Phil Ivey has been labeled as the greatest poker player in the world by quite a few of the top professionals. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to New Jersey before reaching the age of 1. His grandpa taught Phil penny-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was addicted to poker and wanted to discover everything he possibly could about poker. He routinely told his parents that he was going to be a professional poker player. Phil did not permit the adverse comments from others destroy his dream of being one of the greatest poker players in the world.
Phil started competing seriously after getting a false ID with the name of Jerome. He honed his abilities at the casinos in Atlantic City. The first few years for Phil were a learning experience and coming away with a win wasn’t a regular thing at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 WSOP when he made 2 final tables and won his 1st World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the last table he defeated quite a few of the well known pros including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil made a decision to take his game to the successive level and moved out west to Las Vegas. He continues to participate in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players in the world. Phil credits his success to dedication and an eternal love for the game of poker. He states that he’s picking up skills every single day and is quite humble about his success. He knows he makes blunders every single session of poker and always strives to get better.
Despite the fact that Ivey has won some big tournaments, he prefers destroying money games on a normal basis.