I'm surprised Phil Ivey isn't on the top 10 final tables list, I think he's the most skilled player out there.

If I'm not mistaken Ivey has 22 final tables, so he just missed the list.

This makes perfect sense. Before every game, simply drink a quart of Whisky, and wear a rabbits foot lucky charm. Easy.

Yeah but he's won the most money of any pro out there I think.

It's possible that he simply doesn't play as much as the other guys do, but plays for bigger money.

THERE IS SOME SKILLS… BUT, A LOTS OF LUCK AT THE SAME TIME !!!

Don't tell me you are one of those guys that thinks because he's black, he's the most skilled? Ivy is a cry baby much like Phil and I never see him win even though I have seen him at alot of final tables, he chokes late in the game.

Poker is not a card card people play….poker is a people game, played with cards….

Yea his combined online and live winnings for poker are around 18 million.

Apparently the author of the article never played PLO with Isildur1. Its POT every single time. Luck baby:) How else do you explain a guy who makes $6M in 3 days then gives back 6M in 3 days? Poker gods

I'm a fan of Ivy also and not because he's black… Ivy makes most of his money at cash games and side bets. He isn't a big tourney player. Ivy and Phil are complete opposites, in my opinion.

Even Pros get their AA cracked. I got beat last night in a tourny when I had a 5 to 1 advantage. The donk that beat me won the tourny, then came to the cash game and did the same thing to me. If you are lucky, you can beat anyone. Here is how it went down if you are interested. I had A 2 suited, donk had Q 8. I limped. Flop came A 8 blank. He bet, I raised all in, he called and hit an 8 on the turn. Cash Game. I had K Q suited I called his raise preflop. Flop came Q blank blank. I push all in, he calls and hit and 8 on the turn again. Donk was lucky all night long.

id rather play with experience then skill.!

Phil Ivey may be the best overall player including cash games but does not play as many tournys as others

Very true and I happen to have made T-shirts with All the odds on it you need to play Hold Em! Great shirt, great information! To see my shirt check WSOP o8 or e mail me please. It'll make or save you a ton of $$$
ppikula1@yahoo.com

Has a Poker Dealer in my past life, I say that in Player Poker or Texas Hold'EM-it's all in the cards your deal-the skill comes on how you play them.
I do know that in straight Poker-the odd's are as follows
Royal Flush-1 in 650,000
Straight Flush-1 in 65,000
Four of a kind-1-4,000
Full House-1-700
Flush-1-500
Straight-1-250
Three of a kind-1-50
Two Pair-1-20
One Pair-1 in 2 1/3

So good luck to all of you out there-May the Cards be with you- Jay Jay

[...] to grow, it is more and more likely that legislatures and judges will eventually recognize that the skill involved in poker is more like the expertise you would find in the game of Bridge—nothing at all like that of [...]

Phil Ivey is not on the list because of this..
http://blog.mlive.com/deadmoney/2009/10/phil_iv…

Bad beats are for bad players to keep them around. You'll have profit vs them on the long run.. since poker isn't about short term winnings…

[...] Luck vs. Poker Still Posted in posts by casualfactors on July 18, 2010 Part of this infographic makes a compelling case that, because we consistently see the same few players winning the big [...]

not old enough, so he hasn't played enough tourneys yet. P.I. would almost certainly be among those with the highest FT % – just like albert pujols is among the best power hitters of all time even though he has yet to crack 400 dingers. we know who he is by his historically low AB per HR (and his OPS+). all of those poker players listed are high volume travelling pros, and most are dinosaurs who never played much online vs the younger guys like Ivey – which in this day and age precludes the need to play dozens of far flung casino tourneys a year.

true enough – but misleading. unlike athletics, most final tables cut a deal – and since when has being a crybaby meant you're not among the most skilled or successful? Jordan, Bonds, McEnroe, Ronaldo – kvetching bitches all.

why you see the same pros at the final tables is they have the money,they can play 30 tournaments, then the odds of getting to a FT increase theres no skill in that . you pick your nose 30 times your going to get a booger 1 out of the 30 times so what the different there is no skill in poker it is all intemation and luck.

why are all the top pros never in the final 9 if its a game of skill?, hell there not in the final 50

Poker is a high variance game. The best player in the world can win at best 52% of the time in the long run…. but remember that Las Vegas was built with only a 1% edge…