Phil Ivey has been branded as the greatest poker player in the world by many of the top pros. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to Jersey before his first birthday. His grandfather taught Phil penny-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was hooked on poker and wished to discover anything he possibly could about poker. Phil routinely told his elders that he was going to be a professional poker player. He didn’t permit the negative comments from others destroy his dream of becoming one of the strongest poker competitors in the world.
Phil started competing intently after getting a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He honed his game at the casinos of Atlantic City. The first number of years for Phil were a teaching opportunity and coming away with a win wasn’t a common outcome at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he achieved two final tables and came away with his 1st World Series of Poker bracelet, in a $2, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the closing table he defeated a number of the better known professionals including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
He decided to take his game to the successive level and headed out west to Vegas. Phil continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players on the planet. Phil credits his achievements to discipline and an eternal passion for poker. He states that he’s learning every day and is quite humble about his success. Phil admits to making errors in each session of poker and always aspires to improve.
Despite the fact that Phil has come first in some large tournaments, he prefers destroying money games on a regular basis.