Phil Ivey has been branded as the greatest poker contender on the planet by many of the top pros. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before reaching the age of 1. His papa taught Phil penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was hooked on poker and wanted to pickup whatever he could about poker. He routinely told his parents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He didn’t permit the adverse comments from others destroy his goal of being one of the strongest poker competitors on the planet.
He began competing intently after getting a false ID by the name of Jerome. He honed his game at the casinos in Atlantic City. The beginning number of years for him were a teaching experience and winning wasn’t a regular thing at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 WSOP where he made 2 final tables and came away with his 1st World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha match. At the closing table he destroyed a number of the well known professionals including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
He decided to take his skills to the successive level and headed out west to Las Vegas. He continues to participate in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players on the planet. Phil credits his success to discipline and a continuing love for poker. He states that he’s learning every day and is quite abashed about his accomplishments. He knows he makes errors every single session of poker and constantly aspires to improve.
Although Phil has won some big-time tournaments, he likes winning money games on a regular basis.