Phil Ivey has been labeled as the greatest poker contender on the planet by most of the top-ranked pros. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to Jersey before his first birthday. His grandfather showed him to penny-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From then on on, Phil was hooked on poker and wished to pickup every little thing he possibly could about poker. He would tell his parents that he was going to be a professional poker player. He did not let the negative comments from other people annihilate his goal of becoming one of the strongest poker competitors in the world.
Phil started playing seriously after getting a false ID with the name of Jerome. He practiced his abilities at the casinos in Atlantic City. The first number of years for Phil were a teaching opportunity and coming away with a win wasn’t a normal thing at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he achieved 2 final tables and came away with his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a $2, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the last table he destroyed quite a few of the well known pros including but not limited to "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil made a decision to take his skills to the next level and moved out west to Las Vegas. Phil continues to participate in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players on the planet. Ivey credits his success to dedication and an eternal love for the game of poker. Phil states that he’s picking up skills every single day and is very humble about his success. He knows he makes errors every single session of poker and constantly aspires to improve.
Even though Ivey has won some big tournaments, he likes winning money games on a regular basis.
