04.13
No-Limit Texas Holdem Poker- Who is Phil Ivey?
Phil Ivey has been branded as the number one poker player in the world by most of the top professionals. 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 that point on, he was hooked on poker and wanted to discover every little thing he could about poker. Phil routinely told his parents that he wanted to be a professional poker player. He didn’t permit the adverse feedback from other people destroy his ambition of being one of the greatest poker players on the planet.
He started playing seriously after getting a false ID with the name of Jerome. He practiced his skills at the casinos in Atlantic City. The initial number of years for him were a teaching opportunity and winning wasn’t a common thing at the time. He made his mark at the 2000 WSOP where he achieved two final tables and won his first WSOP bracelet, in a $2, five hundred Pot-Limit Omaha event. At the last table he destroyed many of the well known pros 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 Sin City. He continues to play in "The Big Game" at the Bellagio with the best players in the world. Phil credits his achievements to discipline and an eternal love for the game of poker. He says that he is picking up skills every day and is very abashed about his accomplishments. He knows he makes blunders in each game of poker and always aspires to get better.
Despite the fact that Phil has won some large tournaments, he prefers winning cash games on a normal basis.