Phil Gordon - a Frog Turned Prince

From a gawky 6-foot-5-inch, 150-pound high school nerd, Phil Gordon's metamorphosis began in his 20s when he became a millionaire and continued as he became a successful poker player and a charismatic celebrity in his own right.

Phil laughs when he remembers how an old high school friend, with whom he'd lost touch, saw him on television and curiously e-mailed to ask whether the Phil Gordon he saw on television was the same nerd he had known in high school. One look at him and it is hard to imagine that he was ever anything close to a nerd. Presently standing 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 220 pounds, flashing his pearly whites, he looks and acts as if he just stepped out of GQ magazine. He flaunts neither his wealth, his successes, nor his fame.

Phil has always had a great passion for whatever his current endeavor might be; whether it is school, work, or poker, he embraces each task, doing it to the fullest extent possible.

In the 10th grade, Phil was bored out of his mind, so his parents agreed to allow him to attend college classes. At the tender age of 15, he went to high school during the day and carried a college load at night. What kind of boy goes to high school all day and attends college all evening? Phil says he had a hunger to learn, and after all, girls were not an issue for this gangly nerd!

In the 11th grade, he went to high school for two hours in the morning and then took college classes the rest of the day. He scored so high on the PSAT test that he was awarded a National Merit Scholarship. By the end of the 11th grade, 15-year-old Philip was close to receiving his two-year degree from college, so he dropped out of high school, and moved into a dorm and attended Georgia Tech full time. Because he dropped out of high school, his mom affectionately coined the phrase "genius juvenile delinquent" in describing her child-prodigy son.

After attending Georgia Tech for another year, Phil decided to take a little time off from college. Although his mom flaunted the fact that he was a "high school dropout," she wasn't too thrilled when he dropped out of college to play his all-time favorite game, bridge. Being good at whatever he does, he won a National Bridge Championship in Boston and played on the tournament circuit for almost a year before going back to college. It was exciting for a young college student to get paid to play on a bridge team; he received $500 for three days of bridge and travel, just enough to make ends meet.

After taking a year off, he went back to Georgia Tech and graduated in one year. In June of 1991, he graduated, earning a B.S. in computer science with honors. He was recruited by a computer software company in Santa Cruz, California. At 21 years of age, he uprooted and moved to the West.

Phil worked in Santa Cruz but felt unsatisfied. He discovered the Garden City Casino in San Jose, where he spent hours playing in the low-limit games that he couldn't really beat.

His career moved him to Lockheed Missiles and Space; his job was in the artificial intelligence lab doing work for the Department of Defense. It was a pure research lab with 60 people, most of whom had advanced degrees. The staff was very bright, but relied on Phil to write the software they designed.

That's where Phil met his three eventual partners. His three friends left the company but Phil stayed on. He was playing a lot of poker at Garden City Casino and Artichoke Joe's in San Bruno. In fact, he was making more money at poker than he was at Lockheed. When his last project ended, Phil decided he wanted to venture out and try his hand at being a professional poker player.

Phil called all of his friends to tell them the big news: He was going pro! He had $10,000 in the bank. However, being prudent, he walked into his boss's office and asked for a leave of absence. He wanted to play poker for a living, but if he was wrong, he wanted to make sure a job would be waiting for him.

The next day, his three friends who had left Lockheed asked if he was available for lunch. What great news Phil had for them: "I'm going to play poker for a living." The three guys said they had started a new company called Netsys, and they wanted Phil to come aboard. They told him that if he wanted to gamble, he could take six months to gamble on a startup company.

The three guys offered to give young Phil a $5,000 signing bonus and a healthy increase in salary. Phil explains, "These were three of the smartest guys I had ever met in my life, so I agreed." He diligently worked long hours developing software. He says that he was "locked in a small room for 60 to 70 hours a week for a year as the lead engineer at Netsys."

Netsys was a network management software company. In 1993, long before Netscape or AOL, or before people had the Internet, big companies needed software so that corporate networks would work more efficiently. Phil sat alone hour after hour writing such software.

Business flourished, and within a few years, Netsys was ready to go public. Before that happened, Cisco Systems made the four young guys and their 70 employees an offer they couldn't refuse; Cisco bought Netsys for about $95 million.

