Phil Gordon
Written May 21, 2008 by Jack Jones
Phil Gordon was born on July 6th, 1970. and currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. He graduated in 1991 from Georgia Tech, where he earned a degree in computer science. He then went to work for Santa Cruz Operation before moving on to Lockheed, and finally joining a small start-up called Netsys Technologies. When Netsys was acquired by Cisco Systems, Gordon became a millionaire and decided to retire from the technology industry to do some travelling, and play poker.
Gordon entered his first World Series of Poker Main Event in 2001, and came in 4th, taking home a cool $400,000 in winnings. Gordon then made two final tables in 2002 events, and then again in the No Limit Texas Holdem Shootout in 2005. He is still without a bracelet but has career WSOP winnings of $641,073.
It seems like Gordon has had more success while playing in World Poker Tour events. In 2004 he knocked out two players in the same hand to win the Bay 101 Shooting Stars Tournament. In 2002 he won the professional division of the first annual Ultimate Bet Aruba tournament, however, he ending up losing the championship to Juha Helppi, the winner of the amateur division tournament.
While Gordon is a successful poker player, he also is accomplished at other games as evidenced by his 1990 Red Ribbon Pairs national bridge championship.
Gordon’s involvement with poker extends beyond playing, as he often can be found as a commentator on televised poker events. He was a commentator on Celebrity Poker Showdown for several seasons, and also commentates for Binion’s online broadcasts from the World Series of Poker Championship Event.
Gordon is also an accomplished author who at this point has had three books on poker published – including ‘Poker: The Real Deal’, and ‘Phil Gordon’s Little Green Book: Lessons and Teachings in No Limit Holdem’.
His books have a very hands-on style, and he often walks readers through hands that he has encountered in tournament play, and explains the decisions he made. He also produced an instructional DVD called ‘Expert Insight: Final Table Poker’.
Gordon has also written several articles for poker magazines, and has a regular column with ESPN.com.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- 2009 World Series of Poker Pre-Registration Open
- Win A Seat to the 2009 WSOP!
- Phil Mickelson Odds to Win the Masters
- 2009 WSOP Qualifiers at Bodog Poker
- 2009 National Heads Up Poker Championship Odds
Got something to say?
No comments yet, but your thoughts are welcome!