Phil Ivey has been labeled as the number one poker competitor on the planet by many of the top-ranked professionals. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before his first birthday. His grandfather taught him penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From then on on, Phil was hooked on poker and wished to pickup everything he could about poker. He routinely told his grandparents that he was planning on being a professional poker player. Phil didn’t let the adverse feedback from other people annihilate his ambition of being one of the best poker players in the world.
Phil started playing seriously after acquiring a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He practiced his skills at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The first number of years for Phil were a teaching experience and coming away with a win wasn’t a regular thing at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 WSOP when he achieved 2 final tables and came away with his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a $2, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the closing table he defeated quite a few of the well known pros which includes "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil decided to take his game to the next level and moved out west to Las Vegas. He continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players in the world. Phil credits his achievements to discipline and an immeasurable passion for the game of poker. He says that he’s picking up skills every day and is incredibly humble about his accomplishments. Phil admits to making mistakes every single session of poker and always strives to get better.
Despite the fact that Ivey has come first in some big-time tournaments, he likes destroying money games on a normal basis.