Nguyen and Ivey go deep

Scotty Nguyen was back in the headlines this week after finishing second in the $5k Omaha Eight-or-Better for $182k on a stacked final table that also saw Phil Ivey record his third final table of the series.

Nguyen, one of the game’s more colourful characters, recorded his 19th career WSOP final table, but couldn’t add to his bracelet haul after losing out to Joe Cassidy heads-up.

As well as Ivey and Nguyen, Mike Matusow also went deep, finishing eighth, but it was Cassidy who came out on top, turning a sizeable heads-up lead into his first ever WSOP bracelet and 294k.

Once Ivey had busted in third, play was delayed for 11 hours to give players a chance to regroup, and as Cassidy returned clutching a four-to-one chip lead over Nguyen, it wasn’t long before he sent the veteran to the rail in second.

‘I’m disappointed but it’s not my time today baby. When it’s not your time you just have to think about the next one,’ Nguyen told PokerListings.com.

‘It was Joe Cassidy’s time and I congratulate him.’

For Ivey, the third place finish marked the second near-miss in a dramatic week for the poker superstar. Three days before, he finished second to Andy Frankenberger in the $10k PLHE, adding $275k to the $34,595 he won in last week’s $5k Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo.

With the world’s greatest player the standout star at this year’s World Series, those sweating seven-figure bracelet bets with Ivey might want to look away for the next few weeks.

Here’s how the $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Eight-or-Better finished up:

1. Joe Cassidy  $294,777
2. Scotty Nguyen  $182,213
3. Phil Ivey  $136,046
4. Meng La  $102,260
5. Gregory Jamison  $77,342
6. Elie Doft  $58,873
7. Bart Hanson  $45,084
8. Mike Matusow  $34,748
9. Ryan Lenaghan  $26,940