Phil Ivey has been branded as the greatest poker player on the globe by many of the top-ranked pros. He was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to Jersey before his first birthday. His grandfather introduced him to one cent-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, he was hooked on poker and wished to pickup every little thing he possibly could about the game. Phil would tell his elders that he wanted to be a professional poker player. Phil did not let the adverse comments from others kill his goal of becoming one of the greatest poker players on the planet.
Phil started playing seriously after acquiring a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He honed his game at the casinos in Atlantic City. The initial number of years for him were a learning experience and coming away with a win wasn’t a normal thing at the time. Phil became known at the 2000 World Series of Poker when he achieved 2 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 quite a few of the well known professionals including but not limited to "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil decided to take his game to the next level and headed out west to Las Vegas. He continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players in the world. Phil credits his achievements to hard work and a continuing love for the game of poker. He says that he is picking up skills every day and is very humble about his accomplishments. Phil knows he makes mistakes in each session of poker and always aspires to get better.
Despite the fact that Phil has won some large tournaments, he favors winning cash games on a regular basis.