Phil Ivey has been branded as the number one poker contender in the world by many of the top professionals. Phil Ivey was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to NJ before his first birthday. His grandpa taught him penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, he was addicted to poker and wanted to pickup everything he could about the game. He routinely told his grandparents that he was planning on being a professional poker player. Phil did not permit the adverse comments from other people kill his dream of being one of the greatest poker players on the planet.
Phil began competing intently after acquiring a false ID with the name of Jerome. He practiced his game at the casinos in Atlantic City. The beginning number of years for him were a learning opportunity and coming away with a win was not a common thing at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 WSOP when he achieved 2 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 a number of the well known pros including "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. Phil continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players in the world. Phil credits his success to discipline and an eternal love for poker. He states that he’s learning every single day and is quite abashed about his accomplishments. He admits to making errors in each session of poker and constantly strives to get better.
Despite the fact that Phil has won some large tournaments, he favors winning cash games on a normal basis.