NL Holdem Poker- Who is Phil Ivey?

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Phil Ivey has been branded as the best poker contender in the world by most of the top professionals. Phil was born in Riverside, CA and relocated to NJ before his first birthday. His grandfather taught him penny-ante 5-Card Stud poker. From that point on, he was addicted to poker and wished to pickup anything he could about poker. Phil would tell his grandparents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He did not allow the detrimental feedback from others kill his goal of becoming one of the strongest poker players in the world.

He started playing seriously after getting a fake ID by the name of Jerome. He sharpened his abilities at the casinos of Atlantic City. The initial few years for Phil were a teaching opportunity and coming away with a win was not a common outcome at the time. He became known at the 2000 WSOP when he made two final tables and came away with his first WSOP bracelet, in a $2, 500 Pot-Limit Omaha game. At the final table he destroyed a number of the well known professionals including "Amarillo Slim" Preston, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr.

He made a decision to take his game to the next level and moved out west to Vegas. Phil continues to compete 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. He says that he’s learning every single day and is quite abashed about his accomplishments. Phil admits to making errors in each session of poker and constantly strives to improve.

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