Phil worked for another six months, until he decided to take a two-week vacation in Bali. It was his first break from work and an eye-opening experience, as he realized there was more to life than work.

Phil's world tour started in Bali, Indonesia, on July 11, 1997. He stated, "I had intended for Bali to simply be a vacation – a week in paradise away from the bustle of work, away from the problems of everyday life. I thought Bali would be exotic, transcendental, and far enough away that I might actually be able to relax. In fact, it was much more. It was, in a word, inspirational."

He came to many realizations, saying, "I realized on that vacation, the first of my life, that I had to stop to enjoy the success and good fortune I had. I realized that the 'American dream' was just that – American, and not my own. Big-screen TVs, fancy cars, mortgage payments, and a beautiful girlfriend were not all that life had to offer. It was clear to me – as clear as the ocean glimmering under the Balinese sunset – that it was time to 'retire' and start a new life. So, I came back from Bali and Thailand a new and invigorated person."

Phil quit his job at Cisco Systems, told his friends and family of his plans, and bought a one-way ticket to South Africa, where his adventures and his new life began.

As of 2004, more than six years after starting his first trip, Phil has visited more than 50 different countries on six continents. He has done what most people only dream of doing. "I've climbed mountains, sang karaoke in Zimbabwe, cage-dived with great white sharks, been to the southernmost tip of South America and to the extremes of Alaska. I've met German, Australian, Dutch, Japanese, Ugandan, Brazilian, Swedish, Israeli, and Norwegian travelers. I've learned innumerable things about the world from them – their cultures, their languages, their traditions. I've had dinner with families in Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, Tanzania, Thailand, and Alaska," he said.

Phil confides, "When I left, my goal was to reinvent, reinvigorate, release, rejuvenate, and rejoice. I've done that and more. The changes in my personality, politics, goals, and range of knowledge and interests have been many. I sincerely hope that the next few years will be all of that and more." You can read about Phil's adventures at www.pgordon.com.

In between his world travels, Phil has become an expert poker player, with many accomplishments to his name. Some of them are as follows:

• 2001: fourth in the World Series of Poker main event for $400,000

• 2002: third in the WSOP $2,500 Omaha eight-or-better event and sixth in the pot-limit hold'em event for nearly $100,000

• 2002: second at the World Poker Tour event in Aruba for $250,000

• 2004: won the WPT event at Bay 101 for $360,000

Phil was no stranger to Bay 101 prior to winning the WPT event. His playful yet errant reputation preceded him.

Phil has a mischievous group of friends called the "Tiltboys," who no doubt convinced the "innocent" Phil to participate in misadventure at Bay 101. The Tiltboys – consisting of Phil (Phyllis), Perry Friedman (Frieda), Phil's best friend Rafe Furst (Rafaela), Bruce Hayek (Bruscilla), and Michael Stern (Michelle) – received a standing ovation that fateful day when they showed up at a ladies-only poker tournament in drag and stood in line looking stunning, with lovely dresses that didn't quite fit, full on Lancome makeup carefully placed onto unshaven faces, hairy legs sporting stockings that fell about the ankle, and walking with a sexy but wobbly gait, trying to balance themselves in stylish high-heel shoes.

The crowd hooted and howled, cheering on this outrageous-looking group of goofs! One concerned patron advised them not to say, "I'm holding the nuts."

When the tournament was over, Tournament Director Matt Savage thoughtfully commented that in the future, Bay 101 would have to do a "panty check" at all women's tournaments. What a considerate guy!

A total of 243 players showed up for Bay 101's 2004 Shooting Star $5,000 buy-in tournament, with a total prize pool of $1,125,000. Phil started day one at the same table as Chris Moneymaker, last year's WSOP winner. Ironically, both men would see one another again at the final table.

Phil believed it was the best poker he had ever played. At the end of the first day he was in fifth place. He was in a zone on the second day, and cracked aces three times. By the end of the day he was the chip leader by far, with $1,238,000, which represented more than half of the chips in play. Phil felt a sense of mounting anxiety, because with more than half of the chips in play, he was supposed to win, which only served to add pressure to his game.

There were four inexperienced players at the final table, along with Chris Moneymaker, who was Phil's main concern. Phil considered himself to have more experience than everyone else at the table combined. After all, he had already finished second at a WPT event in Aruba and played at the final table of the WSOP championship event. He knew how to play under pressure. On the other hand, if he didn't win, he would never hear the end of it from his friends.

