Phil Ivey has been labeled as the number one poker competitor on the globe by quite a few of the top-ranked professionals. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to Jersey before reaching the age of 1. His grandfather taught him penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From then on on, Phil was hooked on poker and wanted to discover everything he could about the game. He routinely would tell his parents that he was going to be a professional poker player. He did not permit the detrimental feedback from others destroy his ambition of becoming one of the greatest poker competitors in the world.

Phil began competing seriously after getting a false ID with the name of Jerome. He honed his skills at the casinos of Atlantic City. The beginning few years for Phil were a teaching experience and coming away with a win was not a common thing at the time. He became known at the 2000 WSOP where he achieved two final tables and came away with his first WSOP bracelet, in a $2, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha match. At the final table he defeated many of the better known pros including but not limited to "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.

Phil made a decision to take his game to the successive level and headed out west to Las Vegas. He continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players in the world. Ivey credits his success to dedication and a continuing passion for the game of poker. Phil states that he’s picking up skills every day and is quite abashed about his accomplishments. Phil knows he makes errors every single session of poker and always aspires to get better.

Despite the fact that Phil has won some big tournaments, he likes winning cash games on a regular basis.