Phil Ivey has been labeled as the greatest poker player on the planet by many of the top professionals. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to New Jersey before reaching turning one. His grandfather taught Phil penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, he was hooked on poker and wished to pickup anything he could about poker. He routinely would tell his grandparents that he was going to be a professional poker player. He did not let the detrimental feedback from other people destroy his ambition of being one of the best poker players on the planet.
He started competing seriously after getting a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He honed his skills at the poker rooms in Atlantic City. The initial number of years for him were a teaching experience and winning wasn’t a normal outcome at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 WSOP where he achieved 2 final tables and won his first WSOP bracelet, in a $2, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha match. At the last table he destroyed many of the well known professionals including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil made a decision to take his skills to the next level and moved out west to Las Vegas. He continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players on the planet. Phil credits his success to discipline and an undying love for poker. Phil states that he is picking up skills every single day and is very abashed about his achievements. He knows he makes mistakes in each game of poker and constantly aspires to improve.
Despite the fact that Phil has come first in some big tournaments, he prefers winning money games on a regular basis.