Phil Ivey has been labeled as the greatest poker player on the globe by most of the top professionals. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to Jersey before his first birthday. His grandfather taught him one cent-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From then on on, Phil was hooked on poker and wished to pickup everything he possibly could about the game. He routinely told his grandparents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He did not allow the detrimental comments from others annihilate his dream of being one of the strongest poker competitors on the planet.
He started competing seriously after acquiring a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He honed his abilities at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The beginning number of years for Phil were a teaching opportunity and winning was not a regular outcome at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he achieved 2 final tables and won his 1st World Series of Poker bracelet, in a $2, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha match. At the final table he defeated quite a few of the well known professionals including but not limited to "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
He decided to take his skills to the next 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 discipline and an eternal love for poker. He says that he’s picking up skills every single day and is incredibly abashed about his achievements. Phil admits to making mistakes in each game of poker and constantly strives to improve.
Despite the fact that Phil has come first in some large tournaments, he prefers destroying money games on a regular basis.
