Phil Ivey has been referred to as the greatest poker contender on the planet by quite a few of the top pros. He 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, he was addicted to poker and wanted to discover everything he possibly could about poker. He routinely would tell his grandparents that he was planning on being a professional poker player. He didn’t allow the detrimental feedback from other people destroy his dream of becoming one of the strongest poker players in the world.
He began competing seriously after acquiring a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He sharpened his techniques at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The first number of years for him were a learning experience and coming away with a win wasn’t a common thing at the time. He became known at the 2000 World Series of Poker when he made two final tables and came away with his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the closing table he defeated a number of the better known pros 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 play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players in the world. Ivey credits his achievements to hard work and an immeasurable passion for the game of poker. He states that he is learning every single day and is incredibly abashed about his achievements. He admits to making mistakes every single session of poker and constantly strives to get better.
Despite the fact that Phil has come first in some large tournaments, he likes destroying money games on a normal basis.