Phil Ivey has been branded as the greatest poker contender on the planet by most of the top-ranked pros. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and moved to Jersey before reaching the age of one. His grandfather introduced him to one cent-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was hooked on poker and wanted to discover every little thing he could about poker. Phil would tell his elders that he was planning on being a professional poker player. He didn’t allow the detrimental comments from other people destroy his ambition of becoming one of the best poker players on the planet.
Phil started competing seriously after getting a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He practiced his skills at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The first few years for Phil were a teaching opportunity and coming away with a win wasn’t a normal thing at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 WSOP when he achieved 2 final tables and came away with his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the final table he defeated a number of the better known professionals including but not limited to "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil decided to take his skills to the successive level and headed out west to Las Vegas. Phil continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players in the world. Phil credits his success to dedication and a continuing love for the game of poker. He says that he’s picking up skills every day and is quite abashed about his achievements. Phil knows he makes mistakes every single session of poker and constantly strives to get better.
Although Ivey has won some big-time tournaments, he favors winning cash games on a regular basis.