Phil Ivey has been branded as the number one poker player on the planet by quite a few of the top pros. He was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to Jersey before his first birthday. His papa introduced him to penny-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From that point on, he was hooked on poker and wanted to pickup whatever he possibly could about poker. He routinely told his grandparents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He didn’t permit the negative feedback from other people kill his ambition of becoming one of the best poker players in the world.

He started competing seriously after acquiring a false ID by the name of Jerome. He honed his techniques at the casinos in Atlantic City. The initial few years for him were a teaching experience and coming away with a win wasn’t a regular thing at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 WSOP when he achieved 2 final tables and came away with his 1st World Series of Poker bracelet, in a $2, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the last table he defeated a number of the well known professionals including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.

Phil made a decision to take his game to the next level and moved out west to Las Vegas. Phil continues to participate in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players in the world. Ivey credits his success to dedication and an eternal passion for the game of poker. Phil says that he is learning every single day and is quite abashed about his success. Phil knows he makes errors in each session of poker and always aspires to improve.

Even though Phil has won some big tournaments, he likes destroying money games on a normal basis.