Phil Ivey Biography | Poker Blog

Born February 1, 1976, in Riverside, California.
He moved to Roselle, New Jersey, when he was three months old.

In a nutshell…

Arguably the best player in the game today, Ivey is also one of its most popular. He honed his poker skills playing against co-workers at a New Jersey telemarketing firm in the late ’90s before hitting the felt as a professional. Ivey, who resides in Las Vegas with his wife, Luciaetta, and has been called the “Tiger Woods of poker,” owns five WSOP bracelets, including a record-tying three in one year (2002). Perhaps even more impressive, he placed in the top 25 of the WSOP main event three years in a row from 2002 to 2005. He has also made six World Poker Tour final tables.

Despite focusing more on cash games now than tournaments, Ivey made a big splash in November 2005, when he won back-to-back titles five days apart. He earned $1,000,000 at the Monte Carlo Millions tournament November 20, then won the $600,000 first-place prize at FullTiltPoker.com’s invitational tournament on November 25. Ivey has career tournament earnings exceeding $6 million.

Ivey made poker news for an accomplishment outside of a tournament setting when he won over $16 million over three days playing heads-up against Texas billionaire Andy Beal in February 2006. Ivey was playing as part of “The Corporation,” a group of pros who pooled together their funds and took turns playing Beal.

Ivey is also a big part of the online poker boom, serving as part of Full Tilt Poker’s design team.

Life story…

Ivey’s poker career started off at an early age thanks to his grandfather, who would deal hands of penny-ante 5-card stud to his 8-year-old grandson. Ivey’s grandfather would cheat – dealing cards off the bottom of the deck – in the hope of teaching the youth about the potential hazards of gambling.

The experiment failed miserably. In fact, it had the opposite effect, igniting Ivey’s desire to become the player he is today . As a teen, he told everyone that would listen he wanted to become a professional gambler. His first taste of victory came at the age of 16, when he was invited to play in a game hosted by the father of a friend. Ivey easily beat the game and set out looking for new challenges.

By the age of 18, Ivey, who scored a fake ID, was regularly playing at Atlantic City casinos. Although he admittedly suffered more defeats than victories, he was learning from his mistakes and mastering a variety of games. At 20, Ivey moved to Atlantic City.

After becoming legal at 21, Ivey set out to legitimately fulfill his dream. In his first World Series in 2000, he made two final tables and won a bracelet in a pot-limit Omaha event, besting a field that included Amarillo Slim, Phil Hellmuth and Devilfish Ulliott.

In 2002, Ivey tied a record by winning three bracelets at the WSOP. His victories came in three different games, further proving his overall talent. Soon after, Ivey became a fixture at high-limit cash games in Las Vegas, making both money and a name for himself as one of the best in the world.

Later in 2006, Ivey had two final tables of note at the World Series of Poker. First, he finished runner-up in the $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Event, good for $219,208. He then made the final table of the first ever $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship. Ivey finished 3rd for over $600,000, with the late Chip Reese eventually taking the title. Later in the year, Ivey finished 2nd at the EPT Main Event in Barcelona, taking home $371,000.

2007 could technically be considered a “down year” for Ivey in regards to tournaments, but in reality, Ivey focused more on cash games in 2007 than tournaments. He still had great success when he did actually play. He made the final table of the WPT Mirage Poker Showdown, finishing in 5th. He then made two final tables at the World Series of Poker. He finished runner-up in the $5,000 Stud World Championship, falling to Chris Reslock. He then finished 4th in the $5,000 H.O.R.S.E. Event.

Ivey made headlines in early 2008 when he won his first WPT title in winning the L.A. Poker Classic, taking home over $1.5 Million. As was the case in 2007, Ivey did not play too many tournaments in 2008. He had moderate success when he did play, but the cash games at the Bellagio and online at Full Tilt Poker were much more enticing.

In an effort to give himself something to play for, Ivey made several sizable prop bets on whether he would win a bracelet at the 2009 World Series of Poker. The bets stood to win Ivey Millions if he could take down an event. Ivey cashed in on his prop bet early on when he took down the $2,500 NL 2-7 Draw event for his sixth bracelet and $96,367 top prize. Ivey was not finished as he went on to also take down the $2,500 1/2 Omaha 8 1/2 Stud 8 Event, good for $220,538. In total, Ivey cashed in five preliminary events leading up to the Main Event.

During the 2009 Main Event, Ivey put on a poker clinic while keeping himself near the top of the leaderboard each day. Ivey faltered a bit on Day 8, but still was able to make the final table and officially became part of the “November Nine.” Ivey enters the final table 7th in chips and has already received a payday of over $1.2 Million. First place is over $8 Million. While he is one of the short stacks heading into the final table, Ivey has the experience to chip up and make a strong run at the Main Event title.

Poker achievements…

* Five WSOP bracelets – 2000 Pot-Limit Omaha, 2002 7-Card Stud Hi-Lo, 2002 S.H.O.E., 2002 7-Card Stud, 2005 Pot-Limit Omaha.

* 20 WSOP money finishes.

* Six World Poker Tour final tables.

* 1 st place in Monte Carlo Millions Tournament – no-limit hold ‘em – in 2005.

* 1 st place in FullTiltPoker.com’s invitational tournament – no-limit hold ‘em – in 2005.

* 1 st place at Championship Poker at Turning Stone – no-limit hold ‘em – in 2004.

* 1 st place at Five-Star World Poker Classic – limit Omaha hi-lo – in 2003.

* 1 st place at Five-Star World Poker Classic – limit 7-card stud – in 2003.

* 1 st place at Legends of Poker – limit S.H.O.E. – in 2002.

* 1 st place at Legends of Poker – limit hold ‘em and 7-card stud – in 2002.

* 1 st place at California State Poker Championship – limit 7-card stud – in 2002.

* 1 st place at L.A. Poker Classic – no-limit hold ‘em – in 2002.

* 1 st place at U.S. Poker Championship – no-limit hold ‘em – in 2000.

* 1 st place at Jack Binion World Poker Open – limit hold ‘em – in 2000.

Did you know?

* One of Ivey’s nicknames, “No Home Jerome,” stems from the fake ID he used as a teenager to get into Atlantic City casinos. Back then he was known as Jerome Graham. The “no home” came from the fact he never left the casino.

* Ivey is a big Los Angeles Lakers fan. He can often be seen wearing basketball jerseys at the table. In fact, he collects jerseys.

* Avid golfer and proposition gambler.

* Likes to play video games in his spare time.

* A quote from Phil Ivey on Phil Ivey: “A lot of people who play professionally don’t enjoy what they’re doing, and you can tell, and it makes a difference. I love poker. I love everything about it. It’s the greatest game in the world. I’m always trying to improve and always thinking about getting better. Some people I play against are just playing because that’s their job, and that’s a big advantage I have over them.”

* Ivey says he tries to play at least 10 hours a week online at Full Tilt.

* Bluff Magazine named Ivey its Player of the Year for 2005.
* His wife was his high school sweetheart.