“So, I said to Phil Ivey…!”

No, really. I had a chat with Phil Ivey this morning!

This is 5-time WSOP Bracelet winner Phil Ivey, who many people rate as the best all-round poker player in the World. Phil Ivey, who is a permanent fixture in the Big Game at the Bellagio, playing with Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese and the others in the 4k/8k mixed game, where millions of dollars are often won and lost every night. The man who in February of this year, won $14M in a heads-up match with Texan banker Andy Beal, which was perhaps the biggest poker game of all-time. Tiger Woods look-alike Phil Ivey, who has the most intimidating poker-face stare imaginable.

I went over to the Rio to get a feel for the WSOP venue and to register for my event ahead of Thursday. As I queued up at the cashier in the Exhibition Hall to had over VCPoker’s $1,500, I spotted Phil Ivey at the window towards one end of the line of tellers. As luck would have it, as it was my turn at the head of the line, the window next to where Phil was standing became free.

The most famous face in all of poker was trying to convince the cashier that he had already been entered for today’s Omaha HiLo Split Event by his friend, but that he had mislaid his receipt! He then got on his mobile to his wife to have her search through his trouser pockets at the home. Eventually, to his embarrassment, he found the receipt in his back pocket and all was cleared up. I joked with him about his predicament and then wished him good luck. He was extremely charming about the episode.

As I was wandering around the main hall, I also spoke briefly to veteran TJ Cloutier who is an absolute giant of a man. (not surprising as he was a pro Canadian Footballer for 5 years).

The main hall has something like 220 poker tables spread across a cavernous room. All of the lights and staging area around the final TV-table takes up a good chunk of the room. In the network of corridors surrounding the main hall, there are hospitality suites for some of the larger online poker rooms, Pokerstars, UltimateBet, Paradise Poker, Doyle’s Room etc. (unfortunately, not including VCPoker!) It is a mammoth operation.



After this excitiement, I couldn’t wait to get into action myself, so I dumped my rental car back at the IP and walked across the street to the legendary Caesar’s Palace. The new poker room that Caesar’s opened 6 months ago is vast and somewhat isolated from the rest of the casino. I got seated in a 3/6 game after a 30 minute wait and I played for 3.5 hours, catching a couple of hands early to be up perhaps $100, but then I ran cold for a while and cashed out a small winner.

I then returned to the IP to try and grab some sleep, but this proved to be really difficult, as my room balcony overlooks a live music stage between Harrahs and the IP that has live rock bands playing from noon until 3am every day!



Having dozed for an hour or so, I headed over to Venetian to try out their new poker room. What a classy joint! This is to my mind the best poker room in Vegas. Luxurious, spacious, with very plentiful and very attentive staff. I think that I may have found my home for most of the next week.

I played for 5 hours and booked another small win, before heading home to bed via breakfast at the 24hr Dennys at 3am! Only in Vegas!