Phillip Dennis Ivey Jr. is also known as Phil Ivey. He is a very famous American professional poker player. His date of birth is 1st February 1977. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada in the U.S. now these days. Ivey won 11 WSOP bracelets.
He won one World Poker Tour title. Also, he appeared at 9 World Poker Tour final tables. He is a talented poker player. His weight is 176 Ib. His IQ level is excellent. The mystifying style of Ivey set him apart as one of the most respected players in the history of the game.
Phil Ivey’s Early Life
Phil Ivey was born in California. His parents shifted to Roselle in New Jersey a few months after his birth. He spent most of his time in the small town of Roselle.
Family
The name of his father was Phil Ivey Sr. and his mother’s name was Pamela Ivey. He has the nationality of American. He has no siblings. Phil Ivey married a woman named Luciaetta in 2002. They filed an appeal for divorce in 2009. He has no children.
Nicknames
One of his nicknames is No Home Jerome which stems from the ID card he secured to practice in Atlantic City in his teenage years. His other nickname is The Tiger Woods of Poker.
Education
Phil Ivey attended elementary school in Roselle. He went to high school in Edison, New Jersey. He completed his graduation from Old Bridge High School in New Jersey. Some children wish to become football players and some want to be scientists but Phil wants to become a poker player.
He earned his M.A. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Also, he did his PhD and Bachelor of Applied Science from the same institute. He completed his Master of Divinity from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Poker Career Took Off in his Teenage Years
He played poker first time with his grandfather. He started playing neighborhood games for money at the age of 16. Ivey used a fake ID with the name Jerome Graham to enter Atlantic City casinos when he was 17 years old. He earned the nickname of No Home Jerome because he spent all of his time at the casino.
Later, when he became older enough to legally play in the casino then he told everyone his real name and apologized to them for saying that his name was Jerome. In the late 1990s, he crafted his game-playing skills amongst his co-workers at a New Brunswick, New Jersey telemarketing firm.
When He Was Not Playing Poker
Phil and his mother formed a company known as The Budding Ivey Foundation in tribute of the grandfather of Phil. His grandfather Bud dedicated his life to standing up for needy children by starting many enrichment programs such as reading programs and other programs that give these children the opportunities they need for their future.
This foundation is a continuance of the work of his grandfather. Phil invests his time and money into making sure that the goals of his grandfather are accomplished. Also, when he was not playing poker then he enjoyed going to different sporting events including the Buffalo Bills, the Houston Rockets, and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Although he appreciated watching basketball and football his favorite sport to play would be golf. He placed 3rd in the first World Series of Golf.
Relationship Issues
Before he started taking poker seriously, Phil Ivey fell in love with a woman named Luciaetta. After dating for some years, the couple would finally get married. They settled down in Las Vegas. Their marriage seemed to be strong as Phil only ever talked about her positively to the media but behind the scenes, their marriage was failing and no one could help them. At last, they filed for divorce after seven years of marriage. The divorce happened on December 29, 2009.
Ivey League
Also, Phil has spent a lot of his time on the new website he launched called known as Ivey League. This site is arranged like a college where players can choose the undergraduate plan at no cost. They can choose the study program for $9 a month. Also, they can choose the master plan for $75 a month.
This website was intended to educate players on the most modern poker plan. The more money they pay, the more resources they will have access to. These resources are educational videos, access to real & live coaches, and forums where they can express their opinions on various topics.
Complications with Full Tilt Poker
All of us have heard about the notorious Black Friday of 2011 when the government of the United States closed numerous online poker sites that had been serving the customers of the United States in spite of it being against the law. These websites also include the Full Tilt Poker.
Later, several customers tried to take out their funds from their accounts to find that Full Tilt Poker did not have the essential funds to complete their transactions. It became clear very rapidly that Full Tilt Poker had been stealing money from customers. The reputations of everybody were at stake.
Phil Ivey Statement
Phil Ivey stated the awful news of shutting down the poker sites including Full Tilt Poker. He said that I was disturbed that the players of Full Tilt had not been paid money.
I am embarrassed that therefore many players cannot take part in tournaments and have suffered financial loss. I am not playing in the World Series of Poker because I think it is unfair. He also said that he is trying to find a solution to this problem.
Professional Poker Career
World Series of Poker Bracelets
Ivey has the 2nd most WSOP titles after Phil Hellmuth. He was the teenage player to be successful. He broke the record of Phil Hellmuth. The list of WSOP bracelets of Phil Ivey are:
|
Year |
Tournament | Prize (US$/A$) |
|
2000 |
$2,500 Pot Limit Omaha | $195,000 |
|
2002 |
$2,500 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo | $118,440 |
|
2002 |
$2,000 S.H.O.E. | $107,540 |
|
2002 |
$1,500 7 Card Stud | $132,000 |
|
2005 |
$5,000 Pot Limit Omaha | $635,603 |
| 2009 | $2,500 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball |
$96,367 |
| 2009 | $2,500 Omaha Hi/Lo 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo |
$220,538 |
| 2010 | $3,000 H.O.R.S.E |
$329,840 |
| 2013A | A$2,200 Mixed Event |
A$51,840 |
| 2014 | $1,500 Eight Game Mix |
$166, 986 |
| 2024 | $10,000 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship |
$347,440 |
World Poker Tour
Also, Phil Ivey has reached a record 8 final tables on the World Poker Tour (WPT). He has lost numerous of these World Poker Tour events by being eliminated while holding the same starting hand each time, an ace and a queen.
