Understanding Phil Gordon

The 2005 WSOP at the Rio in Las Vegas was a sea of players, event staff, press, and onlookers. Phil Gordon's tall stature and recognizable sincere grin allowed him to stand out from the masses. His long legs allowed him to lumber through the crowd quickly, and he seemed to know half the people in the room as he waved, nodded, and greeted friends and acquaintances with each step.

Many assume that Phil's story begins and ends with his televised playing experiences on the WPT, and by his commentary work for the Bravo network's popular show called Celebrity Poker Showdown. Those who know Phil well understand that these accomplishments at the table and on the TV screen are simply side notes into this amazing man's continuing life story.

Phil Gordon was seen as a child prodigy, with his extreme intelligence making it difficult for his school teachers to find a way to keep up with the information he was able to sponge up. With that, Gordon cruised through school and skipped grades, graduating High School and entering college with a National Merit Scholarship at only age 15! A few years later he earned a degree in Computer Science and began his career.

After a few years in the high-tech industry, Phil took a chance by becoming the lead software engineer for a fledgling tech company in California. This was certainly the best gamble of his life. Thanks to Gordon's work, this small company produced amazing results and was purchased by tech giant Cisco Systems for a whopping $95 million dollars in stock and cash during the technology boom of the 1990's. Phil, of course, secured a large portion of those monies. Still a young man in his mid twenties, Phil Gordon gave all of his old possessions to Goodwill and took the trip of a lifetime. He took a backpack, camera, and some travel books and literally saw the planet. He traveled solo, meeting new friends and locals each day. Exploring 50 countries on 6 continents over 5 years worth of time, he crisscrossed the globe to take in the sights and culture of places such as Africa, the Galapagos, the Amazon & South America, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Amsterdam, and so much more.

As his travels wound toward completion, Gordon found a new passion: poker. He was still an unknown in the poker world when he entered the 2001 WSOP main event. When he ended up scoring $400,000 via a 4th place finish, he was unknown no longer. In the years following his breakout performance he made his way to other final tables at the WSOP, WPT, and won the Bay 101 event of the WPT in 2004 by knocking out 2 guys on the final hand. Television and radio executives knew that this genuinely sincere and likable guy would be prefect for broadcasting. His charisma shines through when he covers events, causing his fan base to continue to grow.

Phil Gordon: Play Profile & Prediction

PLAY PROFILE: Phil Gordon is known to be extremely intelligent and incisive. This sharp mind helps him to analyze the statistics of the game to near perfection. While many know that he is a skilled NL Texas Hold 'Em player, Phil will actually tell you his best game (and favorite game) is Omaha. His carefree and kind nature allows him to handle bad beats with style, and he rarely allows tilt to affect his game. The money in poker is not the motivator for this multi-talented guy. Instead, Gordon loves the game, the camaraderie, and the pure challenge that it provides. In short, he loves the brutal psychological competition that poker provides. Phil also does enjoy the fame, a bit.

PREDICTIONS: There literally is no telling what this guy will do next. He's still a young man, but he's already retired a multi-millionaire, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, written 3 books, won major poker tournaments around the world, lived amongst gorillas in Uganda, and chummed around with Hollywood's elite while hosting a TV show. Who could ever envision one young life having so much depth? With Phil Gordon being such a nice, likable guy he's sure to be a focal point for the media in poker. But Phil is not as engrossed into poker and the tournament trail when compared to some of the biggest stars of the game. For instance, Phil took time out of his playing schedule to travel in 2003. Phil bought a huge RV and took the "ultimate" sports road trip - hitting every major sporting event including the Super Bowl, Indy 500, the Final Four, Stanley Cup, US Open, the Masters, etc. So, Phil's poker career could easily be sidetracked by his next spark of interest. But who can blame him for enjoying himself and his success? Phil may not leave a huge mark in the history books of poker, but he has made his mark on his life. One of the truly amazing characters of poker, expect Phil to do one thing: the unexpected. He seems to lead a great life filled with fun, poker, travel, and friends. No wonder he always has a wide smile on his face…

♣ To check out where Phil plays poker online, visit Full Tilt Poker.

More Poker Player Profiles

♣ Andy Bloch ♣ Annie Duke ♣ Antonio Esfandiari ♣ Chris Ferguson ♣ Dan Harrington ♣ Daniel Negreanu ♣ Doyle Brunson ♣ Greg Raymer ♣ Gus Hansen ♣ Howard Lederer ♣ James Woods

♣ Jennifer Harman ♣ Johnny Chan ♣ Mark Seif ♣ Mike Matusow ♣ Phil Gordon ♣ Phil Hellmuth ♣ Phil Ivey ♣ Phil Laak ♣ Poker Hotties ♣ Sam Farha ♣ TJ Cloutier

♣ Back to the index page about poker players.