Phillip Ivey: The Tiger Woods of the Poker

Who is Phillip Ivey?

Ivey, the American professional Poker player, is one of the most recognized names in the industry. His achievements include ten World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour titles. He is a frequent WPT tablist and crusher in many high-stake Poker cash games. In 2014, he won the No Limit Hold’em $250,000 Challenge at the Aussie Millions Poker Championship. This African-American player was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2017.

In November 2022, the World Poker Tour signed him as its ambassador.

Phil Ivey's Early life

Known all over the world as “the Tiger Woods of Poker” and “No Home Jerome”, Phil Ivey was born on February 1, 1977, in Riverside, California, USA. Since his childhood, he was always fascinated towards card games. He started honing his Poker skills by competing with his co-workers in a telemarketing firm, which was situated in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Believe it or not, he started playing Poker using a fake identification card as he was underage and therefore not allowed to play games with real money. At the age of 23, he won his first WSOP title by defeating players like Phil Hellmuth and Amarillo Slim. By the time he reached the age of 30, he had shipped five WSOP tournaments. He got the nickname “The Phenom” after shipping three WSOP bracelets in the year 2002.

As of 2022, Phil Ivey’s age is 45.

How did Phil Ivey Make His Money?

Phil Ivey’s net worth is over $14 Million. He has earned over $38,000,000 in live tournament cashes (according to the Hendon Mob). By landing some big cashes throughout his career, Phil Ivey’s career earnings have reached such massive figures. 

A huge chunk of his winnings comes from competing in the high-stake online cash games on various platforms. He is said to have won more than $10M in profits by playing online Poker.

Phil Ivey's Personal life

Phil Ivey was previously married to Lucietta (2003 to 2009). They separated after seven years of marriage. Ivey is currently based in Las Vegas. The player consciously keeps his personal life away from the limelight and rarely talks about his relationships in the media.

Phil Ivey Masterclass

In 2014, he launched ‘Ivey League’, an online Poker coaching platform, for players who want to become professional Poker players.

These days, Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu are offering Poker training courses which players can join to learn the essentials of winning Poker. Through online masterclass, Phil Ivey teaches Poker strategy to aspiring players. He shares his secrets and tips for the immense Poker success with them to help them take their game to the next level and become a star Poker player. By joining his masterclass, newbies can get Phil Ivey lessons on various aspects of the game such as Poker maths, game theory, bankroll management, table image, table positions, check-raise, 3-bet, bluffing, etc.   

Phil Ivey’s Poker Strategy

•  “I’d work on my game online and at casinos, build my bankroll, find good games, and try to put myself in a position to keep winning and earn a steady income.” - Ivey

According to Ivey, patience and consistency are the keys to achieve success in Poker.

•  “A lot of people these days are too ambitious; their sights are set too high at the start and they end up diving in too deep, quitting their day job too soon. They move to Vegas or wherever, make an all-or-nothing commitment before they’re ready, and burn out.”  - Ivey

As per Ivey, emotions can make you act irrationally on the Poker table. Therefore, it is important to maintain a balance between emotional and logical thinking and devise a game plan accordingly.

•    “The biggest thing when you're playing live is that you're sitting across from the player and can get a detailed impression of how they're acting, and whether they're expressing strength or weakness. Online, it's much more about betting patterns and you're using a much narrower range of cues to what they're holding and thinking.”  - Ivey

A player must know how to figure out what the opponent is holding. You need to observe his betting pattern and playing style (time he takes to make his move, table talks, level of interest he is exhibiting in the hand, etc.) to decipher the ‘tells’.

•   “You’ve got to take some chances and know when you’re beat and know how to get certain advantages.”  - Ivey

Ivey believes that calculated risk-taking is essential in the game. You need to assess the risk, analyse your opponent and decide whether to hold’em or fold.

Phil Ivey is universally regarded as one of the best Poker players alive. With patience, dedication and practice, every player can achieve anything he can hope for in the realm of Poker. What matters the most is consistently working on improving your skills and knowledge through practice and training. The more you play, the more you learn and the more you win! 

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