Phil Ivey has been labeled as the greatest poker competitor on the planet by quite a few of the top professionals. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to Jersey before his first birthday. His grandpa showed him to penny-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was hooked on poker and wished to pickup anything he could about poker. He routinely told his grandparents that he was planning on being a professional poker player. Phil did not permit the negative comments from others kill his ambition of becoming one of the strongest poker competitors in the world.
He started competing intently after getting a false ID with the name of Jerome. He honed his abilities at the casinos in Atlantic City. The first number of years for him were a teaching experience and winning was not a normal outcome at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 WSOP where he achieved 2 final tables and won his 1st WSOP bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha match. At the last table he destroyed many of the well known professionals including "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 Las Vegas. Phil continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players in the world. Ivey credits his success to dedication and an immeasurable passion for poker. Phil states that he is picking up skills every day and is very abashed about his success. Phil admits to making errors every single session of poker and constantly aspires to improve.
Despite the fact that Ivey has won some big-time tournaments, he likes destroying cash games on a normal basis.