Phil Ivey has been branded as the greatest poker competitor on the planet by quite a few of the top professionals. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to Jersey before reaching the age of 1. His grandfather taught him penny-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From then on on, Phil was hooked on poker and wished to pickup everything he possibly could about the game. He routinely would tell his elders that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He did not let the detrimental feedback from other people destroy his goal of becoming one of the best poker competitors in the world.

He started competing seriously after getting a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He honed his abilities at the casinos in Atlantic City. The initial number of years for him were a learning opportunity and coming away with a win wasn’t a normal thing at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 WSOP when he achieved 2 final tables and won his 1st WSOP bracelet, in a $2, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the last 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.

Phil decided to take his skills to the next level and moved out west to Sin City. He continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players on the planet. Phil credits his success to dedication and an immeasurable love for poker. Phil says that he’s learning every single day and is very humble about his success. He admits to making mistakes in each game of poker and constantly aspires to improve.

Despite the fact that Ivey has come first in some large tournaments, he favors winning cash games on a normal basis.