Phil Ivey has been branded as the number one poker player on the planet by many of the top-ranked professionals. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to New Jersey before reaching turning one. His grandpa taught Phil penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, he was hooked on poker and wanted to learn every little thing he could about poker. He routinely told his parents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. Phil didn’t permit the adverse comments from other people annihilate his goal of becoming one of the strongest poker competitors in the world.
Phil began competing intently after acquiring a false ID by the name of Jerome. He honed his skills at the poker rooms in Atlantic City. The first number of years for Phil were a learning opportunity and coming away with a win wasn’t a common thing at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he achieved 2 final tables and came away with his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha match. At the last table he destroyed many of the better known professionals which includes "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil made a decision to take his skills to the next level and moved out west to Vegas. He continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players in the world. Ivey credits his achievements to hard work and a continuing love for the game of poker. He states that he’s picking up skills every single day and is very abashed about his accomplishments. He knows he makes errors every single session of poker and always aspires to improve.
Although Phil has come first in some big-time tournaments, he likes winning cash games on a normal basis.