Phil Ivey has been referred to as the greatest poker competitor on the globe by most of the top-ranked professionals. Phil Ivey was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to NJ before reaching turning 1. His papa taught him penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, he was addicted to poker and wished to learn whatever he could about poker. Phil routinely told his grandparents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He did not let the negative feedback from others annihilate his ambition of being one of the best poker competitors in the world.

He started competing seriously after acquiring a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He honed his abilities at the poker rooms in Atlantic City. The initial number of years for him were a learning period and coming away with a win was not a common outcome at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 World Series of Poker where he achieved two final tables and won his 1st World Series of Poker bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the final table he defeated quite a few of the well known professionals which includes "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.

He made a decision to take his skills to the successive level and headed out west to Sin City. He continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the greatest players in the world. Phil credits his achievements to dedication and an eternal passion for the game of poker. Phil states that he’s picking up skills every day and is very abashed about his success. Phil admits to making mistakes in each session of poker and always strives to improve.

Despite the fact that Phil has won some big tournaments, he favors destroying money games on a normal basis.