2013: The Year of Phil Ivey?

You cannot keep a great man down, and when cards and chips are flying around a table there is no greater man than Phil Ivey. With over $17.5 million in live tournament successes, and millions more in live and online cash games, Ivey is never far away from the spotlight. Even in 2011, when Ivey boycotted the game as a result of the issues surrounding Black Friday, his actions still became one of the most talked about stories of the year.

In 2012, Ivey returned to the felt under somewhat controversial circumstances. The dust hadn’t really settled on the events of Black Friday, and some of the poker betting public were upset that he had decided to return to the felt, despite players still not having their Full Tilt futures secure. But return Ivey did, and that year away from live tournament poker didn’t effect him in the slightest, as he dragged in a haul of over $3.6 million.

A great start at the Aussie Millions is generally a good indicator of potential success, and when Ivey took 12th in the main before securing top spot in the $250,000 Super High Roller for A$2,000,000 first-prize, we should have known to expect great things. His year continued to be momentous including a barnstorming World Series of Poker (WSOP) where he made five final tables. The bracelet eluded him but it was a sign that he was back and there wasn’t a tinge of rust in sight.

Not content with his domination on the felt, Ivey is set to dominate it off the felt as well. The poker training, and social media site, Iveypoker will be launched in January, and Ivey has already announced team pros of the ilk of James Dempsey, Cole South, and the 2012 WSOP Main Event champion Greg Merson. So 2013, promises to be one of the most important of Ivey’s career so far.