Phil Ivey has been branded as the greatest poker competitor on the planet by many of the top professionals. Phil Ivey was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to Jersey before his first birthday. His papa introduced him to one cent-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From then on on, Phil was addicted to poker and wished to pickup everything he possibly could about poker. Phil would tell his parents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. Phil did not let the detrimental feedback from other people kill his goal of being one of the strongest poker players in the world.

Phil started playing seriously after acquiring a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He honed his techniques at the casinos in Atlantic City. The first number of years for him were a learning opportunity and coming away with a win was not a common outcome at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 WSOP when he achieved 2 final tables and won his 1st World Series of Poker bracelet, in a $2, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the last table he destroyed quite a few of the better known professionals including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.

He made a decision to take his game to the successive level and headed out west to Las Vegas. He continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players in the world. Ivey credits his achievements to dedication and a continuing love for poker. He says that he’s learning every day and is quite abashed about his success. He knows he makes blunders every single session of poker and always aspires to get better.

Even though Ivey has won some large tournaments, he likes winning cash games on a normal basis.