The evening before final-table play, Phil typed up a game plan with the help of his best friend, Rafe. Since the biggest threat at the table was Moneymaker, Phil had a specific plan against him. He believed that Moneymaker would want to play his best game for television in order to quash the naysayers who said he just got lucky at the WSOP. Therefore, Phil believed Chris could be bluffed and that Chris would himself cautiously choose a spot to bluff.

After a few hours of final-table play, Phil lost the chip lead and went from $1,240,000 to $700,000 without winning a hand. He explained: "I wasn't getting cards, and when I got a hand, the cards weren't breaking even. Everyone played back at me, and even the short stacks were slinging the chips in." As time went on, Phil built up his stack again.

When it was down to three players, he was in the small blind with $1.7 million, Moneymaker was in the big blind with $500,000, and Masoud Shojaei was on the button with $200,000. The blinds were $20,000-$40,000 with $5,000 antes. Before any action, there was already $75,000 in the pot. Masoud raised all in to $200,000 with 10-6 offsuit and Phil called with A-7 offsuit.

Chris called for Tournament Director Matt Savage and asked what would happen if both he and Masoud lost the hand. Matt explained that the person second in chips would take second, and Chris moved all in for $500,000. Phil had a lot to contemplate, but in the final analysis, he decided to call. Chris flipped over pocket jacks, but shortly thereafter, the flop brought an ace.

Immediately, the tournament came to an abrupt halt while the production team frantically tried to figure out what to do. If Chris got no help on the turn or river, the television show would be over before the ceremonious fanfare of wheeling in the cash and placing the trophy on the table.

After a painfully long time, the hand continued. The final two cards were placed on the table, with no help for Moneymaker, who took second. The final results can be found at CardPlayer.com:

1. Phil Gordon – $360,000

2. Chris Moneymaker – $200,000

3. Masoud Shojaei – $103,300

4. Scott Wilson – $79,800

5. Susan Kim – $68,400

6. Mark Mache – $57,000

Phil won two bounties, busting Howard Lederer and Chris Moneymaker for $5,000 each. Phil donated Moneymaker's bounty to the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation, for whom he is a spokesperson.

Phil started playing poker for pennies at age 7 against his dearly beloved great-aunt Lib, who played a five-card draw game called "whores, fours, and one-eyed jacks." She was an amazing woman who built her own house on 15 acres of land by a lake in Columbia, South Carolina. Phil and his younger sister Ashley were fortunate enough to spend one month every summer with their great-aunt Lib, a master artist who could create anything from painting to wood burning. She also raised show chickens and horses.

During the day, Phil raked leaves, earning a few dollars; at night, he went broke playing poker for pennies and nickels. He describes his great-aunt Lib's poker play as being brutal. She passed away in 2002 of lung cancer, just a day before his win in Aruba. Her death awakened in Phil a desire to help cancer victims.

Phil has a refreshing and uncanny way of intermingling different causes in a most amazing manner. Who would think of having an ultimate sports adventure while raising money for cancer along the way?

Phil explains: "On January 26, 2003, at the Super Bowl, my best friend, Rafe, and I set out on our greatest adventure to date. We bought a 36-foot-long monster RV and painted it red, white, and blue, and in one year traveled 42,000 miles, visiting 40 states and 138 sports events, all the while raising money and awareness for the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation." They raised more than $100,000.

Phil and Rafe had a ticket sponsor, Showmetickets.com, who provided two premium tickets for every event. They started at the Super Bowl, and traveled to the Daytona 500, the Final Four, the Masters, the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont; they went to the Indy 500, 25 baseball stadiums, the Little League, College, and Major League Baseball World Series, the Stanley Cup finals, the NBA finals, and the U.S. Open tennis finals, to name a few. When they returned, Phil was more dedicated to raising money for cancer research than ever before.

At last year's WSOP, Phil started a campaign called "Put a Bad Beat on Cancer," asking players to pledge a donation of 1 percent of their winnings in the championship event. Fortunately for the Cancer and Prevention Research Foundation, Chris Moneymaker was one of those who pledged 1 percent of his winnings, and he gleefully handed over $25,000 to the charity the moment his two underpair turned into a full house to win the championship. Phil is continuing the campaign this year, and hoping to sign up all of the WSOP main event entrants.

