Phil Ivey has been branded as the greatest poker contender on the planet by quite a few of the top-ranked professionals. Phil Ivey was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to Jersey before his first birthday. His papa taught him one cent-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was hooked on poker and wished to learn everything he could about the game. He routinely would tell his parents that he was planning on being a professional poker player. He didn’t let the adverse comments from others annihilate his goal of becoming one of the strongest poker players on the planet.
Phil began competing intently after getting a false ID with the name of Jerome. He practiced his abilities at the casinos in Atlantic City. The first few years for him were a teaching period and winning was not a normal thing at the time. He became known at the 2000 WSOP where he achieved 2 final tables and came away with his first WSOP bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the closing table he defeated many of the well known professionals including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil made a decision to take his game to the next level and moved out west to Vegas. He continues to participate in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players on the planet. Phil credits his success to hard work and a continuing passion for the game of poker. He states that he’s learning every single day and is very abashed about his achievements. Phil admits to making mistakes every single game of poker and always aspires to improve.
Even though Ivey has come first in some large tournaments, he favors winning money games on a regular basis.