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Paul
Phillips is one of the most colourful characters
in poker. He emerged as a star during the second
season of the WPT, when he notched first and
second place finishes in the Bicycle and
Bellagio events, earning over 1.5 million
dollars in the process. But Phillips was
definitely no poker newbie. Phillips was well
known before these big finishes, for both his
poker savvy and sharp sense of humour. But the
television cameras have brought Phillips a level
of fame that he often views with hilarious,
acidic wit. To this end, his blog has become
required reading for many people.
Paul
Phillips WPT win at the Bellagio is one of my
all-time favourite episodes. It was fascinating
to watch Paul carve his way to victory through
the opposing styles of Gus Hansen and Dewey
Tomko. Gus is probably the most aggressive
player in the world and Dewey is probably the
tightest, but Paul found a way to adapt to each
man. Paul and Gus, in particular, clashed in a
number of big pots, with Paul playing back at
Gus better than any player I have seen. Paul had
position on Gus and took full advantage,
continually coming over the top of the Dane’s
bets and raises. The Paul – Gus battle
culminated in one of the most exciting hands of
the WPT. Gus raised the $100,000 blind to
$280,000 with TT. Paul, after considerable
thought, re-raised Gus all-in, over $3 million.
Gus finally called, and we were off to the
races. The flop and turn were blanks, but the
river floated up a queen, and Gus was busted
out. Gus is so good at shorthanded play and
winning small pots that he didn’t need to race
here. Paul successfully got him off his game and
put him on tilt. After Gus left, Paul took on a
Dewey with a 5-1-chip lead, eventually beating
the veteran and capturing the title.
Paul
Phillips certainly doesn’t need to play poker
for the money, as he is one of the few people to
emerge from the dot-com boom with a profit. In
the mid-nineties he was the Chief Technical
Officer of a Seattle-based internet company
called Go2Net. Phillips received shares in the
company as part of his salary, but he started to
chafe at the 9 to 5 life. When the company went
public, Phillips sold his shares and cashed out
for millions (It is widely believed Phillips is
worth over $90 million). Not long after the
dot-com market crashed, and Paul Phillips looked
like the biggest genius since the guy who
invented Tivo.
It
is difficult to get a bead on Paul Phillips, in
both life and poker. His personal appearance is
ever changing - he is just as likely to sport a
shaved head, silver-dyed hair or a full caveman
beard. He has attracted a good deal of
controversy for his strong opinions on just
about any topic. If he doesn’t like something
he will say so, and if you don’t agree, to
hell with you. Phillips has used his blog as a
forum, developing a rabid following in the
process. His posts cover an incredibly broad
spectrum of topics, from poker (of course) to
fatherhood to Star Trek, and, most hilariously,
his enduring hatred of Phil Hellmuth. I may not
always agree with (or even understand) what he
writes, and sometimes I think he comes off
across like an arrogant prick, but I can’t
wait to read his new posts. I guarantee there
are lots of other people who would say the same
thing, and that’s what its all about.
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