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Consider this: you are a young man, only thirty-three years old, and your net worth is in the millions of dollars. 

Plus, you have seven World Series of Poker bracelets to your name and other than Johnny Moss no other player has accumulated seven bracelets more quickly.  Meet Phil Ivey, a professional poker player who lives and ‘works’ in Las Vegas.

Description:

Born on February 1, 1976 in Riverside, California, Phil Ivey came to live in Roselle, New Jersey when he was only three-months old.

He found a love for poker while playing penny ante with his grandfather, the elder man cheating in an effort to teach his grandson that gambling can be very dangerous. 

It didn’t work as Phil went on to hone his skills against his co-workers at the telemarketing firm he worked at in the ‘90s.

He played his first game of real poker at the age of 18 after securing a fake ID and sneaking into an Atlantic City casino.  Not one to take losing easily and learning from his initial poker mistakes, Phil began to win at the tables and started to make a serious name for himself. 

Today, he has won over $8 million and lives in Las Vegas with his wife.  He went on to playing poker online exclusively at Full Tilt Poker, who sponsors him at the many tournaments he plays.

Aggressiveness:

Poker players fear Phil Ivey.  It’s as simple as that.  He is described as a very quiet player who has a piercing stare that can be unnerving.  He is extremely focused and pays attention to everything and everyone at the table. 

A good example of his cool playing style is the night he requested a set of headphones to drown out some of his more obnoxious opponents at the table. 

It is this intensity that makes his playing aggressive, his bluffs hard to call and his physical tells unreadable.

Experience:

Phil Ivey already has fifteen years of professional poker playing under his belt and that’s not counting the money winning games he played against his co-workers in New Jersey.  He plays cash games exclusively at Full Tilt Poker for ten hours every week and he can be seen at the tables in Las Vegas on a regular basis.

Since the age of twenty-one  Ivey has participated in the World Poker Tour, the European Poker Tour, the European Poker Masters, and many other smaller events.  So far he has won over $10 million in live tournaments.

Tournament Play:

If there is any question about Phil Ivey’s skills as a poker player, all anyone needs to do is look at his record of tournament play.  He had claimed five World Series of Poker bracelets prior to his thirtieth birthday, the first one being at the age of 23. 

In 2002, he won three bracelets adding his name to the ranks of other top winners such as Phil Hellmuth Jr. and Ted Forrest for the most wins in one year.  He is also the only player to ever defeat Amarillo Slim during the final game of the World Series of Poker.

While being able to claim making it to the final table during the World Poker Tour eight times, Ivey has a bad habit of getting eliminated while holding an Ace-Queen combination.  He did finally win one of the World Poker Tour tournaments and he probably wasn’t holding that fated combination when he did.

Cash Game Play:

Visitors to the Bellagio Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas should not be surprised to see Phil Ivey sitting at one of ‘The Big Game’ tables, mixed cash games of $4,000.00 to $8,000.00.  He is a regular player in these cash games and these are the games he has started to focus more on playing than participating in tournaments.

Winnings:

Phil Ivey’s list of winnings is quite extensive.  Here is a brief overview of the major tournaments he has won over the last five years.

2009 - 40th World Series of Poker $2,500 Omaha Hi/Lo / 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo - $220,538

2009 - 40th World Series of Poker $2,500 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball - $96,361

LA Poker Classic – World Poker Tour – February 28, 2008 - $1,596,100.00

Monte Carlo Millions – November 23, 2005 - $1,000,000.00

36th Annual World Series of Poker – Event #27 – June 26, 2005 - $630,685.00

Championship Poker at Turning Stone Main Event – July 14, 2004 - $500,000.00

Five-Star World Poker Classic – WPT Championship Season 1 – April 10, 2003 - $66,930.00

Five-Star World Poker Classic – WPT Championship Season 1 – April 3, 2003 - $58,782.00

Phil Ivey has been nicknamed the ‘Tiger Woods of Poker’ due to his young age and impressive win record.  His work with the online poker room Full Tilt Poker has made it one of the nicest poker rooms to play on. 

He may be focusing on cash games more than tournaments, but if you happen to come up against him at the tables, watch out!

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