Backstage, watching action on the feature table at this year’s WSOP, Mike Sexton was getting worked up. The cause of his excitement was Phil Ivey’s ongoing ascent in the tournament. ‘ESPN, Harrah’s, and the game of poker itself, they all need Phil Ivey to make the final table,’ insisted Sexton, as a couple of dozen contenders remained. ‘If that happens, ratings will triple on the nights of the Main Event. Spend three months promoting the greatest poker player in the world and that is huge for poker.’

As everybody knows, Sexton’s wish came true in terms of Ivey making the final table.