Phil Ivey’s poker career has been described as extraordinary. He has amassed over $23 million from live tournaments alone to date. He has won both a World Poker Tour championship and ten gold bracelets at the World Series of Poker. It comes as no surprise that many consider him the greatest professional poker player of his time. Ivey was recently inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in recognition of his accomplishments over the course of his career.

Continue reading this exhaustive biography to learn everything there is to know about Phil Ivey, from his poker accomplishments to his personal life.

Initial Years

On February 1, 1977, Phillip Dennis Ivey Jr. was born in Riverside, California. His family migrated to Roselle, New Jersey, when he was just 3 months old.
This modest suburban community is where Ivey spent the majority of his formative years.

Ivey’s passion of gambling began at an early age. His grandfather introduced him to the game when he was only eight years old. Ivey and his grandfather spent innumerable hours playing 5-card stud together, occasionally wagering pennies on the games. Ivey rapidly mastered the game and quickly developed his own winning strategies. His grandfather was the first to recognize his professional potential after recognizing his natural talent for the sport.

As Ivey aged, his passion for poker never diminished. He yearned to play poker in the Atlantic City casinos, but could not lawfully do so until he turned 21. What then did he do? Obviously, he fabricated a false identification card. He would be known as Jerome Graham for many years. He relocated to Atlantic City and spent 15+ hours per day honing his skills and experimenting with various strategies. Because he rarely left the casinos, he earned the moniker “No Home Jerome” very rapidly.

Barry Greenstein and Daniel Negreanu, both phenomenal professional poker players in their own right, took Ivey under their wings when he reached the legal age to play. They provided him with advice on how to enhance his gaming approach. Prior to receiving their advice, Ivey had been playing too recklessly and frequently won money in poor situations. He was appreciative of the opportunity to collaborate with these athletes, and he took everything they said sincerely.

Achievements in Poker

If you didn’t know who Phil Ivey was before the year 2000, you did after he defeated the legendary Amarillo Slim to win his first WSOP bracelet. This victory earned him close to $.200,000. More significant than the money, however, was the confidence it gave Ivey to pursue poker professionally.

Ivey’s new admirers anticipated his performance at the 2001 World Series of Poker with great anticipation. Although he performed admirably, he was unable to win the WSOP that year. Many speculated that this was the end of his career.
It’s not! Ivey stunned the poker world in 2002 by earning a record-setting three WSOP gold bracelets.