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The first thing that you notice about Phil Ivey when he plays poker are his
eyes. They are cold, icy, intense. He sizes up his fellow players like
Hannibal Lecter looking for his next meal. At the poker table Phil Ivey
rarely speaks and never shows emotion. Except for his eyes. They speak
volumes. They look into an opponent's soul and then tear it out. If you're
gonna run a bluff on Phil Ivey, you better be prepared to withstand his
stare.
Of course, away from the poker table Phil Ivey is as nice a guy as you'll
ever meet. He is a loving husband, married to his high school sweetheart, he
is the father of a young child and he is a quintessential professional. Ivey
believes that professional players should act like professionals at all
times. He has no time for bad beat stories, and he has no time for whining
and complaining. If you lose on the river its just poker, plain and simple.
Suck it up and move on. Those who know Phil Ivey say he carries himself with
the same class and dignity whether he is winning or losing. When he lost
that heartbreaking hand to Chris Moneymaker in the 2003 WSOP Main Event to
bust out(Ivey had a full house on the turn and Moneymaker rivered a higher
full house), Phil Ivey didn't throw a chair or punch a hole in the wall. He
calmly got up and shook Moneymaker's hand, wished him luck and then left the
table. That's how pros should behave.
Phil Ivey started sneaking into Atlantic City Casinos when he was 17. He had
a fake I.D. and a small bankroll. Gradually he built up his money and
started climbing limits. By 2000 he was a full time pro and at the 2002 WSOP
he burst into the spotlight, winning three bracelets. That feat tied the
record for most bracelets in a single year. He has won six WSOP bracelets
(faster than any other player), and he has made the final table in five WPT
events, although he has yet to win one. He is also a top cash game player,
playing for the highest stakes available with the likes of Doyle Brunson,
Johnny Chan and Gus Hansen. It is a widely held opinion that Phil Ivey is
the best all-around player in the world.
Phil Ivey is known (and feared) for his hyper-aggressive playing style. He
is not the kind of person who will sit around and wait for Aces. He will not
fold the the 6-9 of clubs to a raise. He will play any two cards and he will
play them like they are Aces. He can build up chips faster than anybody in
poker, and he is not afraid to put his stack into the middle. In fact, this
reputation is part of the Ivey magic. Since he is so aggressive, people
never give him credit for a hand, and this allows him to get paid off alot
more when he does have something. This is an undervalued quality in poker.
Phil Ivey finished 21st in the 2005 WSOP Main Event, outlasting more than
5800 other players.
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