After his 8th bracelet win earlier in this World Series, Phil Ivey is quoted as saying his ultimate goal is to win 30 bracelets. It's a high mountain to climb, but here's a look at why it's very much possible for this man - and what the current record holder has to say about it.


Ivey is just 34 years old so he has plenty of time to collect those bracelets provided he has the motivation to keep up with the game. Doyle Brunson doesn't even have the proper motivation for tournaments but he made a WSOP final table last year. Chris Björin is 63 and he cashes on a regular basis at top class tournaments, having already cashed five times in this year's WSOP.

Apart from time, there's plenty of opportunities. There are about 60 events annually at the WSOP and WSOPE put together, and while Ivey is a monster at Texas Hold'em, he's relatively even stronger in other poker variations.

And then there are the juicy side bets which give him plenty of incentive to keep chasing the silverware.

On top of time, opportunities and motivation Ivey has one big advantage over the competition - he is Phil Ivey.

Interestingly, current bracelet record holder (with 11) Phil Hellmuth congratulated Ivey on his 8th win but added, "He may well take the record away from me but when that happens, it won't stand at 11 anymore. This is a race for 20 bracelets."

Hellmuth also stated in no uncertain terms what the bracelet record means to him. "It's all about the record. The record means everything!"

For Ivey poker is much more than just bracelets, but he may well end up with the biggest pile of them.

Sources: Acemag and Pokernyhederna.