Phil Ivey is the record holder for total tournament winnings as of 2010, but this is just a snapshot of the many accomplishments that he has had over his impressive career. Ivey is seen as the best all around poker player by many in the industry, including a large number of the people who have played directly against him. The reason, they say, is that Ivey isn’t just a one trick horse. He can play online poker or live poker. He can player large table games, tournaments, or head to head. Whatever he does, he’s likely to come out on top.

For Ivey, it started in New Brunswick with telemarketing. He and a group of friends, whom he met through a telemarketing company, began a regular poker game which allowed Ivey to get some practice while he was still too young to gamble. He continued to get experience by taking trips to Atlantic City, but did so before he was 21 years old. His nickname "No Home Jerome" comes from the fake ID that he used to get this valuable experience.

Ivey has some of the most impressive numbers for a WSOP player. In addition to his high all time winnings, he has won seven bracelets. This was all done between 2000 and 2010, and he set or broke various records along the way. In 2000, he began by becoming the only player to beat the famed Amarilo Slim heads up. He won three bracelets in 2002, tying with two other players for the record of most bracelets won in a single year. He has reached the final table in WSOP events on 22 occasions, and passed the money point a full 36 times. He’s famed for his skill at the table and his philanthropy off of it, and continues to make an amazing impression in the poker world each year.