Phil Ivey has been referred to as the greatest poker competitor on the globe by quite a few of the top-ranked pros. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to New Jersey before his first birthday. His grandpa taught him penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was hooked on poker and wished to discover everything he could about poker. Phil routinely told his grandparents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. Phil didn’t allow the adverse feedback from others kill his ambition of becoming one of the best poker players on the planet.
Phil began competing seriously after getting a false ID by the name of Jerome. He practiced his techniques at the casinos of Atlantic City. The beginning number of years for Phil were a teaching period and coming away with a win was not a regular thing at the time. Phil became known at the 2000 WSOP where he achieved 2 final tables and won his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the final table he defeated a number of the well known professionals including but not limited to "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
He made a decision to take his game to the next 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. Phil credits his success to hard work and an eternal love for poker. He states that he is picking up skills every single day and is incredibly humble about his accomplishments. He admits to making errors in each game of poker and always strives to get better.
Although Ivey has won some big-time tournaments, he favors winning money games on a normal basis.