Poker G.O.A.T. Phil Ivey‘s deepest run of the 2026 World Series of Poker came to an end in the most expensive tournament on the schedule.
The 11-time bracelet winner was eliminated in eighth place in the $250,000 Super High Roller for $553,270 after running pocket jacks into the pocket queens of Bryn Kenney at the official final table.
While the result falls short of bracelet number 12, it still represents Ivey’s best finish of the summer and his first final-table appearance of the series.
The tournament attracted 56 entries and generated a $13,720,000 prize pool, with a first-place prize of $4,334,411 awaiting the eventual champion.
Ivey Fights Back Before Final Table Exit
Ivey entered the final day ninth out of nine players and looked in danger of becoming the first casualty of the day.
Instead, he mounted one of the early comebacks of the final table. His first double-up came through Kenney when ace-queen held against king-queen, boosting him to 4,200,000 chips.
A pair of successful three-bet jams soon after helped him climb above 20 big blinds and back into contention.
For a brief period, the possibility of another Ivey comeback began to feel very real, but that hope came to an abrupt end shortly after.
With blinds at 150,000/300,000, Ivey opened to 600,000 from early position. Action folded to Kenney in the big blind, who three-bet to 1,650,000. Ivey quickly moved all in for 5,800,000 and Kenney snap-called.
Phil Ivey: J♠J♥
Bryn Kenney: Q♠Q♣
Ivey needed help against the higher pair, but none arrived on the 10♦4♥2♣9♣9♠ runout. Both players improved to two pair, but Kenney’s queens and nines remained best, ending Ivey’s run in eighth place.
$250,000 Super High Roller Live Updates
How’s Ivey Doing at the 2026 WSOP?
Phil Ivey
The 2026 WSOP got off to a slow start for Ivey, who fired several bullets before recording his first cash of the summer.
That result came in Event #38: $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship, where he finished ninth for $30,292 after narrowly missing the official final table.
A max late-registration attempt in the $100,000 High Roller ended without a cash, but the Super High Roller provided his first major run of the summer.
Ivey secured the minimum payout of $518,518 when Nick Petrangelo burst the money bubble late on Day 2, and laddered one spot further on the final day to collect $553,270.
Phil Ivey’s WSOP Bracelets
YearTournamentEntriesPrize
2000$2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha100$195,000
2002$1,500 Limit Seven Card Stud253$132,000
2002$2,500 Limit Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo126$118,440
2002$2,000 Limit S.H.O.E.143$107,540
2005$5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha134$635,603
2009$2,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw147$96,367
2009$2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better376$220,538
2010$3,000 H.O.R.S.E.478$329,840
2013(WSOP APAC) A$2,200 Mixed Event (8-Game)81A$51,840
2014$1,500 8-Game Mix485$166,986
2024$10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Championship149$347,440
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Calum Grant
Senior Editor & Live Events Executive
Calum has written for various poker outlets but found his home at PokerNews, where he has contributed to various articles and live updates, providing insights and reporting on major poker events, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).