His friends just keep getting him in trouble! This time, Phil was at the home of WPT Champion Paul Phillips. Phil began hitting on a cute girl, who turned him down but explained that she was a talent scout for a television show called Blind Date. Phil and Rafe made a bet to determine which of them would go on the blind date. After a serious game of "rock, scissors, paper," Phil lost the bet and had to go on the show.

Phil described things as follows: "They purposely set me up on a train wreck. They asked me what kind of person I like and then set me up with someone totally unlike the person I described." The poor, unsuspecting Phil told the producer he was interested in someone intelligent, college educated, worldly, and well-traveled. They set him up with a 30-year-old high school dropout who had never been anywhere.

To his horror, Phil's date showed up drunk. According to Phil, she was not a little sauced, but so inebriated that the show had to cancel the end of the date because the producer was worried about liability. Although the date was no fun, Phil thought the show was hilarious when his date was shown on national television with a zipper across her head and Phil in scuba gear swimming in her head.

After WPT television appearances and other good fortune, Phil was asked to take a screen test in order to be considered for a position as a host of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown. Phil had that magnanimous television look that beat out other hopefuls.

Phil has come to be a celebrity in his own right, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Ben Affleck, Jon Favreau, Emily Proctor, Don Cheadle, Martin Sheen, Nicole Sullivan, Richard Shiff, and good-timer David Cross, who came to the tournament in his bathrobe.

At a recent poker tournament charity event, I had the pleasure of interviewing some of the celebrities from Bravo's show.

I told David Schwimmer (Ross on Friends) that Phil thought he handled it as well as one could when a lesser hand cracked his aces; Schwimmer replied that Phil is "a great guy and a great teacher with natural charisma."

Jon Favreau said, "With other pros, I feel like Kobe beef being fed to a hungry crowd. Phil is a seasoned veteran who gives friendly advice to newcomers; he's an upfront guy."

Phil pointed out someone by the name of Marcus. I walked over to introduce myself to this charismatic man who smiled warmly and confidently. He said Phil was a great guy, but wanted to think about what else he might want to say. I must confess, I had no idea who this "Marcus" was. I only knew that Marcus behaved with such charm and self-assurance that he must be someone important. Well, I certainly felt ridiculous when everyone at the event but me recognized the famous football icon Marcus Allen.

Later that evening, Marcus approached me and told me that he wanted to proudly represent the sports world when he played poker, but he had never played poker before. Fifteen minutes before the event started, Phil taught him how to play. "Phil was dynamic and tried to teach us neophytes the game. He showed great ability to teach someone who knew nothing about the game of poker," Marcus said.

The strikingly lovely Mena American Beauty Suvari was sitting at the tournament table next to Card Player Publisher Barry Shulman. In person, she looks like an angel from a fairy tale, and she also happens to be an excellent poker player. She was killing the table, smiling sweetly all the while. She did not mind being interrupted in the middle of the tournament when I asked what she thought of Phil. She said many kind things about him, but her best line came when she looked up grinning coyly and said, "I'd like to play him heads up." Oh, life is good, isn't it, Phil?

As if this Texas-born 33-year-old has any free time on his hands, he just finished writing a book called Poker: The Real Deal, published by Simon and Schuster, which will hit bookstores nationwide in late September. Phil will donate a percentage of the book's royalties to the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation.

Phil also joined a few friends who will be launching a poker site called FullTiltPoker.com. His partners include Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, John Juanda, and Andy Bloch. They designed and built their own software, which the team believes will be the best in the industry. All of the superstars will play online using their own names.

From a self-described high school geek, Phil evolved into a business entrepreneur making seven figures in his 20s. He traveled the world over before coming back to his young love, poker. Besides winning the WPT event at Bay 101, Phil has made a name for himself in the poker world. In addition to hosting Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown, he's even been parodied on Saturday Night Live by Chris Parnell.

He does not forget from where he comes, nor can he forget his beloved great-aunt Lib. He notes that every family has been touched by cancer. Not only does he donate some of his own winnings to the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation, he asks all WSOP main event attendees to join him in pledging 1 percent of their winnings in order to "Put a Bad Beat on Cancer."