Which Team Ivey Pro is Most Likely to Win a WSOP Bracelet?
IveyPoker patches were in abundance for Day 1 of the 2013 World Series of Poker on an assortment of players participating in Event #2: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em (Eight Handed).
We had the chance to ask several of the Team Ivey Pros about the pressure of being a part of Phil Ivey's team, goals they wish to achieve, and which member of the roster they think will be the first to win a bracelet in 2013. Unfortunately, Mr. Ivey himself declined an interview.
PokerNews: What are your goals for the 2013 summer series?
Christian Harder: ��I intend on playing every no-limit event and pot-limit Omaha event. Maybe I��ll do a mixed game here and there, but those aren��t quite my focus for the summer. Hopefully I can just play well and play a lot and make a few final tables. That will actually exceed expectations but that��s my goal. It��s tough because you can play your best and do everything well and still not advance or finish in the money. So pretty much I��m hoping to play well and run ever better."
Dan Smith: ��I am going to play my best and be reasonably healthy, while trying to not put too much stress on myself. My health is number one so I��ll try to eat well and get enough sleep."
Josh Brikis: ��I don��t want to set them too high. Everyone is excited to be here at the beginning and then want to blow up the Rio and quit poker a week later, so I��m not really coming into this with any big goals. I��m excited so hopefully everything goes well.
Mike Leah: ��My goal for the summer is to win Player of the Year.��
Allen Kessler: ��I��m excited for the summer and for the events I��ll be playing in. You can find my full schedule on my Facebook page but basically I am playing every event I can without overlapping two events."
PokerNews: Do you have any kind of pressure now that you are on Team Ivey?
Leah: ��Not at all. No one could put more pressure on me than I put on myself. I have very high goals and expectations for myself so there��s no other pressure that could surpass what I already created."
Kessler: ��Not at all. I play the same no matter what. I am just trying to represent Team Ivey and do well and maybe even win a bracelet. Three times I��ve come close after winning second in the last several years so maybe this year will be it for me."
Which member of Team Ivey has the best chance to win a bracelet?
Harder: ��Well obviously Phil Ivey. Does that not count though? Clearly he is the best player in the world and he proved that at last year��s series making five final tables; if not him then maybe Andrew Lichtenberger. He is one of the best no limit players in the world so if anybody had a chance to finish at the top of multiple events, it would be him.��
Smith:��Is it a cop-out if I say Phil Ivey? (Laughs) If I don��t go with him, then I��ll go with myself. I��ll be playing most of the no-limit events but taking it easy on the $1,000 buy-ins just because ten-handed is just really not fun for me. You��ll see me playing the bigger buy-ins like the One Drop and the $25,000 Six-Max.��
Brikis: ��Ivey, of course. Is that too easy? I��m going to leave it with him because he is the best so of course the best has the better chance.��
Kessler: ��Obviously Phil Ivey will be most likely. Other than him, though, I know Mike Leah is playing a lot of events along with Christian Harder and Matt Giannetti so maybe one of them. I��ll put myself on that list too. Let��s see what happens."
For more PokerNews coverage of the $5,000 No-Limit Hold��em/Eight-Handed event, check out our live reporting page.
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