Phil Ivey has been branded as the greatest poker contender in the world by many of the top professionals. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to Jersey before reaching the age of one. His grandfather showed him to penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, he was hooked on poker and wanted to discover everything he could about poker. He routinely would tell his grandparents that he was planning on being a professional poker player. He didn’t let the detrimental comments from other people destroy his ambition of being one of the best poker players on the planet.
Phil started playing seriously after acquiring a false ID with the name of Jerome. He honed his techniques at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The initial few years for Phil were a learning experience and winning wasn’t a normal thing at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker when he made two final tables and came away with his 1st World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the last 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 Sin City. Phil continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players on the planet. Phil credits his success to dedication and an eternal love for poker. Phil says that he is learning every single day and is very abashed about his accomplishments. He admits to making blunders in each session of poker and always aspires to get better.
Despite the fact that Phil has come first in some big tournaments, he favors destroying money games on a normal basis.
