Phil Ivey has been labeled as the best poker competitor in the world by quite a few of the top professionals. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ 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 wanted to discover every little thing he could about poker. Phil routinely told his parents that he was going to be a professional poker player. He didn’t let the negative feedback from other people destroy his goal of becoming one of the strongest poker competitors in the world.
Phil started competing seriously after getting a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He practiced his abilities at the casinos in Atlantic City. The beginning number of years for him were a learning experience and winning wasn’t a common outcome at the time. Phil became known at the 2000 World Series of Poker when he achieved 2 final tables and came away with his first WSOP bracelet, in a $2, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha match. At the last table he defeated a number of the well known pros which includes "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
He made a decision to take his skills to the next level and moved out west to Las Vegas. He continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players on the planet. Ivey credits his success to hard work and an immeasurable passion for poker. Phil states that he is picking up skills every single day and is incredibly humble about his achievements. He admits to making blunders every single session of poker and always strives to improve.
Despite the fact that Ivey has come first in some big tournaments, he prefers destroying money games on a regular basis.