Ivey wins $1.1 million in one day

Phil Ivey started off 2009 in uncharacteristically slow fashion, reportedly losing more than $2 million in a month and a half.

But if his play Tuesday is any indication, Ivey is well on his way back.

The poker star won $1.1 million during a night session at the Full Tilt tables, with much of his winnings coming at the expense of Tom "durrrr" Dwan.

The beginning of the year had been a struggle for Ivey. According to Poker-King.com, he had lost $2.087 million in 2009, with $1.1 million lost in February alone.

The Web site also reported that a good portion of Ivey's losses came from heads-up matches against Sami "LarsLuzak" Kelopuro.

Ivey got some revenge Tuesday, with Aintluck.com reporting that he took some big pots off LarsLuzak during his million-dollar day.

But Ivey took most of his winnings off the poker hotshot that is Durrrr.

The Web site HighStakesDB.com recorded some of Ivey's big wins, and the second biggest pot of the night came during a Pot-Limit Omaha heads-up showdown against Durrrr.

Durrrr held pocket 10s and check-raised at the turn. Ivey called and Durrrr moved all in on the river. He showed his pocket 10s, but Ivey had hit his open-ended straight draw at the turn and took down a pot of $328,790.

The biggest pot of the night also came at the expense of Durrrr during another Pot-Limit Omaha heads-up showdown. Durrrr went all-in after the flop with 10s and 8s plus an open-ended straight draw. Ivey had pocket aces, but when the board paired Kings on the turn and nothing fell on the river, Ivey won $336,590.

The last hand of the night was another big win for Ivey. By this time he had nearly $1 million in chips, while Durrrr had around $86,000. They traded raises pre-flop before Durrrr went all-in. Ivey called and showed pocket aces with three spades. Durrrr had an Ace and Queen of hearts and a Jack and three of diamonds. When the flop came up with all spades, Ivey hit his flush. He won the hand and a final pot of $173,419.

The heads-up battle between Ivey and Durrrr wasn't part of Durrrr's "Million Dollar Challenge." Durrrr is currently facing Patrik Antonius in the challenge, and as of Thursday was up almost $150,000. They have played nearly 4,000 hands of the 50,000 stipulated in the challenge agreement.