Comments on Phil Gordon
October 8, 2009
On a personal level, Phil Gordon is my idol in poker. Why? Even if Phil Gordon has never won a bracelet at the World Series of Poker, I think that he is an admirable person as a whole. First of all, before Phil got into poker, he finished a Computer Science degree at Georgia Tech. He went on to start up a software company that he later on sold for millions of dollars. Phil Gordon is certainly one of the smarter poker players out there. With solid education and solid business skills to back him up, it is very hard to knock this guy off at the poker table. Phil Gordon is also very intimidating. At six foot and nine inches tall, he towers over almost anybody around him. Phil Gordon spends his time travelling around the world and appreciating existence. He guests at poker television shows and still continues to play at a lot of live poker games.
What can you learn from Phil Gordon? You can learn a lot from Phil Gordon. First of all, first things come first. You have to be stable with your education and your career if you want to spend the remaining years of your life playing poker. At the age of twenty seven, Phil Gordon was already done with all the money making stuff. He was already a multi millionaire at that age. From then on, all he did was travel the world and play poker. If you are able to make millions like Phil Gordon then you certainly deserve to relax and play poker for the remaining years of your life.
Second, it pays to be smart at the poker table. If you are gifted with a high IQ then use it. If you are able to finish degrees like computer science, molecular biology, astrophysics, and all those geeky courses, then you might as well put your good brains to work with poker. With sharp brains, you will be able to calculate odds quickly, you will be able to compute the right amount to bet, and you will be able to weigh your chances against a certain number of opponents. If you can calculate this quickly in your head then you have a good chance of winning at poker tournaments.
Third, it pays to be street wise at the poker table too. When I say street wise, you have to know how people react in certain situations. You have to understand how people think. You have to be able to spot cunning people and take them down. In the world of business, Phil Gordon has an idea on how to work around the streets. He has his way with people. If you want to master the game of poker then you have to learn how to master challenging certain types of opponents. You have to learn how to analyze your opponents. You have to see whether your opponents are doing some funny street tactics. You have to learn how to take them down when the time comes.