Phil Ivey’s poker playing skills and successes have earned him the nickname the ‘Tiger Woods of Poker’. Many persons describe him as the best all round poker player in the world. Phil was born in February 1976 in Riverside, California but grew up in Roselle, New Jersey, a short distance from Atlantic City.
From an early age Phil Ivey developed a love for gambling. Although his grandfather tried his best to discourage him he still ended up spending much of his time in the casinos at Atlantic City at the tender age of 18. He would a fake ID given to him by a co-worker to gain entry.
He moved to Atlantic City at age 20 to be closer to the casinos. A year later he gave his real name to the casino workers. They had got accustomed to Jerome Graham, the name on the fake ID. At first success was hard to come by but he persisted in playing game that he loved. Even his marriage to a woman he met on his telemarketing job didn’t change his mind from playing poker.
Phil’s first taste of success came at age 24 in the 2000 World Series of Poker by finishing in fifth place in the $2,000 No-Limit Texas Hold’em event. His biggest win that year was in the $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. He played against legendary players like Amarillo Slim Preston, Phil Helmuth, and Devilfish Ulliott. He finally proved himself and won the first of his World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet.
After that there was no turning back for Phil. In that same year he put his name in the poker record books by having the most wins in one year. He won three WSOP bracelets and tied the record of Puggy Pearson, Phil Helmuth Jr., and Ted Forrest.
In 2005 he won his fifth bracelet in a $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event. Within a few days he was victorious in the Monte Carlo Millions Tournament, and the Full Tilt poker Invitational Live from Monte Carlo. He amassed $1.6 million from these events in the span of 24 hours. He has made it six times to the World Poker Tour final tables but did not gain victory in this type of event.
Phil along with a group of professional poker players calling themselves “The Corporation” battled with billionaire Andy Beal in 2006. In the end Phil gained an extra $6.6 million for the ‘Corporation’. After the match was over, Beal vowed that he would never play poker again.
The poker champion currently lives with his wife in Las Vegas. He is involved in a number of charities such as Las Vegas based Christian Academy, Empowered to Excel. He donated $50,000 after winning his WPT title in 2008. He can also be found playing in the million dollar cash game on full tilt poker on a weekly basis.
