Phil Ivey has been referred to as the greatest poker competitor on the planet by many of the top-ranked pros. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before reaching turning 1. His papa taught him penny-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was addicted to poker and wanted to discover whatever he could about poker. Phil routinely would tell his parents that he was going to be a professional poker player. He didn’t allow the detrimental feedback from others destroy his goal of becoming one of the greatest poker players on the planet.
Phil began competing seriously after getting a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He practiced his techniques at the casinos in Atlantic City. The first few years for Phil were a learning opportunity and winning was not a common thing at the time. Phil became known at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he achieved 2 final tables and won his 1st WSOP bracelet, in a $2, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the closing table he defeated a number of the well known pros including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
He decided to take his skills to the successive level and headed out west to Sin City. Phil continues to participate in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players in the world. Ivey credits his achievements to dedication and an immeasurable love for the game of poker. He states that he is learning every single day and is quite humble about his accomplishments. Phil admits to making mistakes in each game of poker and always strives to improve.
Despite the fact that Ivey has come first in some large tournaments, he likes destroying money games on a regular basis.