Phil Ivey has been branded as the number one poker contender on the globe by many of the top professionals. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before his first birthday. His grandfather taught Phil one cent-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, he was hooked on poker and wished to learn every little thing he could about the game. Phil routinely told his parents that he was going to be a professional poker player. Phil didn’t permit the negative comments from others destroy his goal of becoming one of the strongest poker competitors in the world.
He began competing intently after acquiring a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He honed his techniques at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The initial few years for him were a teaching experience and winning was not a normal thing at the time. Phil became known at the 2000 WSOP when he made 2 final tables and won his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the last table he defeated a number of the better known pros including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil decided to take his skills to the successive level and moved out west to Vegas. Phil continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players on the planet. Ivey credits his success to discipline and an eternal love for poker. He says that he’s learning every single day and is quite humble about his achievements. Phil knows he makes blunders every single game of poker and constantly aspires to improve.
Despite the fact that Phil has come first in some big-time tournaments, he likes winning money games on a normal basis.