Phil Ivey has been referred to as the best poker player on the planet by most of the top pros. He was born in Riverside, CA and moved to New Jersey before his first birthday. His grandfather showed him to one cent-ante Five-Card Stud poker. From that point on, he was hooked on poker and wanted to learn anything he possibly could about poker. Phil routinely told his parents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He did not permit the adverse comments from other people kill his dream of becoming 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 techniques at the poker rooms in Atlantic City. The initial few years for him were a teaching period and winning wasn’t a regular thing at the time. He became known at the 2000 WSOP when he achieved 2 final tables and won his first WSOP bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha match. At the last table he defeated many of the well known professionals including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.

Phil made a decision to take his game to the next level and headed out west to Vegas. Phil continues to compete in in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players on the planet. Phil credits his achievements to discipline and an immeasurable passion for poker. He says that he’s learning every single day and is quite abashed about his achievements. Phil admits to making errors every single session of poker and always strives to get better.

Despite the fact that Ivey has won some big-time tournaments, he favors winning cash games on a regular basis.