Phil Ivey

Post ‘Black Friday’ Special Report: Where is Phil Ivey?

Phil Ivey is one of the best poker players in the world, and he is also one of the youngest.  It is commonly said about Phil Ivey that he can play any hand like it is pocket aces.  This ability makes Phil Ivey one of the most dangerous poker players in the world.

Ever since he was a child, Phil Ivey was always saying that he would be a professional gambler.  He would play penny-ante five card stud with his grandfather, but his grandfather always cheated, trying to teach Phil the dangers of gambling.  However, Phil Ivey ignored his grandfather’s lessons and continued his quest to become a professional gambler.

Wanting to play in Atlantic City, Phil Ivey acquired a fake ID so that he could gamble in the casinos there.  Phil Ivey did not have instant success, and lost quite frequently; nevertheless, Phil moved to Atlantic City when he turned 20 in order to continue his gambling career and improve his skills.

Phil Ivey made a big splash in 2000 at the World Series of Poker when me made two final tables, which included a victory in $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha.  In this win he had to navigate a shark infested table which included Phil Hellmuth, Amarillo Slim, and David “Devilfish” Ulliott.  Phil Ivey used this success to move up into high stakes poker games, and his accomplishments are many.

Phil had an amazing performance at the 2002 World Series of Poker, when he joined Phil Hellmuth and Ted Forrest as the only players to win three bracelets in one year, Phil Ivey doing it in Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo, and SHOE (a game featuring Stud, Hold em, Omaha, and Stud Hi/Lo).

Phil Ivey earned a victory in $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha at the 2005 WSOP to win his fifth bracelet.  He has also had victories at the Monte Carlo Millions tournament and the FullTiltPoker.Net Invitational Live from Monte Carlo.  These two events took place within a few days, giving Phil a nice $1.6 million prize for his work.

One very interesting fact about Phil Ivey is his bad luck in the World Poker Tour when holding Ace-Queen.  At the World Poker Tour Phil Ivey has reached six final tables, but has yet to win one.  But, Phil Ivey has held Ace-Queen and been the favorite to survive several times when he did end up being eliminated from the game.  Despite his struggles with Ace-Queen, Phil Ivey refuses to give in to the gambler’s fallacy and will continue to play Ace-Queen strongly and not shy away from it.

Phil resides in Las Vegas with his wife, and can frequently be seen playing with the likes of Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Jennifer Harman at the Bellagio’s $4,000/$8,000 games.  One thing that amuses Phil is how he will lose thousands of dollars in one sitting and be very unhappy about it, yet when he comes home he has to console his wife when she loses online penny-ante games.

One of the most famous moments in Phil Ivey’s poker career is during a heads up tournament with over a million dollars at stakes for finishing first. Below is a video of the famous hand.