Phil Ivey has been labeled as the number one poker competitor on the planet by most of the top-ranked professionals. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before reaching the age of 1. His papa introduced him to one cent-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From then on on, Phil was hooked on poker and wanted to pickup everything he could about poker. Phil routinely would tell his elders that he was going to be a professional poker player. He did not let the detrimental feedback from other people annihilate his goal of being one of the strongest poker players in the world.
He started playing intently after acquiring a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He sharpened his techniques at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The initial few years for Phil were a teaching period and winning wasn’t a normal outcome at the time. Phil became known at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he made 2 final tables and won his first WSOP bracelet, in a two dollar, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the closing table he defeated quite a few of the well known pros including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
He decided to take his game to the next level and headed out west to Sin City. Phil continues to participate in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players on the planet. Ivey credits his success to hard work and an eternal passion for the game of poker. He says that he is picking up skills every single day and is very abashed about his success. Phil knows he makes errors every single session of poker and always strives to improve.
Despite the fact that Ivey has won some big-time tournaments, he likes destroying cash games on a regular basis.