: $1,500 8-Game Mix.

PHIL IVEY WINS HIS 11TH WSOP GOLD BRACELET????

History has been written as Phil Ivey takes the #2 spot on the all-time WSOP bracelet list after winning Event 29: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship!

Read the recap here:https://t.co/TjcD0j48nO pic.twitter.com/abiIS8TqS9

— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 14, 2024

The path to victory was far from easy. Ivey had to overcome a fierce field of top-tier poker talent, including a nail-biting three-way showdown against Jason Mercier, Danny Wong, and the defending champion Benny Glaser. The tournament’s intensity was so high that it extended into an unplanned Day 4, with players battling for over 13 hours before Ivey ultimately emerged as the champion.

This triumph propels Ivey into an elite league of poker legends. He now stands alone in second place for the most WSOP bracelets ever won, trailing only Phil Hellmuth, who holds an impressive 17 titles. Before this win, Ivey was tied with poker icons Erik Seidel, Johnny Chan, and the late Doyle Brunson, all with ten bracelets each.

A jubilant Ivey expressed his elation, stating, “It’s good. It feels good. It feels good to win always,” as a massive crowd of fans and fellow poker players erupted in applause, capturing the momentous occasion on camera. The atmosphere was electric, a testament to the magnitude of Ivey’s achievement and his iconic status in the poker world.

All 11 of Ivey’s bracelets have come outside of no-limit hold’em. He won his first eight bracelets within the span of a decade (2000-2010), then added another two WSOP titles during the 2010’s. The 47-year-old then had to wait 3,639 days between his 10th win on June 27, 2014, before finally securing this victory.

Below is a look at Ivey’s complete list of WSOP victories:

Ivey now has nearly $45.20 Million in career tournament earnings to his name after this victory, good for 12th place on poker’s all-time money list. Nearly $9.70 Million of Ivey’s lifetime haul has come from his 86 cashes and 40 final-table finishes at the WSOP.

While Ivey celebrated his victory, Danny Wong, who started Day 4 as the chip leader, ultimately secured a commendable second-place finish and a $225,827 prize. Jason Mercier, another celebrated poker veteran, finished in third place with $151,412.

The final day action was live-streamed on PokerGO and is available for replay on the platform. An hour-long preview is available to view right here.

Event Highlights

A riveting showdown unfolded at Event #29, with 149 entries creating a substantial prize pool of $1,385,700. This impressive sum was distributed among the top 23 finishers, including several high-profile players. Among the notable names who made the money were Naoya Kihara (15th for $21,652), Motoyoshi Okamura (17th for $21,652), Nacho Barbero (18th for $20,272), Keith Lehr (19th for $20,272), and Marco Johnson (21st for $20,272).

The excitement intensified as Day 3 began with 13 contenders, a number that quickly dwindled as the competition heated up. Taylor Wilson was the first casualty, exiting in 13th place with $24,145. He was soon followed by Tobias Leknes in 12th, who also took home $24,145, and Brian Tate in 11th with $28,060.

Poker veteran Allen Kessler, who notched his 116th career WSOP cash, came tantalizingly close to his first bracelet but ultimately finished in 10th place, pocketing $28,060. The eliminations of Steve Zolotow and Renan Bruschi, both earning $33,930, set the stage for a dramatic final table showdown.

Justin Saliba entered the final table with a stack of less than 200,000 and was swiftly knocked out in seventh place, earning $42,625 for his efforts.

Glaser delivered a pivotal blow, crafting an eight in a massive pot that left Jonathan Cohen on the brink, while Philip Sternheimer, reduced to just three big bets after losing a crucial pot to Mercier, was ousted in sixth place, adding $55,553 to his bankroll. Cohen, along with his trusty dog Riley, followed shortly after, exiting in fifth place with a payout of $75,015.

The final four players faced an arduous six-hour battle before the next elimination, with action shifting to the main feature stage for the PokerGO livestream.

Danny Wong started the final leg as the short stack with just 550,000, while Jason Mercier held a commanding chip lead at 4.165 Million. Benny Glaser, despite beginning in second place, found his fortunes reversed when his seemingly unbeatable 8-5 hand fell to Wong’s 7-6 in a game-changing pot, pushing Wong into the chip lead and leaving Glaser with a paltry 300,000. Glaser managed a brief triple-up but was ultimately knocked out in fourth place, claiming $104,825 after Wong’s 8-6-4-3-2 bested his 8-6-5-3-2.

Throughout the nail-biting three-handed play, Phil Ivey found himself on the brink multiple times but showed incredible resilience, tripling up twice to stay in the game. In a gripping turn of events, Wong seized the chip lead from Mercier in the final moments, just before play was paused past 2 AM (local time), extending the event to an unplanned Day 4.

Final Day Chip Counts

1. Danny Wong – 3,730,000
2. Jason Mercier – 2,955,000
3. Phil Ivey – 2,260,000

Final Day Recap

The unscheduled Day 4 was a masterclass in high-stakes poker drama. Phil Ivey, entering the day as the short stack with 2.26 Million chips, wasted no time making his presence felt. He quickly seized the initiative, drawing a wheel (A-2-3-4-5) in a massive pot against Jason Mercier. This pivotal hand propelled Ivey into a virtual tie for the chip lead with Danny Wong, who had started the day as the frontrunner with 3.73 Million chips.

However, Wong wasn’t about to relinquish his position easily. He demonstrated his prowess by landing a pat eight, which he leveraged to win a significant pot against Mercier, crippling the latter’s stack to less than a million chips. Despite a valiant effort to double up twice, Jason Mercier ultimately succumbed to the pressure, and his tournament run ended in third place.

Heads-up play commenced with Danny Wong holding a seemingly commanding lead of 5.315 Million chips to Phil Ivey’s 3.63 Million. But Ivey, a seasoned veteran with a reputation for comebacks, wasn’t fazed. In a remarkable turn of events, he drew another wheel, this time against Wong’s 9-8, catapulting himself into the lead.

Ivey continued to apply relentless pressure, chipping away at Wong’s stack until he had less than a million remaining. Wong managed a brief respite by doubling up with his own 8-7, but his luck ran out when he was forced all-in for his last 250,000 chips. Wong, holding a 10-8, could only watch as Ivey made a wheel with 7-7-5-4-2, sealing his fate and ending Ivey’s decade-long bracelet drought.

DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK!@philivey wins the @WSOP $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Championship.

His first bracelet in 10 years and his 11th overall ???? pic.twitter.com/DO2ePlPUIL

— PokerGO (@PokerGO) June 14, 2024

This breathtaking victory marked the end of a 3,639-day wait for Ivey, a true testament to his resilience, skill, and unwavering passion for the game. It was a fitting conclusion to an unforgettable tournament filled with suspense, drama, and world-class poker action.

Final Table Results (USD)

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

Content & Images Courtesy: World Series of Poker

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