Paul Phillips Wins $1.1 Million at Bellagio

I first met Paul Phillips a few years ago in Atlantic City. We immediately became friends after we told each other how poorly we played poker. Paul always cracked jokes, and I always told him he wasn't funny. He eventually moved to Los Angeles to play beach volleyball and pursue a film career. What most people don't know is that at that time, he was really working on his humor, trying to be a stand-up comedian. Luckily for all of us, I wasn't the only person who thought he should use his mind for things other than comedy. He soon fell in love, and shifted his focus from comedy to Scrabble.

Because Paul is a smart guy, dominating the beginners Scrabble Tour wasn't that tough. The problem was that there wasn't too much money in it, and there certainly wasn't TV exposure. Meanwhile, I made my first appearance on the World Poker Tour. Due to the random draw, I sat next to Lou Diamond Phillips in the WPT Invitational at Commerce Casino. Lou is a real celebrity, so he got a lot of TV time. If you look closely, my right arm was a prominent feature in that WPT event. It was virtually impossible to film Lou without my hairy arm being in the way. You might be asking yourself why this is relevant. Well, Paul has always thought he was made for TV, and if my arm made so many appearances, why couldn't he maneuver around in a poker tournament and stand behind the chip leader while the cameras were nearby?

Paul entered the $25,000 WPT Championship at Bellagio, hoping to run well for a few days and show off his new suit. I remember discussing our game plans over coffee, when Paul said, "It is impossible to bust out in the first level of this tournament." The next thing I remember was Paul busting out three hands into the second level.

I think this was a depressing moment in Paul's poker career, so he decided to re-evaluate his poker game. He moved back to Las Vegas full time to get away from all of the paparazzi surrounding the Scrabble Tour. I think this was a great move, as it enabled him to focus on playing poker.

So, one thing led to another – yada, yada, yada – and Paul finished second to Mel Judah at the WPT event at The Bicycle Casino. Three months had gone by and Paul had picked up a few tournament wins on the circuit. I started thinking to myself, maybe Paul is pretty good.

Then, Paul and 313 other players put up $10,000 to compete in the WPT event at Bellagio, which was the last major event of the year. This was relevant because the Card Player Player of the Year award and Phil Hellmuth's Champion of the Year award would come down to this final event. Once the final table was decided, Chip Jett was, as they say in sports, in control of his own destiny. If he finished first or second, he would win both awards, and if he came in eighth or better, he would win the Champion of the Year award. Chip finished eighth and claimed one title.

Those who made the TV final table were: Mel Judah, Paul Phillips, Gus Hansen, Dewey Tomko, Tino Lechich, and Abraham Mosseri. To make a long story longer, Paul and Mel made the final six together in a WPT event again in the same year, Gus Hansen was a coin toss away from possibly repeating his win from last year in the same event, Paul and Dewey played heads up for an hour, and Paul won. Thus, Paul Phillips has won his first championship event, now has two TV appearances, and probably will be a real celebrity and signing autographs by June. Paul, as a friend and someone who wants to be your manager, I couldn't be happier for you.