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Daily 3-Bet: Hachem “Poker Dying,” Ivey Born Again, €500k BOM

Daily 3-Bet: Hachem “Poker Dying,” Ivey Born Again, €500k BOM
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PokerListings Team Editorial Team
  • Fact Checked by: PokerListings
  • Last updated on: November 1, 2024 · 2 minutes to read

Daily 3-Bet: Hachem “Poker Dying,” Ivey Born Again, €500k BOM


Pokerlistings Icon
PokerListings Team Editorial Team
  • Fact Checked by: PokerListings
  • Last updated on: November 1, 2024 · 2 minutes to read

The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a deep breath, a look around and a much better feeling about the state of the afternoon poker news game.

Got a tip for a future 3-Bet? Drop a note in the comments and we’ll gladly take a look.

Today in the 3-Bet we find Joe Hachem suggesting Jamie Gold and Jerry Yang “destroyed” the Main Event title and that poker’s dying, Phil Ivey resurrects The Life of Ivey as Ivey Life (get it?) and the 2014 Battle of Malta bumps its guarantee to a massive €500,000.

1) Hachem: Gold and Yang Destroyed Legacy of WSOP ME

Joe Hachem, as you might remember, won the 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event title. Since then he’s added a WPT title (for $2.2m, no less), a number of other big scores and generally been a pretty important (if slightly hubristic) ambassador for the game in Australia.

A pretty good run for a former chiropractor, most would say. But how does he feel about the legacy of the World Series champs to follow him and the state of poker today? Well, a bit sad, apparently.

In an interview with Bluff magazine at the Aussie Millions Hachem lamented the state of the game and called out Jamie Gold, Jerry Yang and the younger champs (save Jon Duhamel) for “destroying the legacy” previous ME champs like he, Greg Raymer and Chris Moneymaker cherished.

He also seems to think the game of poker is dying, which is a bit incongruous with, you know, global numbers and all. He does have some points about personality, though. Hear his thoughts below:

2) Ivey in Australia; Resurrects Live of Ivey

So after the confusion of yesterday we can all breathe easy: Phil Ivey has landed safe and sound in Melbourne and will be throwing chips around in the Main Event and $250k challenge.

As an added bonus from our “research” we discovered, as part of the launch of his Ivey League training site, that he’s resurrected his popular behind-the-scenes “Life of Ivey” series from the PokerRoad days (now called “Ivey Life”).

In clip #1 we see him get hosed for $1,000 on a basketball one-outer by fellow Team Ivey pro Mike Leah. Welcome back Phil, we missed you. Check the clip below:

3) 2014 Battle of Malta Offers €500,000 Guarantee, Slow-Mo Party Shots

Poker dying? Maybe at the higher stakes, Joe, but it’s very much alive, well and prospering here at the “bottom.”

Clearly Mr. Hachem also wasn’t at the 2013 Battle of Malta, which set a record for the biggest-ever poker tournament held on the island with 888 entries and an €80,000 first-place prize.

The vibe was festive, the atmosphere electric and the play both casual and good quality, making for one of the best destination poker events in Europe last year.

Upping the stakes even further for 2014 the guarantee has been bumped to a massive €500,000 with the same €550 buy-in, making for some crazy value for the low- to mid-stakes player.

Want to get a feel for the BOM? Check out the video below and get your package for 2014 right here.

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