Phil Ivey has been referred to as the number one poker contender in the world by most of the top-ranked pros. Phil Ivey was born in Riverside, CA and moved to Jersey before his first birthday. His grandfather taught him penny-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From then on on, Phil was addicted to poker and wished to pickup anything he possibly could about poker. He routinely told his grandparents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He did not let the negative feedback from other people destroy his ambition of becoming one of the strongest poker players on the planet.
Phil began playing seriously after acquiring a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He honed his skills at the poker rooms in Atlantic City. The beginning number of years for Phil were a teaching experience and winning was not a regular thing at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 WSOP when he achieved two final tables and came away with his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha match. At the final table he defeated many of the well known pros including but not limited to "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil decided to take his skills to the next level and headed out west to Las Vegas. Phil continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players on the planet. Ivey credits his success to hard work and a continuing love for the game of poker. He says that he’s picking up skills every single day and is quite humble about his achievements. He admits to making errors in each game of poker and always strives to get better.
Although Phil has won some big-time tournaments, he prefers destroying cash games on a normal basis.