Updated on 22 Feb 26 by
Avatar photo Robbie Strazynski
Poker Expert

Phil Ivey 2.0 is Good for Poker and Great for Poker Fans

Founder of the Cardplayerlifestyle.com poker blog Robbie Strazynski explains why the new media savvy Phil Ivey is a good thing for everyone in the poker community.

ivey 2.0As always, the latest edition of the World Series of Poker has left us fans of the game with a number of great stories and memories. One of the summer’s many highlights was Phil Ivey winning his 10th bracelet. Beyond his additional success at the felt, however, there’s been a marked change about Ivey that one can’t help but notice – he’s become more accessible to the media, and thus to poker fans, than ever before.

Already the #1 player in the game and thought to be “the people’s champion”, Phil Ivey has successfully “upped his game” one step further to scatter some of the clouds of his mystique and reveal to us the person we’ve all wanted to get to know for so long. I’ll dub this re-birth of character the emergence of Phil Ivey 2.0.

As Phil has stated publicly numerous times lately, he’s “working on his legacy”. While to a large extent that’s being accomplished by his deep runs and wins in one poker tournament after another, it’s also away from the felt where Ivey has made a distinct mark over the past few months. Promotional appearances were to be expected upon the founding of his Ivey League training site and Ivey Poker app, but Phil Ivey has done far more than be the front man for his products.

Within the poker world, he has been a guest on multiple podcasts, has agreed to many short and long video interviews on some of the bigger poker sites out there, and has made himself available for the first time to ESPN Poker. I was even able, and fortunate enough, to snag a Phil Ivey interview myself!



But a superstar like Phil Ivey transcends the game of poker, which makes it wonderful for the game that he also recently got profiled in a mainstream publication like Playboy Magazine! As with any other sport, the more media attention and publicity the game’s top player gets, the better it is for the promotion of the game itself.

Poker fans couldn't be more delighted

If you know who Phil Ivey is, by now you probably know who Mel and Pat Humphries are. The senior citizens have known Phil for years and years, ever since he was a (too) young grinder in Atlantic City. While they may be his biggest fans, they’re certainly not his only ones. They sit atop legions and legions of poker fans who love nothing more than to see Phil Ivey succeed.



To root for Ivey is akin to rooting for Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, or Pelé, at the peak of their powers. As a poker fan, there’s nothing more exciting than watching him go to work at the felt, save for, perhaps, being exposed to him away from the felt. Up until recently, however, such opportunities were almost as rare as flopping a royal flush.

Now that we’ve got Phil Ivey 2.0, it has been a boon to poker fandom. Much like at the poker tables, Phil’s got that Midas touch with the people. Everyone who interacts with him gets infused with a rush of excitement and adrenaline. Many members of the poker media, who Phil had in the past avoided, are just now getting to speak with him for the first time and they’re calling those experiences the highlights of their careers. Case in point is Remko Rinkema, who did some great work this summer producing an entertaining video series called Ivey Stories:



It's also been enchanting to get a glimpse of Phil Ivey “behind the scenes”. To wit, fans have been treated to a number of great video shoots that have highlighted Phil’s lifestyle.

More to come

As popular as Phil Ivey was prior to his “transformation”, now that he’s peeled off a number of layers and exposed us poker fans that much more to his personality and lifestyle, the “cult of Ivey” has only grown. Of course, he still retains that aura of excellence with a shine that’s sure not to wane. That luster is guaranteed to continue attracting us, much like WSOP bracelets seems to keep gravitating towards Phil’s wrists. It seems as though Phil Ivey 2.0 is here to stay. Approaching 40 years of age, Phil is indeed adding more and more to his legend, and it will be a pleasure watching it unfold.

Robbie StrazynskiRobbie Strazynski is the founder of the Cardplayerlifestyle.com poker blog, the co-creator of the Poker Notes Live mobile app, and the co-host of the Top Pair Home Game Poker Podcast. He has been working in the online gaming industry since 2009 and has written for a number of poker and casino publications.

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Avatar photo
Robbie Strazynski
Poker Expert

Robbie Strazynski is the founder of the <a target="_blank" href="https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/">Cardplayerlifestyle.com</a> poker blog. Founded in 2009, the Cardplayer Lifestyle poker blog has grown to become a leading source of engaging poker lifestyle pieces, fascinating and controversial poker op-eds, and interviews with top poker personalities. Robbie also co-created the Poker Notes Live mobile app, which enables players to quickly and efficiently take notes on their own play and the tells and observations they pick up from their opponents. It's the first app that brings the note-taking technology that online poker players have long benefited from to the live poker arena. In June, 2014 Robbie joined Bruce Briggs as the new co-host of the popular Top Pair Home Game Poker Podcast. Targeted at "weekend warriors" and poker enthusiasts, the podcast discusses myriad issues related to home game poker. We also interview some of poker's top players and personalities and ask them about their home game experiences - truly unique poker content. Residing in Israel, Robbie has been employed full-time in the online gaming industry since 2010. He has written for a number of well-known poker and casino publications, both online and in print, and has been a featured guest on numerous poker podcasts and radio shows.