Phil Ivey has been referred to as the greatest poker contender on the planet by many of the top professionals. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and moved to Jersey before reaching turning 1. His papa introduced him to penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was hooked on poker and wished to learn everything he could about poker. He would tell his parents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. Phil didn’t permit the detrimental feedback from others destroy his dream of being one of the best poker players in the world.

Phil began playing seriously after acquiring a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He sharpened his abilities at the casinos of Atlantic City. The beginning number of years for him were a learning experience and coming away with a win was not a normal outcome 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, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the final table he destroyed many of the well known pros including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.

Phil made a decision 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 greatest players in the world. Ivey credits his achievements to discipline and an eternal love for the game of poker. He states that he’s learning every single day and is incredibly abashed about his accomplishments. He admits to making errors in each game of poker and always aspires to get better.

Although Phil has won some large tournaments, he prefers destroying money games on a regular basis.