Phil Ivey has been branded as the number one poker competitor in the world by quite a few of the top-ranked pros. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to Jersey before his first birthday. His grandfather taught Phil one cent-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was hooked on poker and wished to discover every little thing he could about the game. Phil routinely told his grandparents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. Phil did not permit the adverse feedback from other people destroy his dream of being one of the strongest poker players on the planet.
He started playing seriously after acquiring a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He sharpened his techniques at the casinos in Atlantic City. The beginning number of years for Phil were a teaching experience and winning wasn’t a common thing at the time. He became known at the 2000 WSOP when he achieved 2 final tables and won his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a $2, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the final 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 next level and moved out west to Vegas. Phil continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players in the world. Ivey credits his achievements to dedication and a continuing passion for poker. Phil states that he’s picking up skills every day and is quite humble about his success. He knows he makes mistakes every single session of poker and always aspires to get better.
Even though Phil has come first in some big-time tournaments, he favors winning cash games on a regular basis.