"Phil's the best" ... Phil Ivey is competing at Melbourne's Crown Casino in Australia's richest poker tournament.
PHIL IVEY, the world's most famous gambler, wins and loses amounts of money that represent salaries, mortgages and superannuation payouts for most Australians.
The 34-year-old American is competing in the Aussie Millions poker tournament at Melbourne's Crown Casino but he says it's not the tournament or its million-dollar-plus main event first prize that has enticed him to Australia, but ''the action'' around the tournament. Ivey is also keen to check out, for the first time, Sydney's Star City casino.
Known as the Tiger Woods of poker - although he thinks a comparison with the disgraced golfer is no longer relevant - Ivey is acknowledged as the best player at all three aspects of the poker - online, tournament and cash games.
''In the past that was three different people, but over the last few years the best player was just Phil Ivey, and there isn't even an argument, and that's really unusual in a game like poker,'' said Chris Ferguson, another US player in Australia for the tournament.
''It doesn't matter what the game is, Phil's the best,'' said Howard Lederer, a poker pro who has a side bet with Ivey on whether the champ will win another World Series of Poker in the next two years. The bet is rumoured to be $US5 million.
The Aussie Millions is Australia's richest poker tournament, but the organised games are often a sideshow for poker pros playing private cash games and taking side bets.
Ivey started playing card games at his grandfather's house in New Jersey as a child before moving as a teenager to Atlantic City - and spending 10 to 12 hours a day playing poker, courtesy of a fake ID. He later honed his skills at a regular seven-card stud game hosted by the Penthouse publisher Larry Flynt.
In 2002, Ivey won three World Series of Poker bracelets, a feat not bettered, establishing himself as the world's best player.
He is best known for his freakish ability to ''read'' other players' cards, but his gambling isn't limited to poker. Along with table games such as craps and baccarat, he also bets heavily on sports results and golf. When asked about the most obscure thing he has bet on, Ivey nominated the speed at which two ice cubes would melt.
''I enjoy myself when I'm betting, life's just more fun that way,'' said Ivey.
His net worth is a popular internet topic, but the softly spoken American doesn't like to talk about specific amounts as people ''can't relate to it and to talk about it seem crass''. However, the poker reference site highstakesdb.com says Ivey has made more than $US18 million in online games since the site started in 2007.
The Aussie Millions runs until Sunday.
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