Phil Ivey, Poker Player Phil Ivey was born in February 1976 in Riverside, California. While he was still in diapers, his family moved to Roselle, New Jersey on the opposite coast.

Phil Ivey's first taste of poker came when he was around eight years old. His grandfather, a poker player himself, taught the young Ivey five card stud. His grandfather’s intentions had been to discourage Ivey from gambling but it didn’t take. By the time Phil Ivey was sixteen, he was playing real poker for real money.

Phil Ivey took a job at a telemarketing firm where he continued to play poker against his co-workers. While at the telemarketing firm he met and dated a young woman named Luciaetta (who would later become his wife).

Phil Ivey and Atlantic City Poker

When Phil Ivey turned 18, he got a fake ID from one of his co-workers so he could play at the casinos in Atlantic City. The name on the card was ‘Jerome’ and since Ivey spent so much time at the casinos, he soon acquired the nickname ‘No Home Jerome’.

Things did not start out well for Ivey. As a beginning poker player, he constantly lost as he learned the better points of the game. But he paid attention, reviewed his mistakes, and eventually lost less frequently. By the time Phil Ivey turned 20, he moved to Atlantic City to better pursue the game. When he turned 21, he announced to the employees of the casinos that his name was Phil because he was now legal to play poker.

Phil Ivey Poker Tournaments - World Series of Poker

Phil Ivey played a few early tournaments before he began his career in the World Series of Poker. In 2000 at the Jack Binion World Poker Open, Ivey took first place in the Limit Hold’Em event. He would also have a sixth place finish and two eighth place finishes.

His career as a poker player, though, really boomed at the 2000 World Series of Poker. At only 23 years old, Ivey won fifth place in $2,000 No Limit Texas Hold’Em and earned $35,640. Then in $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha, he made it to the final table and defeated Amarillo Slim Preston, Phil Hellmuth, and David Ulliott to take first place and win $195,000. It was his first WSOP bracelet.

Phil Ivey continued his streak. In 2002, he won three more gold bracelets for first place wins at Seven-Card Stud, Stud Hi-Lo, and S.H.O.E. He became one of only four players for the most WSOP wins within a single year. The other two players are Phil Hellmuth Jr., Ted Forrest, and Puggy Pearson. These wins earned him over $300,000.

Also that year he took a fourth place and a first place at the L.A. Poker Classic, a first place finish at the California State Poker Championship, two first place finishes at the Legend of Poker World Poker Tour season 1, and several final table finishes.

In 2003, Ivey came close to winning his fifth WSOP bracelet at the Main Event but wound up in tenth place. He was defeated by Chris Moneymaker right before the final table.

Also in 2003 at the Jack Binion World Poker Open, Ivey took second place in the No Limit Hold’Em evet, which earned him $291,030. At the Five-Star World Poker Classic, he came in third in the Main Event and took home $253,313. He also took first place at that event in both Limit Seven-Card Stud and Limit Omaha Hi-Lo.

Phil Ivey’s winning streak continued in 2004 when he finished in the money at several major tournaments, including a first place win at the Championship Poker at Turning Stone where he earned $500,000.

Ivey won his fifth bracelet at the 2005 WSOP. He took first place at the Main Event which earned him $630,685. Later that year at the Monte Carlo Millions, he took first place in No Limit Hold’Em and won $1 million. He also took second and third place at the WSOP where he earned over $800,000.

Phil Ivey and the European Poker Tour

Phil Ivey entered his first European Poker Tour in 2006. In Barcelona, Spain, he made it to the final table but was defeated by Bjorn-Erik Glenne from Norway. At the First European Masters tournament, he made the final table again but came in seventh.

At the Poker Channel’s Million Dollar Cash Game in London, England, Ivey beat Gus Hansen, John Juanda, and Tony G. for the $100,000 win. That same year Ivey was named Player of the Year by All In Magazine, Bluff Magazine, and the UK Gaming Awards.

At the World Poker Tour, Ivey had made it to the final table a record of eight times but never took first. During the sixth season of the WPT in 2008, Ivey again made it to the final table at the L.A. Poker Classic. The table included notable players such as Phil Hellmuth and Nam Le. Ivey outlasted them all and took the grand prize of $1,596,000. It was an end to his losing streak at the WPT final table.

Phil Ivey, "The Big Game", and "The Corporation"

Besides poker tournaments, Phil Ivey is a regular at the "Big Game" at the Bellagio. In 2006, Ivey was part of a group of players known as ‘The Corporation’ who had pooled their money to take on Texas billionaire Andy Beal at heads-up Limited Texas Hold’Em. Money-wise, it was one of the largest poker games in history. Over just a few days, Ivey won $16 million.

When Phil Ivey is not playing poker, he likes video games, golf, and basketball. His favorite teams are the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers. Ivey also plays online at Full Tilt Poker, who sponsor him. He sometimes plays the low limit games to give people who can’t afford the high stakes a shot at the pro. He even gives out tips and advice while online to aspiring professionals.

Phil Ivey has also mentored fellow poker player and WPT winner Victor Ramdin. He lives in Las Vegas with his wife and at the time of this writing, his estimated tournament winnings are almost $10 million.

Because of his numerous successes, he has earned the nickname ‘The Tiger Woods of Poker’ and is rated among the top ten players in the world. As one of the youngest players in the circuit, it is a remarkable achievement.