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Interviews and Articles
Phil Ivey Interview - Taken from FlopTurnRiver
Thanks to CardPlayer magazine
Christy Devine: How old were you when you started playing?
Phil Ivey: The first time I played was with my grandfather when I was 8 or 9 years old. He showed me how to play five-card stud. The first time I ever played for money, I was 16.
Christy Devine: Were you sneaking into casinos at 16?
Phil Ivey: No, I was sneaking into casinos at 17 or 18.
Christy Devine: I knew it. Everyone has his own sneaking-into-casinos story. Did you have a good fake ID?
Phil Ivey: I had an ID. I was Jerome, Jerome Graham. That was my name. Everybody in Atlantic City knew me as Jerome until I turned 21. When I turned 21, I walked into the Tropicana and found the shift manager. I said, "Hey, my name's Phil." She said, "What?" I said, "My name's Phil. I'm sorry." She told me it was OK. She didn't think I was old enough to be in there anyway, but there was nothing they could do then; I was official.
Christy Devine: How long have you been playing professionally?
Phil Ivey: I started playing for a living when I was 21, maybe 22. That's when I really started trying hard to make money at poker.
Christy Devine: What made you think you could do this for a living?
Phil Ivey: I would look around at the other people who were doing it for a living, and would think, "They're making money playing poker?" So, I would play with them and not be very impressed. I thought it was the best thing ever, being able to play cards for a living. What could beat that?
Christy Devine: Did you think it was going to be a lot easier than it has been?
Phil Ivey: It seems simple until you start losing. People have different ways that they go about making money. I'm not the best at managing money. If I've got the money to play, I'm gonna play.
Like many Chris Ferguson and many other great players, Phil Ivey supports Full Tilt. Phil Ivey talks about some of the advantages of Full Tilt including the quality software and the chance for folks to play and chat with pros:
Christy Devine: How did you get involved with Full TiltPoker?
Phil Ivey: I was involved from the very beginning when Chris (Ferguson) told me he was working on a site. All the guys involved with the site are people I respect. I respect them as people and as players.
Christy Devine: Do you think Full Tilt has put out a good product?
Phil Ivey: I do believe it is a good product. The software is the best out there and the games are the best, and where else can you go to talk with professional players and play with them? We're trying to give the quality service to customers that the other online sites don't give them. We're trying to make things a little more personal. Right now, there is a big deposit bonus, and a lot more people are playing than a few months ago.
Christy Devine: How much time do you spend online at Full Tilt?
Phil Ivey: I try to play about 10 hours a week.
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