Phil Ivey has been referred to as the greatest poker player in the world by many of the top professionals. Phil Ivey was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before reaching turning 1. His grandpa introduced him to penny-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was hooked on poker and wished to discover every little thing he could about the game. Phil would tell his parents that he was planning on being a professional poker player. He did not allow the detrimental comments from others destroy his goal of becoming one of the greatest poker competitors on the planet.
He started competing intently after acquiring a false ID with the name of Jerome. He practiced his techniques at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The initial few years for Phil were a teaching opportunity and winning wasn’t a common outcome at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he achieved two final tables and came away with his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the last table he defeated many of the well known professionals which includes "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
He decided to take his game to the next level and moved out west to Sin City. He continues to participate in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players on the planet. Ivey credits his success to hard work and an eternal love for the game of poker. Phil states that he is picking up skills every single day and is very abashed about his accomplishments. He knows he makes mistakes every single session of poker and always strives to get better.
Even though Phil has come first in some large tournaments, he prefers destroying money games on a normal basis.