Phil Ivey has been branded as the greatest poker competitor on the planet by quite a few of the top pros. He was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to Jersey before his first birthday. His grandpa introduced him to penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From then on on, Phil was addicted to poker and wished to discover anything he could about poker. Phil routinely told his grandparents that he was planning on being a professional poker player. Phil did not allow the negative feedback from other people annihilate his dream of being one of the best poker players in the world.
Phil began playing seriously after getting a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He practiced his skills at the poker rooms in Atlantic City. The beginning few years for Phil were a learning opportunity and coming away with a win wasn’t a common outcome at the time. He became known at the 2000 WSOP when he achieved 2 final tables and won his first WSOP bracelet, in a $2, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the last table he destroyed a number of the well known professionals including but not limited to "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
He decided to take his game to the next level and moved out west to Sin City. He continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players on the planet. Ivey credits his success to discipline and an eternal passion for the game of poker. He says that he’s learning every day and is incredibly humble about his success. He knows he makes errors in each game of poker and always strives to get better.
Although Ivey has won some big-time tournaments, he favors destroying money games on a normal basis.