Phil Ivey has been branded as the number one poker competitor in the world by quite a few of the top-ranked professionals. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to Jersey before reaching the age of one. His grandfather introduced him to penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, he was addicted to poker and wished to pickup anything he possibly could about the game. Phil routinely would tell his elders that he was planning on being a professional poker player. Phil didn’t allow the adverse comments from other people destroy his goal of being one of the greatest poker competitors on the planet.
Phil started playing intently after getting a false ID by the name of Jerome. He honed his skills at the casinos in Atlantic City. The initial number of years for him were a teaching experience and coming away with a win was not a normal thing at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he made two final tables and won his 1st World Series of Poker bracelet, in a $2, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the closing table he defeated quite a few of the well known pros including but not limited to "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil made a decision to take his game to the next level and moved out west to Vegas. Phil continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players in the world. Phil credits his achievements to hard work and a continuing passion for the game of poker. Phil says that he is picking up skills every single day and is incredibly humble about his accomplishments. He admits to making errors in each session of poker and always strives to improve.
Although Ivey has won some big tournaments, he favors winning money games on a normal basis.