Phil Ivey did not need to play the first two days of the World Poker Tour Bellagio Cup VI. In a unique situation, The Bellagio Cup held late registration into the third day of play. Many pros waited and signed up on that day. They sat in with only 20 big blinds, but that was more than enough for Phil Ivey to drive his way to the final table of the event. He is, after all, Phil Ivey.
The final table of the World Poker Tour Bellagio Cup VI will begin play today July 15, 2010 at 4:00 pm local (pacific) time. thats 7:00 pm you people on the east coast. Because of the late registration available, this tournament attracted 353 players who paid up the $10,300 buyin. The prize pool of $3,424,100 was distributed to the top 50 players. Maybe the WPT is following an online lead here, but that 14% payout is a bit more than the standard 10% you see at most live tournaments. The more people paid means that the lowest payout gets only $13,594. The WPT used to have one of the more top heavy payout structures in live tournament play. They used to always try to make sure that the winner would pocket $1 million. They seem to have changed that approach by paying more of the field and only awarding $875,150 to the winner.
Of course, the real prize is getting to that six-handed TV table. That is where the exposure might get you a better deal from sponsors, or your play could garner you some instant fame. Your six players pursuing that dream and their chip counts:
1 John Caridad 5,120,000
2 Moritz Kranich 2,750,000
3 Justin Smith 2,100,000
4 Robert Akery 1,980,000
5 Phil Ivey 1,595,000
6 Eric Afriat 620,000
Though Phil Ivey’s stack is small in relation to the 30,000-60,000 blinds, he does have 26 big blinds to play with. Heck, that is more than the number that he began the tournament with. Good Luck gentlemen. Make sure you shower and dress well for your big date with the TV lens.