Phil Gordon

Phil Gordon is a sort of hybrid poker “superstar.” While some big names are known solely for their prowess on the felt, Gordon has truly developed an all-around poker career.

Phil burst onto the scene as a relative unknown in 2001 when he placed fourth in the World Series of Poker Main Event. He made two more WSOP final tables the following year. In 2004, he captured the WPT Bay 101 championship and is one of only a handful of players who have both won a WPT championship and made the final table of the WSOP Main Event.

Even with many strong WSOP and WPT finishes, Phil Gordon is perhaps best known as a television analyst and author. He became a household name as co-host of Celebrity Poker Showdown on Bravo, and has since done commentary for ESPN’s WSOP pay-per-view broadcast, as well as the Equalizer on ESPN. His first poker book, Poker: The Real Deal, has become an industry classic, and his follow-ups, The Little Green Book and The Little Blue Book, have received much praise. He also released an excellent DVD, Final Table Poker.

Phil grew up in the Atlanta, Georgia area, and attended Georgia Tech University at the age of 15, earning a degree in computer science. Upon graduation, he moved out to Northern California to work for Lockheed Missiles and Space Company. Phil quit the daily grind when a later company he worked for, NETSYS Technologies, was sold to Cisco Systems, netting Phil a significant payday. With his newfound financial freedom, Phil traveled the world for five years.

Gordon's total live tournament winning exceed $2.7 million and he has18 WSOP cash finishes. 

Phil Gordon Fun Facts and Finishes

• One WPT championship – Bay 101 Shooting Stars (2004)
• Completed the “Ultimate Sports Adventure” with friend Rafe Furst. Attended 138 sporting events in 34 states and drove over 43,000 miles.
• Spokesperson and member of Board of Directors for the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation. Started “Bad Beat on Cancer” with Furst, asking players to pledge 1% of their tournament winnings to the Foundation.
• Gordon is one of the original "Tiltboys", a group of northern California poker players who helped design the software the was used by Full Tilt Poker.