Phil Ivey has been referred to as the number one poker competitor on the globe by many of the top pros. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before reaching the age of 1. His grandpa showed him to one cent-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, Phil was hooked on poker and wanted to pickup everything he possibly could about the game. He routinely would tell his parents that he was going to be a professional poker player. He didn’t let the negative feedback from other people kill his ambition of becoming one of the best poker players in the world.

He started playing seriously after getting a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He honed his skills at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The beginning number of years for him were a teaching period and coming away with a win was not a regular thing at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he made two final tables and came away with his first World Series of Poker bracelet, in a $2, five hundred 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.

He made a decision to take his game to the successive level and headed out west to Vegas. Phil continues to participate in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players on the planet. Phil credits his achievements to dedication and a continuing love for poker. Phil states that he’s learning every single day and is incredibly humble about his success. He admits to making mistakes every single game of poker and constantly aspires to improve.

Despite the fact that Ivey has won some large tournaments, he prefers winning money games on a regular basis.