At age 27, Phil Ivey is said to have a decade of professional poker experience. That’s quite an accomplishment, and says a lot about the changing demographics of serious poker today. A decade ago, most poker rooms were 90% old timers. Today there’s a lot more young blood. The demographic has shifted, and this is creating quite a change in the industry. Somewhat inadvertently, Phil Ivey has become a sort of icon of this change.
Phil Ivey grew up in New Jersey, and cut his teeth early on in Atlantic City. Apparently before focusing on poker professionally, Phil was an accomplished video game player. That, in itself, shows what’s changed in the world of poker. It’s an exciting time in a historic game.
Phil won his first World Series of Poker title at age 23, and followed up two years later by winning a record-tying 3 tournament bracelets in 2002. In addition to being a proficient tournament player, Phil Ivey is also an active live money game player.
Big Wins:
- World Poker Open – Jan. 2003 –2nd - $290K
- WPT Championship – Apr. 2003 – 3rd - $253K
- 2000 WSOP Pot Limit Omaha – Apr. 2000 – 1st - $195K
- 2002 WSOP 7-Card Stud – Apr. 2002 – 1st - $132K
- 2002 WSOP 7-Card Hi/Lo (limit) – Apr. 2002 – 1st - $118K
- 2002 WSOP S.H.O.E. (limit) – Apr. 2002 – 1st - $108K
- 2003 WSOP No Limit Holdem (main event) – May 2003 – 10th - $83K