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Phil Ivey finished eighth in the $250,000 Super High Roller event, earning $553,270. He was eliminated in a crucial hand against Bryn Kenney's pocket queens with pocket jacks.
Phil Ivey finished eighth in the $250,000 Super High Roller event, earning $553,270. He was eliminated in a crucial hand against Bryn Kenney's pocket queens with pocket jacks.
Phil Ivey, the greatest poker player of all time (GOAT), concluded one of the deepest journeys of the 2026 World Series of Poker in the highest buy-in event of the tournament.
The 11-time bracelet winner lost to Bryn Kenney's pocket queens with pocket jacks at the official final table of the $250,000 Super High Roller event, finishing in eighth place and winning $553,270.
Although this result did not win him his 12th gold bracelet, it was still Ivey's best result this summer and his first final table appearance in this series.
The tournament attracted 56 participants, with a total prize pool of $13,720,000, and the champion will receive $4,334,411 in prize money.
Ivey fights back before being eliminated from the final table.
Ivey entered the final day as one of the nine finalists, and it seems likely that he will be the first player eliminated that day.
Instead, he staged an early comeback at the final table. His first double-up came from Kenney – AQ beat KQ, pushing his chip stack to 4,200,000.
Several subsequent successful 3-bet all-in bets helped him climb to over 20 big blinds and return to the competitive ranks.
For a brief moment, the possibility of Ivey making another comeback felt incredibly real. But that hope was quickly dashed.
With blinds at 150,000/300,000, Ivey opened from early position and raised to 600,000. Action continued until Kenney in the big blind 3-bet to 1,650,000. Ivey quickly went all-in with 5,800,000, and Kenney instantly called.
Phil Ivey：J♠J♥
Bryn Kenney: Q♠Q♣
Ivey needed to beat a higher pair with the community cards, but the board of 10♦4♥2♣9♣9♠ didn't help. Both players improved to two pair, but Kenney's Q and 9 were still the highest, and Ivey's journey ended in eighth place.
How will Ivey perform at the 2026 WSOP?
The 2026 WSOP has had a slow start for Ivey, who had already bought in multiple times before winning his first prize this summer.
His first prize came from the #38:$10,000 Limit Texas Hold'em Championship, where he finished ninth, earning $30,292 and narrowly missing the official final table.
He tried to enter last in the $100,000 High Roller but failed to win any prizes. However, the Super High Roller provided him with his first major deep run of the summer.
When Nick Petrangelo broke the prize bubble late on Day 2, Ivey secured a minimum of $518,518 and moved up another place on Final Day to $553,270.
Phil Ivey's WSOP gold bracelet record
| years | Tournament | Number of participants | bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha | 100 | $195,000 |
| 2002 | $1,500, Limited to 7-card all-in bet | 253 | $132,000 |
| 2002 | $2,500, Limited to 7-card stud poker, high and low. | 126 | $118,440 |
| 2002 | $2,000 Limited Bets SHOE. | 143 | $107,540 |
| 2005 | $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha | 134 | $635,603 |
| 2009 | $2,500 No-Limit 2-7 Low-Level Stud Draw | 147 | $96,367 |
| 2009 | $2,500 Omaha/Seven-card Stud High/Low 8 or better | 376 | $220,538 |
| 2010 | $3,000 HORSE. | 478 | $329,840 |
| 2013 | (WSOP Asia Pacific) A$2,200 Mixed Event (8-Game) | 81 | A$51,840 |
| 2014 | $1,500 8-Game Mixed Match | 485 | $166,986 |
| 2024 | $10,000 Limited Bets 2-7 Three-Draw Tournament | 149 | $347,440 |
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