#614 – FTOPS X Main Event – It’s Phil Ivey’s World; I’m Just Leasing Space

Last Sunday I played the Main Event of FTOPS X. I brought my usual baggage to the table (a horrible career FTOPS record) and also a personal 2 month losing streak and a general panic from being behind in the blog, in the essay contests, in paying my bills, etc. etc. etc. As if this wasn’t enough, a half-hour into the tournament Phil Ivey was plopped down into the seat on my left.

I know there shouldn’t be anything scary about playing poker against someone – anyone – on the internet. You’re just sitting in front of your computer, alone. I’ve never played poker with Phil Ivey before but I was intimidated just WATCHING him playing Andy Beil at the Wynn in February of 2006. And then to have this world’s-best aggressive player on my left? That promised to be a nightmare.

Ivey was everything advertised: active, aggressive, and attended by a carnival of about 200 observers on the rail. As soon as he sat down, to break the ice, I said, “Okay, Phil. Last longer bet, okay? Twenty bucks?”
To my surprise, Phil, rarely says anything at the table (because there are usually a couple hundred people firing questions at him), responded, “I might forget to pay you. Don’t want to be known as a stiff.”

Phil and I both had good chip stacks and then Ivey proceeded to use his position on my left to bet me out of every hand I tried to play. I decided I needed to do two things: (1) figure out some way to convert the huge rail behind Ivey to my blog, and (2) figure out a way to stop being such a wimp before Ivey took all my chips.

It seems everybody on the rail had something to say to Phil or about Phil and not all of it was positive or friendly. I expect people to occasionally resent me, or make fun of me, or insult my play – but come on guys, Phil Ivey?  He’s the biggest, most successful poker player in the world.  He has won the most in cash games and won a zillion tournaments.  He also plays golf and shoots craps for millions.  He even plays friggin’ rock-paper-scissors for at least $50,000. And Ivey is a complete class act.  He may be aloof and he may not play the fame game, but seems like a complete class act, always a gentleman and an example of how poker playerse should behave and present themselves. Why on earth would anyone go out of their way to watch Phil Ivey play and then insult him?

But most of the rail just wanted some attention from Phil, a chance to make some connection. I decided this was a perfect opportunity to pimp for my blog. Over the next two hours I engaged the rail in chat and periodically told them about interesting Ivey blog items.

Somebody on the rail, for god knows what reason, asked me if I would arm wrestle Phil Ivey for money.  I said, “Watching Ivey in London taught me to never do ANYTING with Phil Ivey for money. Thank goodness it never came up, but I told myself that if he ever insisted on betting me, I would tell him that instead of money the loser would have to give up a finger.”

About every twenty minutes, I shared a link with the rail concerning something interesting I had written about Phil

* his remarkable bluff against Matusow in the Million Dollar Cash Game;

* a great hand where Hellmuth moaned and complained about him at the MDCG;

* the biggest-ever TV poker hand between Phil and Patrik Antonius;

* my post called “Phil Ivey and the Meaning of Life“; and

* the coversation between Lindgren and Ivey in which Erick asked for how much Phil would give up gambling for a year and get a desk job.

I successfully converted a lot of Ivey fans to blog fans.  For instance after I posted the link to the Ivey vs. Matusow hand I checked my blogtraffic and found that 60 people were reading that blog at the same moment.  In addition, several people told me they enjoyed talking with me, wanted me to do well, were buying my book and would know become readers of the blog.

I even started playing back at Phil Ivey.  I never got enough guts to play back at him with nothing, but at least when I picked up a strong hand, I figured out ways to make him pay extra for being so aggressive.  On a couple occasions I was able to get him to make a few extra bets into my strong hands by acting like a wuss, just like I did during our earlier hands.

I actually should have busted Phil. In part because of some hands with me, Phil Was short-stacked. When I raised with J-J, we got it all-in and Phil showed A-8, the hit an ace to stay alive.

“Just for that,” I told the rail, “I’m posting the link about Phil’s days of riding a bus to play poker in Atlantic City.”

Not only did Phil get lucky against me, but he had the nerve to gloat about it.

Phil Ivey: hahahahaha

Phil Ivey: how much was the last longer?

Michael Craig: your pinky finger

Phil busted a few hands after that, getting all his chips in with again with A-8, this time against a player he couldn’t get to fold 3-3. The guy hit a set on the flop and Ivey was gone, closing down the table.

I outlasted Phil by six hours and finished 62nd, which was worth about $4,500. This officially ends my two-month losing streak – who-knows-how-long FTOPS losing streak. Even though I fell short of the $450,000 big prize, it was fun mixing it up with Phil Ivey for the first time and coming out with $4,500 – and all my fingers.

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