Phil Ivey has been referred to as the best poker competitor on the planet by most of the top-ranked pros. Phil Ivey was born in Riverside, CA and moved to NJ before his first birthday. His grandfather taught him penny-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From then on on, he was hooked on poker and wished to learn whatever he could about poker. He routinely told his elders that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He did not let the detrimental comments from other people destroy his goal of being one of the greatest poker competitors in the world.

Phil began competing intently after acquiring a fake ID with the name of Jerome. He honed his skills at the poker rooms of Atlantic City. The first number of years for him were a learning opportunity and coming away with a win wasn’t a common outcome at the time. He became known at the 2000 WSOP when he achieved two final tables and came away with his 1st WSOP bracelet, in a two dollar, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha match. At the final table he defeated quite a few of the well known pros which includes "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.

Phil made a decision to take his skills to the next level and headed out west to Las Vegas. He continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players in the world. Ivey credits his success to hard work and an eternal love for poker. Phil says that he is picking up skills every day and is quite humble about his achievements. He admits to making errors in each session of poker and constantly aspires to get better.

Despite the fact that Ivey has come first in some big tournaments, he favors destroying money games on a normal basis.