Side bets raise stakes at World Series of Poker

LAS VEGAS – It takes plenty of confidence and oodles of cash just to play in the World Series of Poker main event, but the world’s best rounders are making things spicier by raising the stakes against one another.

Gold bracelets command respect for winners of series events, but big-time poker pros Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey added an extra $200,000 incentive for each other to win one or more of the 55 events this year, Negreanu said.

Negreanu’s limit Texas Hold ‘em win earlier this month got him $204,874 in prize money, but his bet with Ivey has nearly doubled that.

Ivey can even the score if he wins the main event, a no-limit Texas Hold ‘em tournament that will mean millions of dollars for the winner and certain poker fame.

California psychologist Jerry Yang – who gave the famous “Shuffle up and deal” order on Friday – beat 6,357 others last year to take home the event’s top prize of $8.25 million.

An additional 1,158 players entered the tournament Friday, bringing the total for the first two days to 2,455 entrants. Tournament officials have reported that Ivey has bet millions of dollars on himself winning a bracelet in this year’s World Series of Poker. He has cashed three times, but his best finish so far is ninth in the seven card stud world championship.

“I just did it because it’s fun and silly,” said Negreanu, who said the bets are often bigger than tournament buy-ins and can be staked on just about anything.

“Last year I had a bet: Me, Phil Ivey and Erick (Lindgren), $10,000 each, first one to shuffle their chips lost. So like you couldn’t shuffle your chips for the whole month – at all,” Negreanu said. “I won that one.”

But for Negreanu, not everything is fair game.

“When it comes to death or marriage, it’s off limits to me,” he said.