Phil Ivey has been labeled as the greatest poker player on the globe by most of the top professionals. Phil Ivey was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to New Jersey before reaching turning 1. His papa introduced him to penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, he was hooked on poker and wanted to pickup everything he could about poker. He would tell his grandparents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He did not allow the adverse comments from other people destroy his ambition of becoming one of the greatest poker players on the planet.
He began competing seriously after acquiring a false ID with the name of Jerome. He honed his skills at the casinos in Atlantic City. The initial few years for Phil were a teaching opportunity and coming away with a win wasn’t a common outcome at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 WSOP when he achieved 2 final tables and won his first WSOP bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the final table he defeated a number of the well known pros including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
He decided to take his game to the next level and headed out west to Las Vegas. Phil continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players on the planet. Ivey credits his success to discipline and an undying love for poker. He states that he is learning every day and is very humble about his success. He admits to making errors every single game of poker and constantly aspires to improve.
Even though Phil has come first in some big tournaments, he favors destroying money games on a normal basis.