Phil Ivey has been branded as the best poker contender on the planet by most of the top-ranked pros. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to Jersey before reaching the age of 1. His grandpa introduced him to penny-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was addicted to poker and wanted to discover anything he could about the game. Phil would tell his elders that he was planning on being a professional poker player. Phil did not allow the negative comments from others destroy his ambition of becoming one of the greatest poker players on the planet.
He began playing seriously after acquiring a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He practiced his techniques at the poker rooms in Atlantic City. The beginning number of years for Phil were a learning opportunity and coming away with a win wasn’t a common thing at the time. Phil became known at the 2000 WSOP when he made two final tables and came away with his first WSOP bracelet, in a $2, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha match. At the closing table he destroyed a number of the better known pros including but not limited to "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil decided to take his game to the next level and moved out west to Vegas. Phil continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players in the world. Ivey credits his success to hard work and an immeasurable love for the game of poker. He says that he’s picking up skills every single day and is quite humble about his success. He admits to making mistakes every single session of poker and constantly strives to get better.
Even though Phil has come first in some big-time tournaments, he favors destroying money games on a normal basis.