Phil Ivey - The Greatest Player in the World

When Roberto Romanello defeated Robert Georato in the semi-final of Event #36: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em Shootout, tears started to stream down his face; not tears of sadness, but tears of joy.

Romanello has earned over $2.5 million playing live tournament poker, including a European Poker Tour (EPT) title earned in Prague and a World Poker Tour (WPT) title earned in Bratislava, but this was his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) final table in Las Vegas.

Making WSOP final tables is not an easy feat, hence the emotion pouring out of Romanello, so spare to think about the achievement of Phil Ivey.

The World Series of Poker 2012 (WSOP) has just encroached into the second half of its schedule, and Phil Ivey has already made five WSOP final tables. His first appearance came in Event #15: $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo where he finished in 7th place, earning $34,595.

Next came Event #17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em, and Ivey was almost touching the gold, before losing heads-up to the two-time bracelet winner, Andy Frankenberger, earning $275,559 in the process.

Just 4-days later, and Ivey was at it again. This time he made the final table of Event #32 $10,000 H.O.R.S.E, where he finished in 5th place for a haul of $99,739. Finally, just two days later, and Ivey finished 8th in the final of Event #35: £2,500 Mixed Hold’em for $21,699.

So, five final tables, in a variety of formats, accumulating in a catch of $567,638, and confirming Phil Ivey as the man that every poker player in the world looks up to. You can be rest assured that, despite the five final tables, Phil Ivey will be livid that he has not yet earned his ninth WSOP title.