Phil Ivey has been branded as the best poker contender on the planet by quite a few of the top-ranked pros. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before reaching turning 1. His grandpa showed him to one cent-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was hooked on poker and wanted to discover every little thing he could about poker. He routinely would tell his grandparents that he was going to be a professional poker player. Phil did not allow the negative comments from others destroy his ambition of being one of the best poker players in the world.
Phil started competing seriously after acquiring a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He honed his techniques at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The first number of years for him were a teaching opportunity and coming away with a win was not a normal thing at the time. Phil became known at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he achieved two final tables and came away with his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a $2, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the final table he defeated many of the well known pros which includes "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 Sin City. He continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players in the world. Ivey credits his achievements to hard work and a continuing love for poker. Phil states that he is learning every single day and is very humble about his achievements. He admits to making mistakes in each game of poker and always strives to improve.
Although Ivey has come first in some large tournaments, he likes winning cash games on a regular basis.
