Phil Ivey has been referred to as the greatest poker competitor on the planet by quite a few of the top pros. Phil Ivey was born in Riverside, CA and moved to New Jersey before his first birthday. His papa taught him penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From then on on, Phil was hooked on poker and wanted to pickup anything he could about poker. He routinely told his elders that he was going to be a professional poker player. He did not let the negative feedback from others destroy his goal of becoming one of the strongest poker players in the world.

He started playing intently after getting a false ID by the name of Jerome. He honed his abilities at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The beginning number of years for Phil were a learning experience and coming away with a win was not a common thing at the time. Phil made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he achieved 2 final tables and came away with his 1st WSOP bracelet, in a $2, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the final table he defeated quite a few of the well known pros including "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. Phil continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players on the planet. Phil credits his success to dedication and an undying love for poker. He says that he is learning every single day and is very abashed about his achievements. He knows he makes blunders in each game of poker and always aspires to get better.

Even though Ivey has won some large tournaments, he favors destroying money games on a normal basis.