Phil Ivey has been labeled as the number one poker player in the world by many of the top-ranked pros. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and moved to Jersey before reaching the age of 1. His grandfather showed him to penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was hooked on poker and wished to pickup anything he possibly could about poker. He routinely told his elders that he was planning on being a professional poker player. He did not let the adverse comments from others destroy his goal of being one of the strongest poker competitors in the world.
He started playing seriously after acquiring a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He honed his abilities at the casinos in Atlantic City. The initial number of years for him were a learning opportunity and winning was not a regular outcome at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he achieved two final tables and won his 1st World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the final table he destroyed quite a few of the better known professionals including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil decided to take his skills to the successive level and headed out west to Sin City. Phil continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players on the planet. Ivey credits his achievements to dedication and an eternal love for poker. He says that he is picking up skills every single day and is very abashed about his accomplishments. Phil knows he makes mistakes every single session of poker and always aspires to improve.
Despite the fact that Phil has come first in some big-time tournaments, he favors winning money games on a normal basis.