Phil Ivey has been branded as the number one poker player on the planet by many of the top pros. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to New Jersey before reaching the age of one. His grandpa introduced him to one cent-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was hooked on poker and wanted to learn anything he could about poker. He routinely told his parents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He did not let the adverse comments from other people kill his goal of becoming one of the greatest poker players on the planet.
Phil began competing intently after acquiring a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He practiced his skills at the casinos of Atlantic City. The initial number of years for him were a teaching experience and winning wasn’t a normal thing at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he achieved 2 final tables and came away with his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the final table he defeated quite a few of the better known pros including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil made a decision to take his skills to the successive level and moved 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 achievements to hard work and a continuing love for poker. Phil says that he’s picking up skills every day and is quite humble about his accomplishments. He admits to making blunders every single game of poker and always aspires to improve.
Although Ivey has won some large tournaments, he likes destroying money games on a normal basis.