He's Baack...

It has been a while, but once again the only thing the poker world seems to be talking about is Phil Ivey.  Rightfully so, when you consider that the guy came back from a nine-month absence from major poker events, then made a giant splash at this year’s Aussie Millions.  We’ve got all the highlights from Ivey’s big return, plus news from the POY front, tournament results from back in the States, and some big announcements from Merge and the World Poker Tour in this edition of The Week That Was:

Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Ivey! Ivey! Ivey!

When the week began, Ivey’s return to tournament poker was certainly a noteworthy story, but Dan Smith was the player in the spotlight after defeating a tough field to win the Aussie Millions $100,000 event.  The career-high AUD$1,012,000 payday came after Smith defeated Mikhail Smirnov heads-up for the crown.  Joe Hachem and Tony G also made the money.

Ivey didn’t get much going in the $100,000 event, but he got off to a very fast start on Day 1 of the $10,000 Main Event.  The tournament may have seen a slight decline in attendance with 659 players this year compared to 721 last year, but the tournament had no short supply of attention and headlines thanks to dramatic hands and, of course, Ivey.  He came up short of the final table, busting in 12th place, but immediately hopped into the $250,000 Super High Roller event.  The determination worked out well for Ivey, as he won the event to the tune of AUD$2 million, defeating another top player in the game, Patrik Antonius, heads-up.

Where Ivey is headed next remains unclear, but while he is off celebrating, the Main Event plays down to a champion on Sunday.  Past Aussie Millions Champ Lee Nelson missed out on the final table.  Bjorn Li will begin the seven-handed final table with the chip lead.

Double Dose of Duhamel

Now that we have some major events in the books, it is time to get focused on the 2012 BLUFF Player of the Year race.  In our debut rankings of the year, Jonathan Duhamel jumped out to an early lead with more than 500 points from his three six-figure cashes at the 2012 PokerStars Carribean Adventure.  His point total comprises roughly half of what Eugene Katchalov ended 2011 with, and puts Duhamel in a great position to hold on to the top spot for at least the next month or so.

If that weren’t enough, Duhamel also claimed the top spot in the BLUFF Power Rankings, edging out Buchanan for the pole position.  With so many fresh scores bolstering his point total, Duhamel should be a mainstay in the top five for the next couple of months, but with more results rolling in from Australia, Biloxi, Borgata, and elsewhere, remaining number one is no sure thing.

Mark Your Calendars

A couple of big announcements from the World Poker Tour and the Merge Network make for a busy spring in the poker world.  First, the WPT announced the premiere of its tenth season will air on February 12th and the action-packed season will feature a hefty 36 episodes.

Just a couple of days later, the Merge Poker Network, which currently serves US customers, announced a hefty schedule of their own.  The Network will hold its first-ever online tournament series, Poker Maximus, starting on March 4th and running through March 25th.  There will be 70 different events with a combined $1.5 million in guarantees.

Dolan, Araya, Little, and Failla This Week’s Big Winners

The biggest poker action may be down under in Melbourne, but for poker players looking for tournaments a little closer to home, there were plenty of options to choose from around the United States.  The Beau Rivage wrapped up its Million Dollar Heater Series with a $5,000 Main Event won by former November Niner John Dolan.  The Borgata Winter Poker Open kicked off with a giant $500 buy-in event won by Will Failla.  The WSOPC drew one of the biggest crowds of the season for the WSOPC Choctaw Main Event.  The strong turnout resulted in a $270,000 payday and a WSOP Circuit ring for winner Abraham Araya.  The payday for the WSOPC Las Vegas winner will likely be a little smaller, but with a turnoutof 656 runners in the Caesars Palace event, it will be a nice bounty nonetheless.

Thor Hansen Facing a Tough Battle

This week poker pro Andreas Hoivold revealed via Twitter (@AndreasHoivold) that his friend and fellow pro Thor Hansen has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.  Hansen, who is considered to be one of the godfathers of the European poker circuit, recently underwent surgery, but, according to the Norweigian Associated Press, doctors told Hansen he could very well have only two years left to live.

Hansen told the Norwegian press that he is ready to fight, even with the bleak diagnosis.  We here at BLUFF send our best wishes to Hansen and his family during this tough time, a sentiment that his been resoundingly echoed by pros around the world over Twitter who uniformly described Hansen as a gentleman, a tough competitor, and someone who has had a profound impact on the game over the years.

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