Phil Ivey has been branded as the greatest poker contender on the globe by most of the top professionals. Phil Ivey was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to Jersey before his first birthday. His grandfather taught him penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was hooked on poker and wished to learn whatever he could about poker. He routinely would tell his parents that he was going to be a professional poker player. Phil didn’t allow the adverse feedback from other people kill his dream of being one of the strongest poker players on the planet.
He began competing seriously after getting a false ID with the name of Jerome. He practiced his skills at the casinos of Atlantic City. The initial number of years for him were a teaching opportunity and coming away with a win wasn’t a regular thing at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 WSOP where he made 2 final tables and won his 1st World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the closing table he destroyed a number of the well known professionals which includes "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 compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players on the planet. Ivey credits his achievements to discipline and a continuing passion for poker. Phil says that he’s picking up skills every day and is quite humble about his accomplishments. He knows he makes errors in each session of poker and always aspires to get better.
Despite the fact that Ivey has won some large tournaments, he likes destroying cash games on a normal basis.