Phil Ivey Makes an Appearance at WSOP Final Table

Phil Ivey may not be one of the October nine, but that doesn’t mean that he is staying out of the limelight.  Ivey has decided to sit in Greg Merson’s corner for the final table, and so far, things are going well for the pair.

Phil Ivey is a controversial player; at times he is revered for his game, but this year there have been moments where he has been ostracized by the poker community, especially during the time surrounding Black Friday.  However, Ivey’s history isn’t what’s important here, rather, it is the play of his friend that we should be focusing on.

Greg Merson, of Laurel, Md., is currently the chip leader.  He survived the early stages of the final table and has made it into three-handed play, looking strong enough to possibly take away the prize for the $10,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Main Event.

Merson showed his colours when he wore a patch advertising the free-to-play website IveyPoker.com when he showed up to start play.  Ivey himself showed up to watch some of the action with a bodyguard in tow.  He left after around an hour of play.

Whether Merson will be able to stay cool for the final hands remains to be seen.  Ivey believes that Merson knows when to put the pressure on, and when to back off, but pulling it off on the grandest stage of all is not easy.   Merson is currently up against 24-year-old poker pro Jesse Sylvia of Las Vegas, and Jake Balsiger of Arizona.   The honour of fourth place went to Russel Thomas, who took away $2.85million for his performance.

Keep checking back for more updates from the World Series of Poker as the news comes in.

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