Phil Ivey has been branded as the number one poker contender on the globe by most of the top-ranked professionals. Phil Ivey was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before his first birthday. His grandfather taught him one cent-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was hooked on poker and wished to pickup every little thing he possibly could about poker. He routinely would tell his elders that he was planning on being a professional poker player. He didn’t allow the adverse comments from others annihilate his ambition of being one of the best poker players on the planet.
Phil began playing intently after acquiring a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He sharpened his skills at the poker rooms in Atlantic City. The initial few years for him were a teaching period and winning wasn’t a common outcome at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 WSOP where he achieved 2 final tables and came away with his first WSOP bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha match. 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 game to the next level and moved out west to Sin City. He continues to participate in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players on the planet. Ivey credits his success to hard work and a continuing passion for poker. Phil says that he is picking up skills every day and is quite abashed about his accomplishments. He admits to making errors in each game of poker and always aspires to get better.
Even though Ivey has come first in some big-time tournaments, he prefers winning cash games on a normal basis.
