Phil Ivey has been labeled as the number one poker contender in the world by most of the top professionals. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before reaching the age of one. His papa taught him one cent-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was hooked on poker and wanted to pickup everything he could about poker. Phil routinely told his elders that he wanted to be a professional poker player. Phil did not let the negative feedback from other people kill his goal of becoming one of the best poker players on the planet.
He started playing intently after acquiring a false ID by the name of Jerome. He honed his techniques at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The first few years for him were a teaching opportunity and winning was not a common thing at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 WSOP where he achieved two final tables and won his first WSOP bracelet, in a two dollar, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha match. At the final table he defeated many of the better known professionals including but not limited to "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
He made a decision to take his game to the successive level and moved out west to Vegas. Phil continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players on the planet. Ivey credits his success to discipline and an eternal love for the game of poker. He states that he is picking up skills every single day and is quite humble about his achievements. He knows he makes mistakes every single session of poker and constantly aspires to get better.
Despite the fact that Ivey has come first in some large tournaments, he prefers winning cash games on a normal basis.
