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Phil Gordon is easily one of Poker’s most interesting personalities; while not
flashy like Devilfish Ulliot or outspoken like Phil Hellmuth, Gordon is
certainly a character. Despite not entering the arena of professional poker
until 2001, the 34-year young Gordon has already claimed over $1 million in
winnings.
Born in Texas, July 6th 1970, Philip Stewart Gordon took a liking to Poker at
a very young age; his career began at age 7, playing against his great aunt
for pennies. Phil was a standout all the way through his education, and
entered college at 15 on a National Merit Scholarship. He graduated from the
Georgia Institute of Technology at age 20 with a degree in Computer Sciences.
After a very successful professional career including 2 years at NASA, Phil’s
corporate interests were purchased by Cisco Systems. Gordon chose to take the
money and run! He bought himself a 1-way ticket to Africa, donated the rest to
Charity, and left to travel. In the 5 years that followed, Phil Gordon did
things most of us could only dream of, including swimming with the sharks,
climbing the Kilimanjaro, judging a wet t-shirt contest in Australia, and
driving a Land Rover over 20,000 km of dessert!
Phil burst onto the Poker scene in 2001, when he finished 4th at the World
Series of Poker main event. He also got a spot on the Travel Channel
documentary of the event, which is appropriate given Gordon’s extensive travel
history. In 2002, he backed up his stellar performance with two final table
appearances at the WSOP. After these impressive results, Phil was invited to
play in the inaugural WPT event in Aruba; here he proved what insightful
observers had known all along, as he took out 7 of the top players in the
world to take home his first major tournament victory. His play is steady but
unpredictable, and with Phil’s mathematical intelligence and cunning, he is a
very challenging opponent.
One of Phil’s defining traits throughout his professional career, and life in
general has always been generosity. After his interests were purchased by
Cisco, he immediately made some large donations to those less fortunate. In
2003, Phil and friend Rafe Furst combined their love of sports with altruism
and did the “The Greatest Road Trip in Sports History” where they traveled
across the country taking in sporting events in all the major stadiums, while
raising money for the Cancer Research Foundation.
At only 34, Phil has proven himself to be a resounding success at anything he
chooses to do. Watch for this dynamic player to continue to surprise the
veterans whenever he buys-in at a tournament.
Phil Gordon's Official Site
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