Phil Ivey has been branded as the best poker contender on the planet by most of the top professionals. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to New Jersey before his first birthday. His grandfather taught him one cent-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From that point on, he was hooked on poker and wanted to pickup anything he could about poker. Phil would tell his grandparents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. Phil didn’t let the adverse feedback from others kill his ambition of being one of the best poker competitors on the planet.
He began competing seriously after getting a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He honed his techniques at the casinos of Atlantic City. The initial few years for him were a teaching opportunity and winning wasn’t a normal outcome at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 WSOP where he achieved two final tables and came away with his first WSOP bracelet, in a two dollar, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the closing table he defeated a number of the well known professionals which includes "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil made a decision to take his game to the next level and headed out west to Vegas. He continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players on the planet. Ivey credits his success to dedication and an eternal passion for poker. Phil says that he is picking up skills every single day and is quite abashed about his achievements. Phil admits to making mistakes every single session of poker and constantly strives to get better.
Despite the fact that Ivey has won some big-time tournaments, he likes destroying cash games on a regular basis.