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Phil Gordon

For the mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, see Phil Gordon (politician)

Philip Stewart Gordon (born July 6, 1970) is an American professional poker player, author, and commentator, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of 2008, Gordon's total live tournament winnings exceed $1,700,000.

Gordon graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in computer science in 1991. After stints working at Santa Cruz Operation and Lockheed, Gordon joined start-up Netsys Technologies as their first hired employee. In 1996, Netsys was acquired by Cisco Systems, making him a millionaire, and in 1997 he retired from the high-tech industry to travel the world and to play poker.

World Series of Poker

Phil Gordon first entered The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in 2001 and finished 4th, winning $400,000. In 2002, he made two more WSOP final tables, finishing 6th in the $2,000 Pot Limit hold 'em event and 3rd in the $2,500 Omaha Hi/Lo Split event. At the 2005 WSOP, he finished 3rd in the $1,500 No Limit Texas hold 'em Shootout event. Although he made several WSOP final tables, he has yet to win a bracelet. To date, Gordon has won $641,073 at the World Series of Poker.

World Poker Tour

In March 2004 Gordon knocked out two players at once to win the WPT's Bay 101 Shooting Stars tournament. In 2002, Gordon won the professional division of the first UltimateBet Aruba tournament, before losing the championship to the amateur division's winner, Juha Helppi.

Other events

On Thanksgiving Day 2006, Gordon won the Full Tilt Poker Poker Championship at Red Rock, outlasting 5 other notable poker headliners and ultimately defeating Roland De Wolfe heads-up to win a purse of $600,000. Gordon earned $25,000 at the 2007 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship tournament, finishing in the final 16. Gordon defeated Scotty Nguyen and 2006 WSOP Main Event champion Jamie Gold to advance.

Poker commentary

Gordon is well known for his commentary on poker broadcasts. Most notably, he was a commentator on Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown for seven seasons, before stepping down in 2006. In 2003, he provided commentary for the WSOP Championship Event for Binion's live Internet broadcast, as well as daily reports for a national radio audience, and he provided commentary for ESPN's live pay per view broadcast of the final table of the World Series of Poker main event championship in both 2006 and 2007. He was also the lead broadcaster for the ESPN series, The Pro-Am Poker Equalizer that began airing January 6, 2007.

Gordon has written three books on poker, including Poker: The Real Deal, Phil Gordon's Little Green Book: Lessons and Teachings in No Limit Hold 'em, and Phil Gordon's Little Blue Book: More Lessons and Hand Analysis in No Limit Hold 'em. He has released an award winning instructional DVD, Expert Insight: Final Table Poker. Gordon has also written for poker magazines, and writes a regular column and hosts a podcast, The Poker Edge, for ESPN.com. The podcast has been airing since April 10, 2006.

Cancer Research

Gordon was first taught poker by his aunt, who died of liver cancer. As such, he has carried out fundraising as a Board Member of the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation, a charity he has supported since he and fellow poker pro, Rafe Furst, embarked on their Ultimate Sports Adventure tour in 2003-04.

He has raised funds by selling a tip booklet he wrote for Celebrity Poker Showdown contestants; forming the grassroots "Bad Beat on Cancer" initiative at the 2003 World Series of Poker; setting up a $200 entry Roshambo tournament at the 2005 World Series of Poker, with the first prize being a buy-in to the main event, and all profits going to the charity; hosting a celebrity poker tournament one day prior to Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston; and donating private lessons ($500) and autographed books ($50) available exclusively at the CRPF website.

Personal life

Gordon is 6'9" (2.06 m) tall. He has won two national bridge competitions at American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championships (NABC). In Boston in the Summer NABC in 1990 he won the Red Ribbon Pairs. In Las Vegas in the Summer NABC in 2008 he won the Open Swiss Teams. Gordon was profiled in the New York Times bridge column on August 16, 2008. His first child, Alexander "Xander" Smith Gordon, was born May 28, 2008.