Phil Ivey has been referred to as the best poker player on the planet by many of the top-ranked professionals. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before reaching turning 1. His grandfather taught him penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was hooked on poker and wished to pickup every little thing he possibly could about the game. Phil routinely would tell his parents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He didn’t permit the detrimental comments from other people annihilate his goal of being one of the strongest poker competitors in the world.
Phil began competing seriously after acquiring a false ID by the name of Jerome. He sharpened his skills at the poker rooms in Atlantic City. The first few years for him were a learning period and winning was not a regular thing at the time. He became known at the 2000 WSOP where he achieved two final tables and won his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the last table he defeated many of the well known professionals including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil decided to take his game to the successive level and moved out west to Vegas. Phil continues to participate in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players in the world. Ivey credits his success to dedication and an eternal passion for the game of poker. Phil says that he is learning every day and is very humble about his accomplishments. He admits to making errors every single game of poker and constantly strives to improve.
Despite the fact that Ivey has come first in some big-time tournaments, he likes winning money games on a regular basis.
