Can Ivey bounce back in 2016?

This is usually the time of the year when the poker world begins to look towards the new calendar and tries to predict what various storylines we can expect to see over the next 12 months. Who will be the next big superstar? Which players will come out on top at the major events? How will the game's most famous names do in online and real-life tournament? As we near the end of another fascinating year in poker, thoughts are already switching to the start of 2016.

[3]   by   [4]waldo483 [4]  [5]

In 2015, we've seen Jonathan Duhamel and Anthony Zinno battle it out to be crowned the player of the year, with the duo wrapping up remarkable years respectively. On the flipside, though, Phil Ivey - one of the game's most recognisable and successful player - has endured something close to a nightmare 2015. Despite racking up $1.74 million in winnings, the future Hall of Famer suffered significant losses in online events, as well as some costly legal issues that have taken the focus away from his time at the table.

But there won't be many writing off Ivey following a disappointing 12 months. If you play poker with 32Red, 888poker or any other online casino for UK gamers [6], you know you're not always going to win. Ivey, for example, has endured a horrific couple of years in online events, and he will know 2016 is his chance to start winning back some of his losses over the past 24 months. Having made a reported $20-plus million throughout his career, a large chunk of which has come playing online, Ivey has shown time and again that he is one of poker's most talented players [7]. 

In what looks to be a huge 2016 for poker, both for casual players visiting the likes of 32Red and for the game's biggest players, Ivey will have a number of chances to right some wrongs from this season. But while this has been a below-par year for the American, you only have to look at Ivey's career to see proof that he can bounce back from a disappointing 12 months and re-establish himself among the world's elite. 

[3]   by   [8]Images_of_Money [8]  [5]

Having missed a large chunk of 2011, Ivey returned to action the following year and racked up $3.6 million in winnings, qualifying for five WSOP final tables in a stellar season. The year of 2013 was another grim one for the man long labelled the Tiger Woods of the poker world, making just $151,000 in winnings, albeit going on to win his ninth WSOP bracelet. But that was soon forgotten about when totalling $3.78 million and a 10th bracelet last year, and we could be set to see Ivey prove he is still one of the best in the game with a big 2016.