By GT Staff | One of Phil Ivey�s claims to fame was the fact that he had the most World Poker Tour (WPT) final table appearances without a win. That, however, changed last week.
Ivey scored a resounding victory at Commerce Casino�s L.A. Poker Classic (LAPC), walking away with $1,596,100 � and a pretty big grin.
"It�s an unbelievable feeling to finally win one of these WPT tournaments," Ivey said during a post-event interview. "I felt unbeatable all evening, and the monkey is finally off my back."
On the way, he delivered some outstanding "beats" that left the audience at Commerce Casino cheering, shaking their heads, and generally mumbling "there�s no stopping Phil tonight."
The person that kept closest to Ivey�s pace was Quinn Do of El Monte, California, who finished second and won $909,400. After the tournament�s conclusion, he stood with a group of friends and listened to them provide words of consolation.
Phil Hellmuth, Jr., finished sixth earning $229,480, and proclaimed on his way to the cashier�s cage, "I�m terribly disappointed."
"It�s a tough beat, but it happens," Le said. "I can�t complain. I�ll bounce back and try to keep the ball rolling at the next tournament."
A total of 665 people each put up $10,000 to compete in the LAPC No-Limit Hold�Em Championship that lasted six days. Of those competitors, 63 placed in the money and claimed a portion of the $6,384,000 overall prize pool. In addition to the money, Ivey also garnered a $25,000 seat to the Season VI WPT World Championship being held in April at Bellagio in Las Vegas.
Add the LAPC Main Event�s $6.3-plus million total prize money to the $6,689,296 awarded in the tournament�s previous 29 events staged in January and February, and Commerce will have awarded $12,977,200 to a handful of nearly 10,000 players that joined in the tournament this year.
"The great titans of poker came out to this year�s LAPC, and two of the best ever to grace the �green felt� made it to the final table." said Commerce Casino Manager Tim Gustin. "The fact that Phil Ivey emerged the victor after years of coming so close will forever make the 2008 LAPC a very special event for the poker world."