Phil Ivey has been branded as the number one poker player in the world by many of the top-ranked pros. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and moved to Jersey before his first birthday. His grandfather showed him to penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was hooked on poker and wished to learn every little thing he possibly could about the game. Phil routinely told his elders that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He didn’t allow the detrimental feedback from others destroy his ambition of being one of the greatest poker competitors in the world.
He started competing seriously after acquiring a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He sharpened his skills at the casinos of Atlantic City. The initial number of years for Phil were a teaching period and winning was not a normal outcome at the time. Phil became known at the 2000 World Series of Poker when he achieved 2 final tables and won his 1st World Series of Poker bracelet, in a $2, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the last table he destroyed quite a few of the well known pros including but not limited to "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil made a decision to take his skills to the successive level and moved out west to Vegas. He continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players on the planet. Ivey credits his success to discipline and an eternal love for the game of poker. Phil says that he is learning every day and is quite humble about his achievements. He knows he makes mistakes in each game of poker and always strives to improve.
Despite the fact that Phil has won some large tournaments, he favors winning cash games on a regular basis.
