Phil Gordon

Phil Gordon was born on July 6, 1970, in El Paso, Texas, and grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He enrolled at the Georgia Institute of Technology at age 15 while still attending high school. After finishing the 11th grade, he left high school early and attended Georgia Tech full-time on a National Merit Scholarship, earning a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in 1991.

After graduating, Gordon worked for Santa Cruz Operation and Lockheed before joining the startup Netsys Technologies as its first employee. In 1996, Netsys was acquired by Cisco Systems, making him a millionaire. In 1997, he retired from the high-tech industry to travel the world and pursue poker.

World Series of Poker (WSOP)

Gordon finished fourth in the 2001 WSOP Main Event, earning nearly $400,000. In 2002, he made two WSOP final tables: sixth in the $2,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event and third in the $2,500 Omaha Hi-Lo Split event. In 2005, he placed third in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout. Despite multiple final table appearances, he has not won a WSOP gold bracelet. However, he won the 2010 WSOP "Bet for Africa" event, defeating actress Shannon Elizabeth, and donated his entire $129,086 prize to charity.

World Poker Tour (WPT)

In March 2004, Gordon won the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars event, defeating two opponents (including former WSOP Main Event champion Chris Moneymaker) and earning $360,000. This is his only WPT title and his only WPT final table appearance.

Other Events

In November 2006, Gordon won the Full Tilt Poker Red Rock Championship, defeating five other notable players and eventually Roland De Wolfe to take the $600,000 first prize. In 2007, he reached the round of 16 in the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, defeating Scotty Nguyen and Jamie Gold, earning $25,000. As of January 2015, his live tournament winnings total over $2.7 million.

Online Poker

Gordon is a member of the "Tiltboys" group, which helped design the software later used by Full Tilt Poker. He was a member of the Full Tilt Poker team.

Gordon is well known for his poker commentary. He was the commentator for Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown for seven consecutive seasons until 2006. In 2003, he provided live webcast commentary for Binion's WSOP Main Event and daily reports for national radio. In 2006 and 2007, he commentated on ESPN's pay-per-view broadcast of the WSOP Main Event final table. He also served as the lead commentator on ESPN's Pro-Am Poker Equalizer. Additionally, he was an ESPN.com poker analyst for five years and served on the WSOP Player Advisory Committee.

Gordon has raised over $50 million through poker charity events for organizations including the Clinton Foundation, the Tiger Woods Foundation, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and others. He regularly hosts events for President Bill Clinton and the Clinton Foundation.

In business, Gordon is the founder and CEO of Prompt.io, a communication platform for political campaigns, advocacy groups, and nonprofits. Prompt.io has approximately 40 employees and is backed by several investment firms.

Gordon lives with his wife Barb and their two sons, Xander and Zachary, in Seattle, Washington. He also owns a vacation home in eastern Washington, where he keeps donkeys, alpacas, dogs, cats, goats, and other animals. His hobbies include bridge (he is a two-time national champion), golf, tennis, chess, woodworking, piano, backgammon, fishing, and photography.

Gordon has authored four poker books, including the classic Phil Gordon's Little Green Book, which have been published globally in multiple languages with total sales nearing 500,000 copies. He systematically teaches poker strategy through books and video tutorials, earning him the nickname "The Poker Professor" in the poker community.

Gordon's tags include "TV Commentator," "Poker Author," and "Tiltboy." His aggressive playing style and deep insights have had a profound impact on poker education. His works and shows have inspired countless players to learn the mathematical and psychological foundations of poker.