Phil Ivey has been labeled as the best poker competitor on the globe by quite a few of the top professionals. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before his first birthday. His papa taught Phil penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, he was hooked on poker and wished to discover anything he could about the game. He routinely would tell his elders that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He didn’t allow the negative feedback from others annihilate his ambition of becoming one of the best poker competitors on the planet.
Phil started competing intently after getting a false ID by the name of Jerome. He practiced his game at the casinos in Atlantic City. The first few years for him were a teaching opportunity and coming away with a win was not a common thing at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he achieved two final tables and won his 1st WSOP bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the last table he destroyed quite a few 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 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. Phil credits his achievements to discipline and a continuing love for the game of poker. Phil states that he is learning every day and is incredibly abashed about his success. He knows he makes errors in each session of poker and constantly aspires to improve.
Despite the fact that Phil has come first in some big-time tournaments, he favors winning money games on a normal basis.