This towering 6'9" Texan was born in 1970, and grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He distinguished himself throughout his educational career, entering college at 15-years old on a National Merit Scholarship. In 1991, at the age of 20, he graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology and began a career within the computer sciences, including Lockheed Martin and a two-year stint at NASA. He then became the first employee of a company called Netsys Technologies.

In 1996, Cisco Systems bought his corporate interests in Netsys Technologies and Gordon became a millionaire. In 1997, he decided to buy himself an airplane ticket to Africa and toss the rest of his millions to charity.

He returned from his travels in 2001 a seasoned traveler with countless adventures under his belt, including swimming with Great White sharks, navigating 20,000 kilometers of desert, climbing Kilimanjaro, tracking gorillas in Uganda, rafting the Zambezi River and judging a wet t-shirt contest in Australia. But this was the year Phil Gordon entered the World Series of Poker (WSOP). He finished in fourth place and won close to $400,000.

The very next year, he made the final table in two more WSOP tournaments, finishing sixth and third respectively. Also, in 2005, Gordon finished in third place in the $1,500 No Limit Texas Holdem Shootout. In the WSOP alone, he has already banked over $640,000.

In the World Poker Tour, Gordon reached the final table in 2002, placing 5th overall in the Ultimate Bet Poker Classic. And in 2005, he knocked out the successful and dangerous Chris Moneymaker along with another player in the same hand.

Other victories include winning the Full Tilt Poker Championship at Red Rocks on Thanksgiving Day in 2006, taking home $600,000.

To date, his total earnings exceed $1.6 million.

Not only is he extremely intelligent and a very skilled poker player, but he also works to further the interests of poker by becoming a radio commentator of the WSOP via live internet broadcasts, daily reports for the NPR and the host for ESPN Radio's The Poker Edge.

Gordon also dons the author cap by having written three books so far, 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. Add an award-winning DVD (Expert Insight: Final Table Poker) to his resume and you've got one of the most well-rounded and successful players to ever enter the poker world.

Gordon says that he enjoys teaching poker as much, if not more, than actually playing it. But this successful rocket scientist also has a firm competitive streak in him too. He's quoted once as saying, "In a Chicago bar, a guy went off for $2,200 against me. I had to loan him $20 for cab fare. That was fantastic."

Above all, Phil Gordon is a man of great integrity and devotion. He has dedicated a great deal of his time and efforts to furthering cancer research, inspired by the same great aunt who taught him how to play poker years ago. She died of liver cancer. In 2003-2004, he and a friend, Rafe Furst, committed to a year-long cross-country road trip to see as many sports games and venues as possible while raising considerable amounts of money towards cancer research. Since that time, he has also been a Board Member for the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation.

He now lives in South Lake Tahoe, California, and sits with a 2007 POY Ranking of 362. In the meantime, he plays poker online exclusively at www.fulltiltpoker.com, and holds fundraising poker events there periodically.

There's nothing Phil Gordon can't do, and one could argue hasn't done already, but he says of his lifestyle: "A No Limits life is built on six fundamentals: aggression, patience, courage, resiliency, observation and an intense desire to improve." With his proven track record, he distinguishes himself as an honorable man who stands by his word, even at the final table as he seeks that ever-elusive WSOP bracelet.

Personal Quote

I live my life by a simple philosophy: "No Limits." A "No Limits" life is built on six fundamentals: aggression, patience, courage, resiliency, observation, and an intense desire to improve. In this website, you can see how my simple philosophy guides me at the poker table, in business, travel, philanthropy, and with my family. "No Limits" is my recipe for winning and success.