Phil Ivey has been referred to as the greatest poker competitor on the planet by many of the top-ranked pros. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before reaching turning 1. His grandfather showed him to one cent-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was hooked on poker and wanted to learn anything he could about the game. He routinely told his parents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. Phil didn’t permit the detrimental feedback from others destroy his ambition of becoming one of the strongest poker players in the world.
Phil began playing intently after getting a false ID by the name of Jerome. He honed his skills at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The initial number of years for him were a teaching period and winning was not a normal thing at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he achieved 2 final tables and won his 1st WSOP bracelet, in a two dollar, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha match. At the last table he defeated many of the better known pros including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil decided to take his skills to the next level and headed out west to Vegas. He continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players on the planet. Phil credits his achievements to hard work and a continuing love for poker. Phil states that he is picking up skills every single day and is very abashed about his achievements. He admits to making blunders in each game of poker and always strives to improve.
Even though Ivey has won some big-time tournaments, he prefers winning cash games on a regular basis.
