Phil Ivey

Phillip Dennis Ivey Jr. was born on February 1, 1977, in Riverside, California, moving to Roselle, New Jersey, at three months old. He developed his poker skills playing against co-workers at a telemarketing firm in New Brunswick, New Jersey, during the late 1990s. His introduction to poker came as a child playing five-card stud with his grandfather. In his teenage years, Ivey used a fake ID to play poker in Atlantic City, New Jersey, earning him the nickname “No Home Jerome.”

Ivey’s breakthrough in professional poker occurred in 2000 at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), where he won a Pot Limit Omaha event, securing his first career bracelet. This achievement made him the first person to defeat Amarillo Slim heads-up at a WSOP final table. His tournament accomplishments include winning three bracelets at the 2002 WSOP, a feat that tied him with other notable players for the most World Series tournament wins in a single year. In 2005, he won another Pot Limit Omaha event, adding $635,603 to his winnings. Ivey continued his success at the WSOP in 2009, winning two more bracelets in the $2,500 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball Event and the $2,500 1/2 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo 1/2 Omaha Hi/Lo event. By 2010, he had accumulated eight bracelets, securing a victory in the $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. event.

Ivey has consistently performed in the WSOP Main Event, finishing among the top 25 players four times between 2002 and 2009. His highest finish was 7th place in 2009, where he earned $1,404,002. With 11 WSOP bracelets, Ivey holds the second-highest number of titles all-time, second only to Phil Hellmuth Jr. He became the youngest player to win ten bracelets at age 38, surpassing Hellmuth’s previous record. All of Ivey’s 11 bracelet victories have come in non-Hold’em events, making him the record holder for most mixed-game bracelets with five wins. In 2017, he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. His live tournament winnings exceed $38.3 million, with 11 cashes over $1 million. Ivey is also a WPT Ambassador, having secured one World Poker Tour title and appearing at nine WPT final tables. His first WPT title came in February 2008 at the L.A. Poker Classic, winning $1,596,100.