Phil Ivey has been branded as the number one poker player in the world by many of the top-ranked professionals. Phil Ivey was born in Riverside, CA and moved to New Jersey before reaching turning 1. His papa introduced him to penny-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was hooked on poker and wished to pickup anything he could about the game. He routinely told his elders that he wanted to be a professional poker player. Phil did not allow the adverse comments from other people annihilate his ambition of being one of the greatest poker competitors in the world.
Phil started playing seriously after acquiring a false ID by the name of Jerome. He practiced his abilities at the casinos in Atlantic City. The first number of years for Phil were a teaching period and coming away with a win wasn’t a common thing at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he made 2 final tables and came away with his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a $2, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the closing table he defeated quite a few of the well known professionals including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil decided to take his skills to the next level and moved out west to Las Vegas. Phil continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players on the planet. Phil credits his achievements to hard work and an eternal passion for the game of poker. Phil says that he is picking up skills every single day and is very abashed about his achievements. Phil admits to making blunders every single game of poker and constantly aspires to get better.
Despite the fact that Phil has come first in some big tournaments, he favors destroying money games on a normal basis.