Phil Ivey has been referred to as the greatest poker contender on the globe by many of the top-ranked professionals. He was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to NJ before reaching the age of 1. His grandfather taught him penny-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was hooked on poker and wished to learn everything he could about poker. He would tell his parents that he was planning on being a professional poker player. He did not permit the negative feedback from others destroy his goal of becoming one of the strongest poker players on the planet.
Phil started playing intently after getting a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He honed his abilities at the casinos in Atlantic City. The initial number of years for him were a teaching opportunity and coming away with a win was not a common outcome at the time. He became known at the 2000 WSOP when he made two final tables and won his first WSOP bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the closing table he defeated a number of the better known professionals including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil made a decision 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 discipline and an eternal passion for poker. He states that he is picking up skills every single day and is incredibly abashed about his success. Phil knows he makes mistakes every single session of poker and constantly aspires to improve.
Despite the fact that Phil has won some large tournaments, he prefers destroying cash games on a regular basis.