Phil Ivey has been branded as the number one poker contender in the world by quite a few of the top professionals. Phil Ivey was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to NJ before his first birthday. His papa taught Phil one cent-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From then on on, Phil was hooked on poker and wanted to learn everything he could about poker. He routinely told his parents that he was going to be a professional poker player. He didn’t allow the detrimental comments from others annihilate his ambition of becoming one of the best poker competitors in the world.
He started playing intently after acquiring a false ID by the name of Jerome. He honed his skills at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The initial number of years for Phil were a teaching period and winning was not a common thing at the time. He became known at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he made 2 final tables and won his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a $2, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the final table he defeated many of the well known pros including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil decided to take his skills to the next level and moved out west to Vegas. He continues to participate in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players in the world. Ivey credits his achievements to discipline and an eternal passion for poker. He says that he is picking up skills every single day and is quite humble about his accomplishments. He knows he makes errors in each session of poker and constantly strives to improve.
Despite the fact that Ivey has come first in some big tournaments, he likes destroying money games on a regular basis.