Quick Facts of
- First NamePhil Ivey
Phil Ivey is an American professional poker player. With a moniker like the “Tiger Woods of Poker”, Phil had to have been good — and he was: being hailed by many as the best all-round poker player of all time.
He has won the coveted World Series of Poker bracelet ten times and one World Poker Tour title besides making millions in monetary prizes.
As of April 2020, Phil’s prodigious net worth stands at $100 million.
How Phil Ivey Made His Net Worth?
Phil was initiated into the world of poker by his grandfather. He spent most of his teenage years gambling under a fake ID.
Ivey is one of only five people in history to have won three World Series of Poker bracelets in a single calendar year with his 2002 win.
To date, he has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, placing him in the second place of the most brackets won, behind Phil Hellmuth with 15 bracelets.
In addition, he is also the youngest and the fastest person to have accumulated 10 such bracelets.
He has also participated in and reached nine final tables in the televised poker tournament, World Poker Tour. 2008 marked the first time he won the table after reaching the finals seven times. He took home the $1,596,100 prize and has made a cumulative $3 million throughout his run in the tournament.
Besides the world series, Phil has won big in other tournaments, such as his $1 million win at the Monte Carlo Millions tournament, a $600k win at The FullTiltPoker.Net Invitational Live, and a $120k winner-take-all tournament in the NBC poker show, Poker After Dark.
READ MORE: Lydia Hearst Shaw-Height, Model, House, Movies, Age, Net Worth
In January 2012, Ivey bagged the first place win at the Aussie Millions, taking home Aus$2,000,000. He won two consecutive Aussie Millions LK Boutique $250,000 Challenges, in 2014 and 2015.
His 2014 win landed him the grand prize worth Aus$ 4,000,000 — his biggest single-event win to date. The following year, he won Aus$2,205,000.
As of 2018, Phil has won over $26,250,000 in live-tournament wins, with $6,600,000 of that coming from the World Series of Poker.
In 2006, Ivey also won over $16 million over the course of three days playing poker against the Texan billionaire business magnate Andy Beal. The money was distributed among “The Corporation”, a group of poker players who pool their money and split the earnings.
Ivey also made money via the online casino Full Tilt Poker. He reportedly made $1.99 million in 2007, $7.34 million in 2008, $6.33 million in 2009, and $3 million in 2010.
Annual Earnings
| Source of Income | Year | Earnings (In $) |
| Poker Tournaments | 2000 | 235,785 |
| Poker Tournaments | 2001 | 22,940 |
| Poker Tournaments | 2002 | 415,200 |
| Poker Tournaments | 2003 | 114,100 |
| Poker Tournaments | 2004 | 18,240 |
| Poker Tournaments | 2005 | 2,305,323 |
| Poker Tournaments | 2006 | 865,824 |
| Poker Tournaments | 2007 | 209,244 |
| Poker Tournaments | 2008 | 1,818,968 |
| Poker Tournaments | 2009 | 1,760,994 |
| Poker Tournaments | 2010 | 417,819 |
| Poker Tournaments | 2012 | 2,576,052 |
| Poker Tournaments | 2013 | 92,384 |
| Poker Tournaments | 2014 | 3,783,608 |
Edge-Sorting Allegations
In August 2012, Ivey was refused payment by the Crockfords casino in London beyond his initial $1.24 million for using edge-sorting in a game of baccarat to swindle the casino out of $11 million.
In April 2014, Ivey faced similar allegations and was sued by The Borgata Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for capitalizing on defective playing cards to win over $10 million.
In January 2019, a federal court issued a statement to seize Phil’s assets to recoup the losses endured by The Borgata.
On June 27, 2019, Phil’s winnings from the 2019 World Series of Poker were seized to recoup the remaining losses by The Borgata.
Philanthropy
Incongruous to his poker lifestyle, Phil is a philanthropist at heart. Over the years, he has donated to numerous charitable foundations. In March 2008, Phil donated $50,000 to the Vegas-based charity foundation, Empowered 2 Excel, that benefits homeless people.
He also founded the Budding Ivey Foundation in the namesake of his grandfather. The foundation raises funding for Empowered 2 Excel as well as other charity drives that benefit the children-at-risk and the impoverished.
Early Life And Childhood
Phil Ivey was born Phillip Dennis Ivey Jr. on February 1, 1977. The son of Phil Ivey Sr. and Pamela Ivey, Phil Jr., was born in Riverside, California, but moved to Roselle, New Jersey, when he was three months old.
Phil attended Old Bridge High School in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey.
Marriage And Relationship
Phil married his high school sweetheart, Luciaetta, at the Little White Wedding Chapel, Las Vegas, on May 19, 2002. They had attended the same high school together and continued seeing each other for years before finally tying the knot.
They jointly filed for divorce in December 2009, and their divorce was finalized on December 29, 2009.
