Phil Ivey Returns to Live Poker

After going into self imposed exile from the poker world near the end of May, Phil Ivey has reappeared after entering the Asia Pacific Poker Tour Macau Main Event on Wednesday.  Ivey is a former sponsored pro and shareholder of the now defunct Full Tilt Poker.

Phil Ivey returns to live poker.

Ivey had made an announcement on the first day of the 2011 World Series of Poker that he was sitting out the entire WSOP in protest of Full Tilt not having repaid US players.  Ivey subsequently filed a lawsuit against the company in the amount of $150 Million dollars citing that the company was forcing him to adhere to a non-compete agreement and doing so was hurting his marketability.

Ivey later dropped that lawsuit when it was revealed a that a group of “European Investors” were interested in purchasing the company and Ivey supposedly did so to help negotiations along.

Later, Full Tilt had their operating license suspended and later revoked by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission stating that Full Tilt had misled the commission and had violated numerous terms of their operating license agreement.

Shortly after the revocation, Groupe Bernard Tapie signed an acquisition agreement with Full Tilt Poker and began subsequent negotiations with the United States Department of Justice to resolve the Black Friday indictments against the company.  An agreement was reached and now GBT will purchase Full Tilt for $50 Million from the DOJ.

The APPT Macaue was the first event Ivey has played in since before the 2011 WSOP.  Ivey was relatively silent during Day 1 of the APPT Main but finished the day around 50k in chips.

Whether or not this means that Ivey is back full time remains to be seen.  Now that Full Tilt Poker has an agreement in place to be sold and Americans can get their funds back, Ivey may feel that he can return to his former place among the top of the poker world.

One has to wonder how fans and other players will react to Ivey once he returns to events in the United States.  Also, will he be able to continue to play poker at the high level he has been able to in the past.  With such a short layoff, chances are he will still be on top of his game.

Also, where will Ivey land in regards to sponsorship. Will a new site step up and offer him a deal or will he possibly take a role in the new Full Tilt Poke under GBT.  These answers and more should become clear during the first half of 2012.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Related posts:

• Phil Ivey Sits Out 2011 WSOP and Sues Full Tilt Poker The 2011 World Series of Poker kicked off on Tuesday and Day 1 is a realatively uneventful day in the grand scheme of the entire series.  Day 1 sees the $500 Employees Event wind through its first day and this...
• Full Tilt Poker Sale Deal Finalized Between Group Bernard Tapie and DOJ A deal between Groupe Bernard Tapie and the United States Department of Justice regarding Full Tilt Poker has finally been reached.  The following press release was issued on Thursday evening from Full Tilt Poker: Full Tilt Poker is pleased that...
• Full Tilt Reportedly Sold to European Investors On Wednesday, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission suspended Full Tilt Poker’s license to run their online poker.  Now, a report out of the Los Angeles Times claims that the company is set to be purchased a group of European investors. ...
• Full Tilt Poker and US DOJ Reach Deal Regarding Black Friday Civil Suit It seems that the Full Tilt Poker sale may go off after all.  In a breaking story on Tuesday on SubjectPoker.com, it was reported that the United States Department of Justice and the Groupe Bernard Tapie have come to an...
• Full Tilt Poker Sale Already on Life Support? It seems that the pending sale of Full Tilt Poker to Group Bernard Tapie may already be in danger of falling apart.  According to a report on Gaming-awards.com, the Board of Directors for the site may end up stalling the...