Phil Ivey has been branded as the greatest poker contender on the globe by most of the top professionals. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to NJ before his first birthday. His grandpa taught him penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was hooked on poker and wished to discover everything he possibly could about the game. He would tell his grandparents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He didn’t allow the detrimental comments from other people kill his goal of becoming one of the strongest poker competitors in the world.
He started playing intently after acquiring a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He sharpened his techniques at the casinos of Atlantic City. The first number of years for Phil were a teaching period and coming away with a win was not a normal outcome at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 WSOP when he achieved two final tables and came away with his 1st World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the closing table he destroyed a number of the better known pros including but not limited to "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
He made a decision to take his skills to the successive level and moved out west to Sin City. Phil continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players in the world. Phil credits his achievements to discipline and an undying love for poker. He states that he’s picking up skills every day and is very humble about his success. He admits to making errors in each session of poker and constantly strives to get better.
Even though Ivey has won some big-time tournaments, he likes destroying money games on a regular basis.
