Lots of raising and folding done pre-draw to pick up the blinds and antes, but not many hands lately. Here's a small one though.
John Monnette raised to 23,000 from the button and Phil Ivey called out of the big blind. Both players drew one and then checked. Monnette took the pot with a king-ten low.
Yan Chen moved all in from the button for 139,000 and Phil Ivey called. Chen stood pat after Ivey drew one card. Chen showed a jack low and Ivey showed before his draw. He pulled a and that would be it for Yan Chen, he was eliminated in third place for $38,892.
Here we go! John Monnette and Phil Ivey are heads up for the gold bracelet. Monnette is going for his first bracelet while Ivey is trying for his sixth. Monnette has a slight chip lead, but Ivey has built back nicely, especially after eliminating Yan Chen.
With Ivey now heads up, the room has filled out quite a bit. Amnon Filippi, Andy Bloch, Markus Golser, and Dutch Boyd are amongst some of the late arrivals to watch the match.
The two remaining players are playing for a difference of over $36,000 and the WSOP gold bracelet. The prize money might mean a little more to John Monnette, but the win might mean more to Phil Ivey.
Ivey is notorious for placing big bets on winning bracelets at the World Series each year. This year is no different and it's rumored that he may win over seven figures if he can pull this one off. Because of those bets, this may be his most important bracelet ever.
Monnette on the other hand doesn't have any gold bracelets. For him, this will solidify his name in WSOP history and be his greatest poker accomplishment to date. Both of these players have been playing extremely solid poker and this should be a great heads-up battle.
John Monnette bet 45,000 after the draw into Phil Ivey. Ivey took his time to think about the hand and his decision. He then made the call. Monnette showed and Ivey mucked, allowing Monnette to increase his chip lead.