Phil Ivey has been labeled as the best poker contender on the planet by quite a few of the top-ranked professionals. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to Jersey before reaching the age of 1. His grandfather introduced him to penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was addicted to poker and wished to pickup every little thing he could about the game. He routinely would tell his elders that he was planning on being a professional poker player. Phil didn’t permit the negative feedback from other people annihilate his ambition of being one of the greatest poker players in the world.

He began competing intently after acquiring a false ID by the name of Jerome. He honed his abilities at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The initial number of years for him were a teaching period and winning was not a common thing at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he achieved 2 final tables and came away with his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a $2, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the closing table he destroyed a number of the well known professionals including but not limited to "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.

He decided to take his game to the next level and headed out west to Vegas. He continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players on the planet. Phil credits his success to hard work and an undying love for the game of poker. Phil states that he is picking up skills every day and is very abashed about his achievements. He admits to making mistakes in each session of poker and constantly strives to improve.

Despite the fact that Phil has come first in some big tournaments, he prefers winning money games on a normal basis.