The opening of the Ivey Room at the ARIA Casino was celebrated with a million dollar VIP freeroll on the weekend. Several poker pros turned up to check out the room that will probably host the Big Game at least for some time.


At the freeroll the nine finalists decided to split the pot, each receiving $50,000. Rest of the prize pool was dealt out as bounties, and $250,000 had been put aside for the winner's heads up with Phil Ivey. That honor fell to Larry Litton, but Ivey proved stronger and took home the 250k. In the tournament Chino Rheem collected the 100k bounty on Ivey's head.

The opening made Ivey reflect on his own career and the huge progress poker has made over the past decade. "I come from nothing, and now I'm here... I never thought there would be a poker room named after me. I never thought poker would be televised... I was just a kid who had a passion for poker, and I'm very grateful for my life," he says on the Pokernews video below.

On the video, also Eli Elezra, David Williams, Phil Laak and Erica Schoenberg comment on the room.

Some pictures from the opening event can be found on 2+2.