Phil Ivey has been labeled as the number one poker competitor on the globe by quite a few of the top pros. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before reaching the age of one. His grandpa introduced him to one cent-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was hooked on poker and wished to pickup every little thing he could about the game. He routinely told his parents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He did not allow the detrimental comments from others destroy his ambition of being one of the greatest poker players in the world.
He began playing seriously after getting a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He honed his abilities at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The beginning number of years for Phil were a teaching period and coming away with a win was not a common outcome at the time. Phil made his mark 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 final table he destroyed many of the better known pros including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
He made a decision to take his game to the next level and headed out west to Vegas. He continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players on the planet. Ivey credits his success to dedication and a continuing love for the game of poker. Phil says that he’s picking up skills every single day and is quite abashed about his accomplishments. He admits to making errors in each session of poker and constantly strives to improve.
Even though Ivey has won some large tournaments, he likes winning cash games on a regular basis.