Phil Ivey has been referred to as the greatest poker player on the planet by most of the top-ranked pros. Phil Ivey was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to New Jersey before reaching turning 1. His grandfather taught Phil penny-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was hooked on poker and wanted to pickup anything he possibly could about the game. He would tell his grandparents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. Phil didn’t let the detrimental comments from others destroy his goal of becoming one of the greatest poker players in the world.

He began playing seriously after acquiring a false ID by the name of Jerome. He sharpened his skills at the casinos of Atlantic City. The initial few years for Phil were a learning experience and winning was not a normal 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 two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the closing table he defeated quite a few of the better known pros which includes "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.

Phil made a decision to take his game to the next level and moved out west to Sin City. Phil continues to participate in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players in the world. Ivey credits his success to discipline and an eternal passion for poker. Phil says that he is learning every single day and is quite abashed about his accomplishments. He knows he makes blunders every single session of poker and always strives to get better.

Despite the fact that Phil has come first in some big-time tournaments, he likes destroying cash games on a normal basis.