Phil Ivey

Phil Ivey is widely regarded by his peers and poker enthusiasts as the best all-around poker player in the world. 33 years of age, this New Jersey native is the youngest player ever to win seven World Series of Poker bracelets, and is currently tied for the sixth most of all-time. Ivey also has a World Poker Tour Title (WPT), and a record eight WPT final table appearances. Ivey is the second all-time money winner in the world in tournament poker, with $12M+ in winnings.

Between 2002 and 2009, Ivey finished among the top 30 players in the World Series of Poker Main Event four times, in fields ranging in size from 600 entrants to just under 9000. Prior to 2009, Ivey's highest finish in the Main Event was his 10th place finish at the 2003 WSOP Main Event (one place short of the final table).

While tournament poker gets the most attention, the secretive cash game is what set the pros apart - and Phil apart from the pros. Ivey is a regular at the Bellagio's "Big Game," where players buy in for between $500k and $5M. In 2006, Ivey won $16M over 3 days from Texas billionaire Andy Beal, in the highest staked heads up cash game of all time. Ivey is also a part of the design team for Full Tilt Poker, and can often be found playing online at Full Tilt under the tag Phil Ivey. According to HighStakesDB.com, Phil earned $1.99 million on Full Tilt in 2007 and $7.34 million in 2008.

The 2009 World Series of Poker has been all Phil Ivey. On June 4th, Ivey won his 6th bracelet in the $2,500 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball Event, defeating a field of 147 players. 9 days later, he proceeded to win his seventh 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 capped his amazing World Series performance by making the November Nine (Final Table) of the $10,000 NL Holdem Main Event.