Phil Ivey is widely regarded as being the best all round poker player in the world. He routinely wins tournaments in many different variants of poker. In addition to his tournament success he is generally considered to be one of the best cash game players as well. He has frequently stated that his goal is to set the record for World Series of Poker bracelets, given that his already half way there in his thirties it seems he has a good chance of achieving this.
Phil Ivey was born in California but the family moved to New Jersey when he was a small child. He learned to play poker from his grandfather when was little and would start playing in back room games when he was sixteen. After some success there he decided it was time to start playing casinos. After getting a fake id he started heading to Atlantic City on a regular basis to play. Things did not go well and he ended up losing a lot of money. During this time he had to work a job as a telemarketer to pay the bills.
Things started to improve for Phil Ivey after he turned to twenty one and could start playing legally. He finally started winning and even began to build up a reputation as one of the better players in Atlantic City. It was at this point that Ivey decided to enter a poker tournament. The tournament he chose was the World Series of Poker where in his first try he would win the bracelet in the pot limit Omaha event. He would also make the final table in the $2000 no limit Texas hold'em event.
Over the course of his career Phil Ivey has won several tournaments including five World Series of Poker bracelets, three of them in one year. Ivey's five bracelets are in four different variants of poker which has helped to establish his reputation as the best all round player in the world. He has won tournaments in a large number of different types of games. A lot of people think that being able to win at so many different events is the true sign of a great poker player which is why Phil Ivey is generally regarded as one of the best in the world.
For all his success in poker tournaments Phil Ivey actually spends most of his time playing in cash games. The reason for this is that there is a lot more money to be made this way than there is playing in tournaments. Not only is he regarded as the best all round player in the world but Phil Ivey is also considered by many as the best cash game player in the world. He routinely plays with some of the best players in the world and is a regular winner. Regardless of whether he is truly the best in world he is certainly near the top.
