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Paul Phillips has been playing in big poker tournaments since the late
1990s, after making a lot of money the height of the dot-com boom by selling
stock he earned from his job as Chief Technical Officer for a company called
Go2Net.com. Knowing exactly when to get out of a hand is a business skill
that has translated well at the poker tables for Phillips: since 1999 he has
won over $2.2 million in tournaments throughout the United States and
Europe. Of those wins, 11 have been in tournaments featuring games other
than
no-limit
hold'em. That an intellectual like Phillips would enjoy games as
diverse as lowball draw, pot-limit
Omaha, and
seven card stud
hi-lo is no real surprise. Neither is his outspokenness, given his
background as a frequent contributor to the
rec.gambling.poker newsgroup on the internet.
The times before poker and TV got together were quite different from today,
where nearly every professional has his own web presence and poker strategy
posts abound on websites dedicated to the game. The rec.gambling.poker
newsgroup, or RGP as it is frequently abbreviated, was once the shining
light of poker knowledge on the internet. Much like the atmosphere of
website message boards can be, the tone of newsgroup discussions is often
harsh - people who never have to face one another say things they might
otherwise hold back, and "flame wars" frequently develop. Paul has been
posting to RGP for some time, and has gained a reputation there as a
respected poker mind. Along the way, he's also earned the enmity of others
who don't appreciate his sometimes bristly style (or his complex opinion on
Phil
Hellmuth).
In recent years Paul has continued to post to RGP but has also maintained
his personal LiveJournal.
Reading Phillips' site is infinitely entertaining to anyone who isn't put
off by his style. He chooses to write about topics all over the map; one day
you might read a discussion of how much equity he held in a particular
triple-draw lowball hand, and the very next post might focus on how to build
your own DVR for recording television. He interacts frequently with
commenters on his site, who range from star-struck television viewers to
other serious players, and never holds anything back. His philosophy is that
on his site, he can say whatever he wants - and there's rarely a spot where
he doesn't want to say something of interest.
Anyone who reads Phillips' writing regularly won't be surprised when they see
him in action. His deep thinking about the game and desire for intellectual
stimulation have spurred him on to a great deal of success. He's cashed in 7
WSOP events since 1999 and made 3 WPT final tables the last three years. The
most impressive of those WPT finishes was when he won the 2003 Bellagio
Five-Diamond World Poker Classic, fending off a final table that included
Chip Jett,
Mel Judah,
Gus Hansen,
and Dewey Tomko. He finished 2nd on the money list in 2003 after going on
the sort of tournament run that most players dream about, a feat even made
even more impressive when placed against the backdrop of his
"semi-retirement" the previous year. Because money isn't a motivator for a
rich man, winning was all Paul wanted - and in 2002, making lots of final
tables only to come up short time and again made him want to quit. His
impressive run in late 2003 continued into the next year, when he made a run
at WSOP Player of the Year honors.
When Paul Phillips isn't busy writing or playing in
big
buy-in tournaments, chances are he's finding some way or another to
toy with Phil Hellmuth. When the two played at the National Heads-Up Poker
Championship in 2005 - a match that inspired a
CardPlayer article from the former WSOP champ - Paul showed up wearing
a Hellmuth hockey jersey with pocket nines (Hellmuth's winning WSOP hand
from 1989) on the back. On his site he has written many times about his
fascination with the unintentional comedy of poker's self-professed boy
genius, and in fact has proclaimed himself Hellmuth's watchdog. Anyone who
thinks this is out of malice would probably be surprised to learn that one
of the players Phillips admires the most for his skill is none other than
Phil Hellmuth.
There are few players as interesting on as many levels as Paul Phillips. His
presence in the game today, and in the
online poker community
as well, is a welcome one.
Paul Phillips Official Site
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