During the 6th season of the WPT in February 2008, he made the final table at the LA Poker Classic at Commerce Casino which included Phil Hellmuth and Nam Le. He achieved the $1,596,000 first prize finally. He has earned almost $4 million in WPT cashes.
European Poker Tour
In September 2006, Phil Ivey got entry into the European Poker Tour in Barcelona. He came to the final table of 9 as the chip leader but he finally came in second to Bjorn-Erik Glenne from Norway.
European Poker Masters
Ivey was enticed to partake in The London All-Star Challenge of the inaugural European Poker Masters in 2006. He was not only had the first ever independent Europe poker tour but also the EPM boasted the best lineup of players ever seen in Europe. Ivey made it to the final table to finish seventh as one of the favorites and collected £6,700 ($12,534)
Other Tournaments
In 2005, he won the first prize of $1,000,00 at the Monte Millions tournament. Just after the one day, he took home another $600,000 for the final first at The FullTiltPoker.Net Invitational Live from Monte Carlo.
Cash Games
Phil Ivey participated in the $4,000 to $8,000 mixed cash game in Las Vegas. It is often referred as Big Game. In February 2006, he played heads-up Limit Texas Holdem vs. Texas billionaire Andy Beal.
With bets at $25,000/$50,000 & $50,000/$100,000, he won more than $16,000,000 over the course of 3 days during a match at The Wynn Resort. He was playing for The Corporation. The Corporation is a group of poker professionals who joint their money and took turns playing against Beal. In the initial month, Beal had compressed the Corporation out of more than $13,000,000.
Online Poker
Also, Phil Ivey was part of the unique design team for Full Tilt Poker. He filed a court case in Clark County in Nevada in May 2011 in which he claimed that Full Tilt had been violated his contract.
In suit asked for damages of more than $150,000,000 and also released him from the contract with the company. Ivey happily withdrew the case on June 30. According to HighStakesDB.com, Ivey won:
- $1.99 million on FullTilt in 2007
- $7.34 million in 2008
- $6.33 million in 2009
- $3 million in 2010
Edge-Sorting Scandal
No doubt, Phil Ivey is a respected player but he was involved in a pair of legal scandals against U.S. and U.K. casinos. He was imputed of gaining an unjust benefit against the casinos in high stakes baccarat.
He used an edge-sorting method to decode the value of upcoming cards. Edge-sorting is a strategy where a player determines whether a face-down playing card is probable to be low or high.
Knowing the value of future cards in Baccarat gives the player an edge over the house and is humiliated upon by every casino. Earlier to the start of play, he made some requests with the Borgata in Atlantic City and Crockfords Casino in England to use a particular brand of cards. He selected that particular brand because he could tell the face down card values from a small remoteness. Both of the casinos accepted his requests.
Later, they discovered the edge-sorting angle after he went on to win millions of dollars during the games. After later discovering his edge-sorting techniques, Crockfords declined to pay out his winnings. Also, Borgata filed a $10.1 million court case against Phil Ivey. The attempt of Ivey of taking legal action about Crockfords for the money was failed and he settled with Borgata in 2020.
Phil Ivey Fancy Car Collections
American poker pro Phillip Dennis Ivey is known for his fancy choices especially when it comes to getting luxury cars. He drives a foreign 2005 Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren. This SLR McLaren is a 200-mph foreign sport GT which perfectly suits his elegant personality.
Except from the Merc, he also owns a few Rolls Royce Phantoms. The fancy cars collection of Phil Ivey is certainly a dream for each newbie in the poker industry.
Phil Ivey’s Book
In 2005, Phil Ivey co-authored a book that titled was Phil Ivey Poker Chronicles. In this book, he shares stratagem for success in the poker. This book offers readers a sight into the mind of a poker mastermind. Also, this book gives a chance to learn from his distinctive perspective.
Net Worth
His name is included in the top richest poker players. According to 2023, his total live tournament winnings go beyond $38.3 million. He has around 11 cashes in his live poker career worth of $1 million. More than $9.2 million of his total winnings have come from cash at the WSOP. He is now ranked as 11th on the unsurpassed money list. In 2024, his net worth is $125 Million.
Awards & Honors
Accomplishments:
- 10 times World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner
- Won more than $40 million in live ranking tournaments
- 10th on the All-Time Money List
- Nicknamed ‘No Home Jerome’ for playing underage
- Won more than $1million in tournament scores 11 times
Credentials:
- Live Earnings: $40.7 million
- Ranking Event Wins: 39
- Biggest Win: $3.58million
Awards:
- All in Magazine 2005 Poker Player of the Year
- All in Magazine 2009 Poker Player of the Year
Frequently Asked Questions About Phil Ivey
Question 1: How much height Phil Ivey have?
Answer: His height is almost 1.88 m.
Question 2: Is Phil Ivey has social accounts?
Answer: Phil Ivey has social accounts on Instagram and Twitter but he does have a YouTube channel.
Question 3: Mention the name of the top richest poker players.
Answer: The top richest poker players are:
- Andy Beal ($14.6 billion)
- Dan Bilzerian ($200 million)
- Phil Ivey ($125 million)
- Sam Farha ($100 million)
- Chris Ferguson ($80 million)
Question 4: Who is the main star of poker face?
Answer: Natasha Lyonne is the main star of the poker face.
Question 5: Mention the name of the real poker king?
Answer: Daniel Brandon Bilzerian is the real poker king.
Question 6: Who were the opponents of Phil Ivey?
Answer: The opponents of Phil Ivey were:
- Phil Hellmuth
- Mike Matusow
- Chris Ferguson
- Gus Hansen
- Dave Ulliott
- John Juanda
Explore More: