Phil Ivey has been branded as the number one poker contender on the globe by most of the top pros. Phil Ivey was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to Jersey before his first birthday. His grandfather taught him one cent-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was addicted to poker and wanted to learn everything he possibly could about poker. He routinely told his grandparents that he was going to be a professional poker player. He didn’t allow the adverse comments from others destroy his goal of becoming one of the strongest poker competitors on the planet.
Phil started competing intently after acquiring a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He honed his abilities at the casinos of Atlantic City. The first few years for Phil were a learning experience and coming away with a win wasn’t a normal thing at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 WSOP when he achieved 2 final tables and came away with his 1st World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the last table he defeated quite a few of the better known pros including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil made a decision to take his game to the successive level and moved out west to Las 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 hard work and an eternal love for poker. Phil says that he’s picking up skills every single day and is quite humble about his success. He admits to making errors every single game of poker and always strives to improve.
Despite the fact that Phil has come first in some large tournaments, he likes winning cash games on a normal basis.