Phil Ivey has been labeled as the number one poker player in the world by quite a few of the top pros. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before his first birthday. His grandpa taught him penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was addicted to poker and wished to pickup anything he possibly could about the game. He routinely told his grandparents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He did not allow the negative feedback from others kill his goal of becoming one of the greatest poker competitors in the world.
Phil started competing seriously after getting a false ID by the name of Jerome. He practiced his abilities at the casinos in Atlantic City. The initial few years for Phil were a teaching opportunity and coming away with a win was not a common thing at the time. He became known at the 2000 World Series of Poker when he achieved 2 final tables and came away with his first WSOP bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha match. At the last table he destroyed many of the better known professionals including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil made a decision to take his game to the next level and moved out west to Vegas. Phil continues to participate in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players on the planet. Ivey credits his achievements to discipline and an eternal passion for poker. Phil states that he’s picking up skills every single day and is incredibly humble about his accomplishments. He knows he makes mistakes every single game of poker and constantly strives to improve.
Despite the fact that Ivey has won some big tournaments, he likes winning cash games on a regular basis.