Phil Ivey has been branded as the number one poker contender in the world by most of the top-ranked pros. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before reaching the age of 1. His grandpa taught him one cent-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was addicted to poker and wanted to discover everything he possibly could about the game. He would tell his parents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He didn’t allow the adverse feedback from other people destroy his ambition of becoming one of the best poker competitors in the world.
Phil began playing seriously after acquiring a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He sharpened his skills at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The first few years for him were a learning period and coming away with a win was not a regular outcome at the time. Phil became known at the 2000 WSOP where he made two final tables and won his 1st World Series of Poker bracelet, in a $2, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha match. At the final table he defeated many of the well known pros 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 headed out west to Las Vegas. Phil continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players in the world. Ivey credits his success to discipline and a continuing passion for poker. Phil says that he is learning every single day and is quite abashed about his accomplishments. He admits to making mistakes every single session of poker and always aspires to get better.
Although Phil has come first in some big tournaments, he favors destroying money games on a normal basis.