Phil Ivey


Phillip Dennis Ivey Jr. is an American professional poker player who has won eleven World Series of Poker bracelets, one World Poker Tour title, and appeared at nine World Poker Tour final tables. Ivey is regarded by numerous poker observers and contemporaries as the best all-around player in the world. In 2017, he was elected to the Poker Hall of Fame. He is also an ambassador for WPT Global.

Background

Ivey first began to develop his poker skills by playing against co-workers at a New Brunswick, New Jersey, telemarketing firm in the late 1990s. He was introduced to the game by playing five-card stud with his grandfather as a child. One of his nicknames, "No Home Jerome", stems from the fake ID card he secured to play poker in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in his teenage years. He was given the nickname "The Phenom". His other nickname is "the Tiger Woods of Poker".

Poker

Live poker

World Series of Poker

Ivey's first breakthrough at the WSOP came in 2000, when he won a Pot Limit Omaha event for his first career bracelet. In winning the tournament, Ivey was the first person to defeat Amarillo Slim heads-up at a WSOP final table. Ivey's tournament accomplishments include winning three bracelets at the 2002 World Series of Poker, tying Phil Hellmuth Jr, Ted Forrest, and Puggy Pearson for most World Series tournament wins in a single year. He won a Pot Limit Omaha event once again in 2005 for $635,603.
In 2009, Ivey won his sixth career bracelet in the $2,500 No-Limit 2–7 Draw Lowball Event of the 2009 WSOP. He defeated a field of 147 players to catch his bracelet. He won a heads-up battle against John Monnette. He proceeded to win another bracelet in the $2,500 1/2 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo 1/2 Omaha Hi/Lo event besting a field of 376 people. He defeated Ming Lee heads-up.
In the 2010 World Series of Poker, Ivey received the most votes for the Tournament of Champions.
At the 2010 WSOP, Ivey won his eighth bracelet in the $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. event in a final table made up of other notable players, which included Bill Chen, John Juanda, Jeff Lisandro, and Chad Brown. At the 2024 WSOP, Ivey won his 11th bracelet in the $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship for $347,440.
Between 2002 and 2009, Ivey finished among the top 25 players in the Main Event four times, in fields ranging in size from 600 entrants to just under 7,000. Ivey finished 23rd in 2002, 10th in 2003, 20th in 2005, and 7th in 2009. Ivey's 10th place finished in the 2003 WSOP Main Event was one place short of the final table. He was eliminated by eventual champion Chris Moneymaker on a hand where Ivey's full house was defeated by Moneymaker's larger full house on a river card. In his 7th place finish in 2009, his lost to Darvin Moon's when a queen paired Moon on the flop; he ended his 2009 Main Event with winnings of $1,404,002.
With 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, Ivey currently has the second most WSOP titles all-time, second only to Phil Hellmuth. Also, at age 38, he was the youngest player to ever win ten bracelets. He broke Hellmuth's mark of 42 years old at the time of his tenth bracelet. In addition, no other player has accumulated ten bracelets more quickly; it took Ivey only 14 years from the time of his first bracelet to his tenth. He is the all-time record holder for most bracelets won in non-Holdem events, with all 11 of his victories coming in non-Holdem events. His 2010 win gave him the lead over Billy Baxter. He is the WSOP record holder for most mixed-game bracelets having won five in his career. He won one in S.H.O.E. in 2002, Omaha Hi/Lo / 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo in 2009, H.O.R.S.E. in 2010, WSOP APAC Mixed Event in 2013, and Eight Game Mix in 2014.

Notable World Series of Poker statistics

YearEventOpponentResultWinLossWin%
2000$2,500 Pot Limit OmahaAmarillo SlimWinX
2002$1,500 Limit 7 Card StudToto LeonidasWinX
2002$2,500 Limit 7 Card Stud Hi/LoSirous BaghchehsaraieWinX
2002$2,000 Limit S.H.O.E Diego CordovezWinX
2003$3,000 Limit RazzHuck SeedLossX
2005$5,000 Pot Limit OmahaRobert Williamson IIIWinX
2006$5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo SplitSam FarhaLossX
2007$10,000 World Championship Seven Card StudChris ReslockLossX
2009$2,500 Deuce to Seven Draw Lowball John MonnetteWinX
2009$2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud HL/8 or BetterMing LeeWinX
2010$3,000 H.O.R.S.E.Bill ChenWinX
2012$10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'emAndy FrankenbergerLossX
2013A$2,200 Mixed EventBrandon WongWinX
2014$1,500 Eight Game MixBruce YamronWinX
2022$100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’emAleksejs PonakovsLossX
2024$10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw ChampionshipDanny WongWinX-
115.6875

CashesFinal TablesWins
532911

up to december 22,2024
YearEventResultWinnings
2000Limit 7 Card Stud 12th$5,145
2000Pot Limit Omaha 1st$195,000
2001Limit Omaha Hi/Lo 6th$18,165
2002Limit Omaha Hi/Lo 9th$7,640
2002Limit 7 Card Stud 1st$132,000
2002Limit 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo 8th$5,860
2002Limit 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo 1st$118,440
2002Limit Omaha Hi/Lo 14th$3,720
2002Limit S.H.O.E 1st$107,540
2003Limit Razz 2nd$36,000
2003Limit 7 Card Stud 3rd$53,560
2003Pot Limit Omaha w/re-buys 9th$10,720
2005Omaha Hi-low Split 54th$2,410
2005Pot Limit Omaha 1st$635,603
2006Limit Hold'em 21st$9,476
2006Omaha Hi-low Split 2nd$219,208
2006H.O.R.S.E. 3rd$617,760
2007World Championship Seven Card Stud 2nd$143,820
2007H.O.R.S.E. 4th$65,424
2008H.O.R.S.E. 24th$7,998
2008World Championship Seven Card Stud 9th$37,130
2008World Championship H.O.R.S.E. 12th$159,840
2008H.O.R.S.E. 6th£13,750
2009Deuce to Seven Draw Lowball 1st$96,367
2009Omaha/Seven Card Stud HL/8 or Better 1st$220,538
2009Pot-Limit Omaha 44th$4,883
2010Event #27: Seven Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better52nd$3,182
2010Event #33: Pot-Limit Hold'em/Omaha12th$16,074
2010Event #37: H.O.R.S.E.1st$329,840
2012Event #15: Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better7th$34,595
2012Event #24: Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better3rd$136,046
2012Event #32: H.O.R.S.E.5th$99,739
2012Event #35: Mixed Hold'em 8th$21,699
2013AEvent #3: Mixed Event1st$51,840
2014Event #12: Pot-Limit Hold'em22nd$5,030
2014Event #48: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better30th$6,836
2014Event #50: Eight Game Mix1st$166,986
2018Event #33: Poker Players Championship9th$111,447
2019Event #58: Poker Players Championship8th$124,410
2022Event #22: Seven Card Stud Championship3rd$108,233
2022Event #32: H.O.R.S.E.26th$5,544
2022Event #63: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship 37th$16,171
2023Event #43: Poker Players Championship6th$228,793
2024Event #96: $25,000 High Roller H.O.R.S.E.4th$239,850

An "A" following a year denotes bracelet won at the World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific