A Profile of Phil Ivey

Published on April 19th, 2004, 7:57 pm EST

It's not often that you find a player who is good in practically every game. It's also not often that you find someone who can play equally as well in cash games and in tournaments.

Even rarer still is a player who can do all of these things at the age of 32.

Poker has been in Phil Ivey's blood all of his life. He used to sneak into casinos and play poker using a fake ID, which sparked the nickname "No Home Jerome" due to the long hours that he put in and the fake name that he used.

Phil Ivey currently has five World Series of Poker bracelets and 26 money finishes at the WSOP. He has just over $8 million dollars in total lifetime tournament earnings, good for 11th on the all-time money list.

The scary thing about these tournament numbers is that Ivey doesn't really play too much tournaments compared to other players, as he reportedly makes more money in cash games. Can you imagine the damage that Phil Ivey would do in tournaments if he decided to devote himself full-time to playing tournaments?

Most people find it hard to believe that Ivey could make more playing cash games in Vegas, but it's the truth. If he's not ripping people playing online at one of his reserved high stakes heads-up NLHE or PLO tables on Full Tilt Poker, he is taking money from the players at the Bellagio.

Ivey is a fierce competitor and still puts in many, many hours playing poker even though he is a millionaire many times over. He is always perfecting his game, which is what makes him so good.

Ivey is a gamer at heart, and loves the game of poker. Money is not a consideration for Phil Ivey, which is part of what makes him so dangerous. He'll never play scared.

Phil Ivey is without a doubt one of the best all-around poker players on the planet today, if not THE best.