In 1999, The first thing that you notice about Phil Ivey when he plays poker are his eyes. They are cold, icy, intense. He sizes up his fellow players like Hannibal Lecter looking for his next meal. At the poker table Phil Ivey rarely speaks and never shows emotion. Except for his eyes. They speak volumes. They look into an opponent's soul and then tear it out. If you're gonna run a bluff on Phil Ivey, you better be prepared to withstand his stare.
Of course, away from the poker table Phil Ivey is as nice a guy as you'll ever meet. He is a loving husband, married to his high school sweetheart, he is the father of a young child and he is a quintessential professional. Ivey believes that professional players should act like professionals at all times. He has no time for bad beat stories, and he has no time for whining and complaining. If you lose on the river its just poker, plain and simple. Suck it up and move on. Those who know Phil Ivey say he carries himself with the same class and dignity whether he is winning or losing. When he lost that heartbreaking hand to Chris Moneymaker in the 2003 WSOP Main Event to bust out(Ivey had a full house on the turn and Moneymaker rivered a higher full house), Phil Ivey didn't throw a chair or punch a hole in the wall. He calmly got up and shook Moneymaker's hand, wished him luck and then left the table. That's how pros should behave.
Phil Ivey started sneaking into Atlantic City Casinos when he was 17. He had a fake I.D. and a small bankroll. Gradually he built up his money and started climbing limits. By 2000 he was a full time pro and at the 2002 WSOP he burst into the spotlight, winning three bracelets. That feat tied the record for most bracelets in a single year. He has won six WSOP bracelets (faster than any other player), and he has made the final table in five WPT events, although he has yet to win one. He is also a top cash game player, playing for the highest stakes available with the likes of Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan and Gus Hansen. It is a widely held opinion that Phil Ivey is the best all-around player in the world.
Phil Ivey is known (and feared) for his hyper-aggressive playing style. He is not the kind of person who will sit around and wait for Aces. He will not fold the the 6-9 of clubs to a raise. He will play any two cards and he will play them like they are Aces. He can build up chips faster than anybody in poker, and he is not afraid to put his stack into the middle. In fact, this reputation is part of the Ivey magic. Since he is so aggressive, people never give him credit for a hand, and this allows him to get paid off alot more when he does have something. This is an undervalued quality in poker. Phil Ivey finished 21st in the 2005 WSOP Main Event, outlasting more than 5800 other players.
Phil Ivey Trivia
1. Phil Ivey married his high school sweetheart
2 In 2002, Phil won three WSOP bracelets, tying Phil Hellmuth and Ted Forrest for the most wins in a single year.
3. Phil Ivey won the first ever live-broadcast Hold'em tournament and the Turning Stone Casino American Poker Championship. It was his first no-limit Hold'em tournament win.
4. In November 2005, Ivey won back-to-back poker tournaments in Monaco at the Monte Carlo Millions and the Full Tilt Poker Invitational Live tournament.
Phil Ivey Wins
1. 2003 World Poker Open - $290K
2. 2003 WPT Championship - $253K
3. 2000 WSOP Pot Limit Omaha - $195K
4. 2002 WSOP 7 Card Stud - $132K
5. 2002 WSOP 7 Card Hi/Lo - $118K
6. 2002 WSOP S.H.O.E. - $108K
7. 2003 WSOP No Limit Hold'em - $83K
