Phil Ivey has been referred to as the greatest poker competitor in the world by many of the top-ranked professionals. Phil Ivey was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before his first birthday. His papa introduced him to penny-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was addicted to poker and wanted to discover everything he possibly could about the game. Phil would tell his grandparents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. Phil didn’t permit the negative feedback from others destroy his dream of being one of the greatest poker competitors on the planet.
He started playing seriously after acquiring a false ID by the name of Jerome. He practiced his abilities at the casinos of Atlantic City. The initial few years for him were a learning opportunity and coming away with a win was not a common thing at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he made two final tables and won his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a $2, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the closing table he defeated a number of the well known professionals which includes "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 Sin City. He continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players in the world. Phil credits his achievements to hard work and an eternal passion for poker. Phil says that he is picking up skills every single day and is very humble about his accomplishments. He knows he makes mistakes in each session of poker and always aspires to improve.
Although Phil has won some big tournaments, he prefers winning cash games on a normal basis.