Phil Ivey Professional Profile
When someone tries as hard as Phil Ivey does to keep a low profile but still ends up being one of the biggest poker celebrities in the world, there must be something special about his skills at the table. Add to that the fact that the guy wasn't even 30 years old when his name exploded and you must have one impressive poker player. Impressive, however, would be an understatement.
Phil Ivey has already won five bracelets in the World Series of Poker, with his first bracelet win happening when he was just 23 years old. Since then, he's won four more bracelets in the World Series, final tabled a slew of World Poker Tour events, made a killing in high stakes cash games and been named Player of the Year by three different poker magazines.
It would be impressive enough if this pre-30 year old had accomplished all these feats in No Limit Holdem but Phil Ivey has won major tournaments in almost every poker variant imaginable. His bracelet wins include games like Pot Limit Omaha, 7 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo and S.H.O.E. It seems like any game the man touches turns to gold.
Despite being earning most of his fame at the tournament tables, Phil Ivey is a cash game specialist. As a regular at the live $4,000/$8,000 mixed games in Las Vegas and the $100,000 no limit games online, Phil makes sure to spread the terror among tournament players and cash gamers equally. Pokernews.com reported that he won over $7.5 million in online games alone in 2008.
And if all that isn't enough to persuade anyone of Phil's skill, don't forget the time he won over $16,000,000 playing limit holdem against billionaire Andy Beal. Andy Beal had previously challenged a group of professional poker players, nicknamed "The Corporation" to a heads up poker challenge. The first time around, Andy beat them to the tune of $10,000,000. With Ivey's help, however, The Corporation put a beatdown on Andy during the rematch.
A big part of his appeal to a wide audience is his humble, laid back demeanor. Phil Ivey has always acted like a gentleman at the tables and it has endeared him to audiences tired of seeing "that other Phil" (Phil Hellmuth) screech and squeal about bad beats and lucky idiots. Maybe a part of it has to do with his humble roots.
Phil Ivey started his poker career in Atlantic City as an underage gambler with a fake ID, going by the name "Jerome." He spent a lot of time at the tables but was a big losing player in the beginning. There were times when the rent was paid late, the electricity shut off and hot water nothing but a fond memory. Over time, Phil Ivey dedicated himself to the game and turned from a losing player into a breakeven player, and from a breakeven player to a winning player.
In 2000, he won a seat to the World Series of Poker, took fourth in one event and won a bracelet in another. His rise in poker skill didn't happen overnight but his change in financial status sure did. It was all uphill after that.
Now days you can find Phil Ivey playing online at FullTiltPoker.com under the screen name "Phil Ivey." If he's not at the poker tables, you might catch him relaxing in his mansion in Las Vegas with his wife, playing a round of golf or coming up with wild prop bets with his gambling buddies.
Phil Facts
- Five WSOP bracelets
- Won $16,000,000 in 3 days against Andy Beal
- Live tournament winnings: $10,000,000 +
- 2008 online winnings: $7,500,000
- Plays the $4,000/$8,000 mixed game in Las Vegas
- Plays the $100,000 buyin no limit games at Full Tilt Poker