Phil Ivey has been labeled as the number one poker competitor on the globe by most of the top-ranked professionals. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to New Jersey before reaching the age of 1. His papa taught him one cent-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, he was hooked on poker and wanted to pickup anything he could about poker. Phil routinely told his elders that he was going to be a professional poker player. Phil didn’t permit the negative feedback from others kill his dream of being one of the strongest poker competitors on the planet.
Phil began competing seriously after acquiring a false ID by the name of Jerome. He honed his skills at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The initial few years for him were a learning opportunity and winning was not a regular outcome at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he achieved two final tables and won his 1st WSOP bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the closing table he defeated quite a few of the well known professionals which includes "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil made a decision to take his game to the next level and headed out west to Las Vegas. He continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players on the planet. Phil credits his success to discipline and an eternal passion for poker. Phil says that he is picking up skills every single day and is quite abashed about his achievements. Phil admits to making errors every single session of poker and always aspires to get better.
Even though Ivey has come first in some large tournaments, he prefers winning money games on a normal basis.
