Phil Ivey has been labeled as the number one poker player on the planet by most of the top pros. He was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to New Jersey before his first birthday. His grandfather showed him to one cent-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was hooked on poker and wanted to learn whatever he could about poker. Phil routinely told his grandparents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He did not let the detrimental feedback from others destroy his ambition of being one of the best poker competitors in the world.
Phil began competing seriously after getting a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He practiced his techniques at the poker rooms in Atlantic City. The beginning number of years for him were a teaching period and winning wasn’t a normal outcome at the time. Phil became known at the 2000 WSOP when he achieved 2 final tables and came away with his 1st World Series of Poker bracelet, in a $2, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the last table he defeated quite a few of the well known professionals including but not limited to "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
He decided to take his game to the next level and headed out west to Vegas. Phil continues to participate in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players in the world. Phil credits his success to dedication and an immeasurable passion for the game of poker. He states that he is picking up skills every single day and is quite abashed about his success. He admits to making mistakes in each session of poker and always aspires to get better.
Although Phil has won some big-time tournaments, he favors destroying money games on a regular basis.