This is why Phil Ivey is the greatest poker player in the world
I never get tired of watching this. I was watching this back in 2005 and every now and again I view it again thanks to You Tube. Ivey is the man. He went on to win this of course.
Was it really a great play? If the roles were reversed I would agree, but when you're the chip leader by such a large margin it doesn't take a lot of thought to lean hard on your opponent and make him back away from a game ending hand. If Ivey had bluffed his way into the leader's stack it would have been much more impressive. The fact that Ivey responded by pushing his stack in, bullying the lesser stack out of the hand, seems to tell me that he was unsure and was using brute force to take a hand he wasn't confident in. I'm not an expert in poker, but do recognize cognitive behaviors in action. Just the way I see it.
Well you make valid points. Yes Ivey was doing what you should do with that chip lead and be aggressive and bully your opponent. However, two double ups and Ivey is no longer in the chip lead which can easily happen in heads up play. What makes this a great play is that he 5 bet his opponent all in. Almost all poker players would have folded to the 4 bet by Jackson. Ivey was able to see through this and stick it all in because he knew where he stood. His read on his opponent was top notch. Most players would not have done this. I know I wouldn't have but then again I'll never be as good as Phil Ivey.
Ah-yes, good play. But all I want to know is did he smile in the end. The man always seems so annoyed and lacks emotion. Maybe that's what it takes to be a good poker player.
Was it really a great play? If the roles were reversed I would agree, but when you're the chip leader by such a large margin it doesn't take a lot of thought to lean hard on your opponent and make him back away from a game ending hand. If Ivey had bluffed his way into the leader's stack it would have been much more impressive. The fact that Ivey responded by pushing his stack in, bullying the lesser stack out of the hand, seems to tell me that he was unsure and was using brute force to take a hand he wasn't confident in. I'm not an expert in poker, but do recognize cognitive behaviors in action. Just the way I see it.
ReplyDeleteWell you make valid points. Yes Ivey was doing what you should do with that chip lead and be aggressive and bully your opponent. However, two double ups and Ivey is no longer in the chip lead which can easily happen in heads up play. What makes this a great play is that he 5 bet his opponent all in. Almost all poker players would have folded to the 4 bet by Jackson. Ivey was able to see through this and stick it all in because he knew where he stood. His read on his opponent was top notch. Most players would not have done this. I know I wouldn't have but then again I'll never be as good as Phil Ivey.
ReplyDeleteAh-yes, good play. But all I want to know is did he smile in the end. The man always seems so annoyed and lacks emotion. Maybe that's what it takes to be a good poker player.
ReplyDeleteThere's no smiling in poker. It is against the rules!
ReplyDelete