Phil Ivey has been labeled as the number one poker player on the globe by many of the top professionals. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before reaching the age of 1. His papa taught him penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, he was hooked on poker and wanted to pickup whatever he could about the game. He routinely told his elders that he was going to be a professional poker player. He didn’t allow the detrimental comments from others destroy his ambition of becoming one of the strongest poker competitors in the world.
Phil began playing seriously after acquiring a false ID with the name of Jerome. He sharpened his game at the casinos of Atlantic City. The initial number of years for Phil were a teaching period and coming away with a win was not a normal thing at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 WSOP where he made 2 final tables and won his first WSOP bracelet, in a $2, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the last table he defeated a number of the better known pros including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
He made a decision to take his skills to the next level and headed out west to Las Vegas. Phil continues to participate in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players in the world. Ivey credits his achievements to dedication and an immeasurable love for the game of poker. Phil says that he is learning every single day and is very abashed about his achievements. Phil admits to making mistakes every single session of poker and always aspires to get better.
Despite the fact that Ivey has won some big tournaments, he prefers winning money games on a regular basis.