Phil Ivey Gets to the Final Table

With the popularity of poker growing in the last 7 years many names are now common talk in homes around the world. One of those names is Phil Ivey.

Phil Ivey started playing poker under an asumed name in New Jersey when he was just 18 years old. He obtained a fake ID and started playing stud. He did not win at first but realized early that this is what he wanted to do for a living. He put in countless hours and was always willing to gamble his last dollar to play at the highest stakes he could.

It wasn't long until he became a force in the poker rooms on the east coast. Phil Ivey was relentless in learning the game and all its variations. He has often said he thinks about poker all the time, even in the shower. It was this determination that brought about his success in this imperfect game.

Phil then went out to Vegas and it didn't take long for him to make his presence know in the biggest games in the world. He played in some nosebleed stakes in games against people like Andy Beal, where it is said he won as much as 12,000,000.00 in a single session.

He has also done very well in the WSOP with a total of 7 bracelets including a year where he won three. He has said in interviews that he would like to get to 30 before his career ends. In 2003 the year that Chris Moneymaker put poker mainstream Phil had made the final table. He got all his money in good against Moneymaker only to get unlucky and go home before he could get the main event bracelet.

Now in 2009 with the new format for the final table he is again going to make a go at the most difficult prize in poker. He is short stacked with just over 7,000,000 in chips, but that doesn't seem to matter. Everyone at the table knows that he is the one to beat.

As they break out the poker chip sets and get ready to play the final table, Phil will be ready. There is no telling how the game will go but I think this is the year he goes all the way.

His hard work over the years has brought him to this point and the entire poker world cant wait to see how this will end. On Nov. 10th Phil Ivey will sit down and try to get the only thing he has not accomplished in his great career...the main event bracelet.