We haven’t seen an appearance at the 2021 World Series of Poker from Phil Ivey yet, but this weekend, fans of the man once known as ‘No Home Jerome’ will have a chance to watch their hero ‘live’ as the 10-time WSOP bracelet holder heads to the City of Angels to take on some big names in a high stakes cash game that will be streamed live.
No Sign of Ivey at the Rio
With the 2021 World Series of Poker approaching its halfway stage, there has still been no sign of Phil Ivey in Las Vegas, as the WSOP continues apace without its second-most successful tournament player of all time. With Doyle Brunson either retired or at the very least semi-retired and Johnny Chan not having won a WSOP bracelet since 2005, Ivey – who last won gold in 2014 and has a 10-4 record in WSOP heads-ups.
With all that meaning one bracelet win would put Ivey second on the all-time list behind another Phil — Hellmuth, of course — some might think it’s odd that we haven’t seen Ivey at the 2021 WSOP. With a high number of mixed game bracelets having already come and gone, Ivey has missed his chance to get among the gold before the world and his poker-playing wife arrive at McCarran International Airport.
Ivey would be a hotly tipped player were he playing tournaments, but as has been the case for most of the last decade, his preferred game is cash and high stakes with it. The stage would surely be set for another appearance in the $50,000-entry Poker Players’ Championship (an event Ivey thrived in last time he took part in it), as well as a Super High Roller.
Where Is Ivey Playing Live Poker?
Ivey will take part in the $100,000 minimum buy-in live-streamed cash game that is being broadcast as ‘Hustler Casino Live’. The cash game takes place on both Friday and Saturday night, with action kicking off at 5 pm Pacific Time. With the blinds set at $200/$400, players are expected to buy-in for plenty more than the minimum, so there’s a good chance that millions will be on the table.
Players such as Garret Adelstein will take part, and others who have performed in live-streamed cash games such as Live at the Bike will be interested in what happens on Friday night with a view to participating the next night. Whoever sits down with the biggest stack will want to dominate, so expect no one to want to be short stack, with the ‘reload’ option likely to be taken on multiple occasions through both nights.
The co-owner of the show, Ryan Feldman is excited that one of poker’s Hall of Famers will be sitting down in his game.
“There are very few poker players who are bigger than life,” he said. “Phil Ivey is one of those players who is so revered. It is a dream come true to have him play on our show.”
“There are very few poker players who are bigger than life,” he said. “Phil Ivey is one of those players who is so revered. It is a dream come true to have him play on our show. These shows will absolutely shatter all previous live streaming poker viewership records. These shows will be legendary.”
It’s hard not to agree with Feldman and viewing figures in Vegas will be through the roof as WSOP players get a preview of what they might face if Ivey does turn up at the Rio after playing in Los Angeles, where the high stakes cash game will take place.
Is Hustler the new Live Stream Hustle?
After the chaos of the Mike Postle lawsuit scandal, there’s no doubt that security, both physical and digital, will be of paramount importance. Feldman and his team will want everything to go ahead without even the merest hint of underhand behavior, so anyone taking part will trust in the game and, most importantly, return to play again another day whether they win or lose.
Players such as Gal Yifrach are rumored to be interested in playing, as well as other ‘big names and fun players’. It’s too much to hope for Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Tom Dwan, and Gus Hansen to fancy the action, but perhaps one or two of them might be persuaded to take a seat.
Hustler Casino Live has over 28,500 subscribers on its YouTube channel. Will Phil Ivey’s appearance this weekend help attract the best players to put up six figures and battle for their reputations? We shall see what develops at the weekend as the WSOP and poker phenomenon that is Phil Ivey finally takes to the live felt this Autumn.
