Phil Ivey has been branded as the greatest poker competitor in the world by most of the top professionals. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to Jersey before his first birthday. His grandfather taught him one cent-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was hooked on poker and wished to learn anything he could about the game. He routinely told his elders that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He did not let the adverse feedback from other people destroy his dream of becoming one of the strongest poker players in the world.
He began competing intently after acquiring a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He honed his abilities at the casinos of Atlantic City. The initial few years for Phil were a learning period and coming away with a win wasn’t a common outcome at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker when he made 2 final tables and won his first WSOP bracelet, in a $2, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the last table he defeated a number of the better known pros including but not limited to "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil decided to take his game to the successive level and moved out west to Las Vegas. He continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players on the planet. Ivey credits his success to discipline and an eternal love for poker. Phil says that he’s picking up skills every day and is incredibly humble about his success. He knows he makes mistakes every single session of poker and always aspires to get better.
Although Ivey has come first in some large tournaments, he likes destroying cash games on a normal basis.
