Phil Ivey has been branded as the greatest poker contender on the planet by quite a few of the top professionals. Phil Ivey was born in Riverside, CA and moved to Jersey before his first birthday. His grandfather taught Phil one cent-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was hooked on poker and wished to discover everything he possibly could about the game. He routinely would tell his grandparents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. Phil did not permit the negative feedback from other people destroy his ambition of being one of the best poker competitors on the planet.
He started competing seriously after acquiring a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He honed his game at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The initial few years for him were a teaching opportunity and coming away with a win wasn’t a normal outcome at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he achieved two final tables and won his 1st World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the closing table he destroyed many of the better known pros which includes "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
He made a decision to take his game to the next level and headed out west to Las Vegas. Phil continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players in the world. Phil credits his achievements to discipline and a continuing passion for poker. Phil states that he is picking up skills every day and is quite abashed about his accomplishments. He knows he makes mistakes every single game of poker and constantly strives to get better.
Despite the fact that Ivey has won some big-time tournaments, he likes destroying money games on a normal basis.