Why we love/admire Phil Ivey

[Brisk317]

This is an excerpt from the book "Deal Me In" in regard to Phil Ivey's approach to his life as a high stakes gambler:

"People frequently ask me what amount of money is at risk before I begin to be nervous: there is no amount of money that makes me sweat. You must remember that I don't come from money. To me, when I'm gambling, it's what I do - it's who I am. I don't get nervous when I'm betting big money. I just try to make good decisions. I feel that no matter how much I lose, I can always recoup it - without exception. I might have to play a little smarter or a little harder, but I always know that if I lose it, I'll get it back. That's how I've always felt, my whole life. So if I have it and I'm able to bet it, I will." --- Phil Ivey

It's this kind of fearlessness and determination that we all wish we had.

At times it's easy to say things like this but it's much harder to actually back it up.

Good luck in November Phil!

[jrw5001]

How is the rest of the book?

[JohnLance]

Ivey is the god damned man. It's those darty eyes that freak people out. My brother's girlfriend has Phil Ivey eyes and it bugs me out a lot of the time.

[angus]

wow i wanted the book anyways, but know i just need to know what else ivey has said/done, he's just one step up above the rest

[Pendulous Threads]

I admire him because he's not trying to impress anybody. He does what he does and he's very good at it. Whatever happens, there is no outward grief, angst, berating, cheering, gloating. He's not going to make a particular decision based on a camera watching(ex. Brad Booth's big bluff on HSP and Ivey just sitting down), he's just going to do his thing and make the best decisions he can. We all strive to be emotionless with our decisions, some are very good at it, but very few actually implement it. I actually don't admire him for the big bankroll(though that is sick), i admire that he got it because he earned it. I'm sure he took shots when it seemed right, lost some but won most of them. Some of us want to shortcut the path to reaching Ivey's status(ignoring whether its possible or not) and not put in the work. And that is what sets some back. Some lose their first 500,000 pot and it destroys them and they contemplate hanging it up, Ivey wouldnt have taken the shot if he couldnt handle it.

[CalPolyKid]

Originally Posted by jrw5001

How is the rest of the book?

.

[Brisk317]

I haven't read the whole thing yet but the profiles I have read: Ivey, Dwan, Brunson, Chan, Scotty Nguyen, and Ferguson have all been interesting.

I'd definitely pick it up if you're interested in any of the players in it. There's a bunch of stuff I hadn't read or heard before and it's cool to see how these players made their way up to the highest level.

[The 6th Wilbury]

Ooo, I just posted to a thread in the Reading Material forum. Brisk, did you buy it through Hellmuth's website, or is there somewhere else I can find it?

[oldstylecubsfan]

I feel that no matter how much I lose, I can always recoup it - without exception. I might have to play a little smarter or a little harder, but I always know that if I lose it, I'll get it back.

I wonder if this includes dice too or just poker.

[Christopher G.]

I wonder what kind of bankroll management he uses if any