Phil Ivey has been branded as the number one poker competitor on the globe by most of the top-ranked professionals. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and moved to New Jersey before reaching turning 1. His papa introduced him to penny-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was addicted to poker and wished to discover everything he could about poker. Phil would tell his elders that he wanted to be a professional poker player. Phil didn’t permit the detrimental comments from others destroy his goal of becoming one of the best poker players in the world.
He began playing intently after getting a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He sharpened his techniques at the casinos of Atlantic City. The initial number of years for Phil were a teaching period and coming away with a win wasn’t a normal thing at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 WSOP where he made 2 final tables and won his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a $2, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the final table he destroyed many of the better known pros including "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 Sin City. He continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players in the world. Phil credits his success to discipline and an undying love for the game of poker. Phil states that he’s picking up skills every single day and is quite abashed about his accomplishments. He admits to making mistakes every single game of poker and always aspires to improve.
Although Phil has won some big-time tournaments, he prefers destroying cash games on a normal basis.