Phil Ivey has been branded as the best poker competitor on the globe by quite a few of the top pros. He was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to Jersey before his first birthday. His grandpa taught Phil one cent-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was hooked on poker and wanted to pickup anything he could about poker. He would tell his parents that he was planning on being a professional poker player. He didn’t let the detrimental comments from other people annihilate his dream of being one of the best poker players on the planet.

He started competing seriously after getting a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He honed his abilities at the poker rooms in Atlantic City. The initial few years for him were a learning opportunity and coming away with a win was not a common 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 1st World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the last table he defeated quite a few of the well known pros 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 headed out west to Vegas. He continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players in the world. Ivey credits his success to discipline and a continuing passion for poker. Phil states that he’s picking up skills every day and is very humble about his accomplishments. He admits to making mistakes every single session of poker and constantly aspires to improve.

Although Ivey has won some big-time tournaments, he prefers destroying money games on a regular basis.