Bellagio Cup VI is definitely unique as they allowed players to register all the way until Day 3. So WPT's Executive Tour Director Matt Savage caught up with a few players on break to get their thoughts on late buy-in strategy.
Phil Ivey raises to 20,000 and Mortiz Kranich reraises to 48,000. Ivey makes the call and the flop comes 864. Ivey checks and Kranich bets 55,000. Ivey raises and ends up all in with Kranich calling.
Kranich shows QQ and the table releases a collective "wow" when Ivey turns over 88 for the set. The board finishes with the A turn and 10 river and Ivey doubles to 560,000 in chips. Kranich drops to 760.
Jordan Morgan raises to 13,000 from under the gun is called by Leonid Lerner, Corey Hochman and Phil Ivey in the small blind.
On a flop of 332 Ivey checks to Morgan who leads out for 31,500. Lerner folds but Hochman calls. Ivey gets out of the way and the K hits on the turn. Morgan checks this time and calls when Hochman puts out a small bet.
The A falls on the river and Morgan again checks. Hochman takes his time deciding his move, then bets 66,000. Morgan quickly calls and mucks just as quickly when Hochman shows 22 for the full house.
Hochman's stack is now at 355,000 and Morgan's dropped to 625,000.
A player from under the gun raises to 7,000 and Rick Solomon calls from the button. Phil Ivey then moves all in for 33,100 from the big blind. The original raiser moves all in and Solomon folds.
Ivey: 99
Opponent: 1010
Ivey appears to be in bad shape, until the board runs out K85A2 and the two players chop with a flush on board.
* * *
Just a few hands later, Ivey doubles up when his pocket fours hit a set against an opponent holding K-Q.
During the last minute of the last level to register, three high profile poker stars took their seats: Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey and Tom "Durrrr" Dwan.
Hellmuth arrived escorted by the Royal Flush Girls and a camera crew filming his every move, while Dwan and Ivey made a quiet entrance, simply placing their chips at their seats and striking up a conversation with one another.