Phil Ivey has been branded as the number one poker player on the globe by quite a few of the top pros. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to New Jersey before his first birthday. His papa introduced him to penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was addicted to poker and wished to pickup everything he possibly could about the game. He routinely told his grandparents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He didn’t let the adverse comments from other people annihilate his dream of becoming one of the greatest poker competitors in the world.
Phil began playing intently after getting a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He sharpened his skills at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The initial number of years for him were a teaching opportunity and winning wasn’t a common thing at the time. He became known at the 2000 WSOP when he made 2 final tables and won his 1st WSOP bracelet, in a $2, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha match. At the last table he defeated many of the well known pros including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
He decided to take his skills to the successive level and headed out west to Vegas. He continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest 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 humble about his achievements. Phil admits to making mistakes in each session of poker and always strives to get better.
Although Phil has won some big-time tournaments, he prefers destroying cash games on a normal basis.