POPULARITY EXPLOSION

Gordon, who has won more than $1 million in tournaments, compares the trend to the early days of the Internet.

“There were just a few hard-core Internet fans in the early ’90s — the guys that knew the Internet and played with the Internet told everyone about the Internet, but no one was listening about the Internet — and then in ’95 and ’96, AOL, Netscape, that whole thing exploded,” he says.

“Now everyone has the Internet and everyone is talking about the Internet and it’s just assumed that you know about the Internet, and it’s kind of the same thing with Texas hold ’em. “Ten years ago there were 300 people playing in the World Series of Poker and zero television coverage, and this year there was 5,619 players playing in the World Series of Poker and 36 hours of television on ESPN. Bravo’s done 42 episodes of ‘Celebrity Poker.’ The World Poker Tour has been on the air for three years with outstanding ratings. And more and more poker shows are coming every day.”

WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW

Gordon will appear on Friday at Tempe’s Changing Hands Bookstore to discuss his new book, “Phil Gordon’s Little Green Book: Lessons and Teachings in No Limit Texas Hold ’Em.’ ” He was inspired to write the tome after he released his first book, “The Real Deal,” and was flooded with inquiries.

“I got a lot of questions like, ‘Hey, now I know how to go down to a casino, but I don’t know what to do when I get there,’ ” he says. “And so I really wanted to do something a little different and write exactly how I play.”

Gordon says he discovered poker through his great-aunt in rural South Carolina when he was 7.

“My sister and I would go up every summer to visit for a couple of months, and we’d rake leaves in the afternoon,” he says. “She’d give us a buck or two, and we’d sit around the poker table after dinner, and she would promptly relieve us of the money that we had earned from the day.”

SOCIAL SCENE

Gordon, who appeared on NBC’s “Joey” Nov. 3 during an episode when Joey was invited to compete on “Celebrity Poker Showdown,” says the social aspect is a big attraction to Texas hold ’em.

“That’s what kept me in the game as long as I’ve been in it,” he says.
“It’s also a game that takes a very short amount of time to learn the basic rules, but it’s impossible to master. It’s one of the only games that I found out there that I haven’t been all that good at for a long time. In all honesty, it’s a game that continues to challenge. There’s always someone that’s better than you, and you can never really master the game.”

If you want to break into it, Gordon suggests playing poker online.
“And play at very low stakes,” he says. “Get your feet wet. Get some friends together. Talk about the game. There’s a lot of great material out there for learning the game that wasn’t there 10 years ago when I was learning. Realize that your bankroll will not be built overnight and just because you can beat your local group of friends doesn’t mean that you’re ready to move to Las Vegas and become a professional poker player.”

CELEB POKER THE BEST AND WORST

Phil Gordon lists the six top celebrity poker players and worst poker player:

The Best

Tobey Maguire Ben Affleck Hank Azaria Josh Malina James Woods Jennifer Tilly

The Worst

Scott Stapp
(former Creed singer)
“He is the worst of the worst,” Gordon says. “His biggest mistake was picking up cards. He didn’t know the hand ranking chart, which is pretty much a requirement for playing poker — for instance, two pair beats one pair. That’s the key place to start.”

GET IN THE GAME

DAISY DUKE’S
222 E. University Drive, Tempe
8 p.m. Thursday
Prizes: Bar money, gift certificates and T-shirts
Info:

FIBBER MAGEES
1989 W. Elliot Road, Chandler
7:30 p.m. Monday
Prizes: Fibber Magees gift certificates
Info:

HORSE & HOUND
1320 E. Broadway Road, Tempe
7 and 10 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Saturday
Prizes: Horse & Hound swag, games and airline tickets
Info:

O’KELLEY’S
2120 W. Guadalupe Road, Mesa
7 p.m. Wednesday
Prizes: Poker swag such as chip sets
Info:

THE WILD HARE
4910 W. Ray Road, Chandler, and 3495 E. Baseline Road, Gilbert
7 and 10 p.m. Monday at the Chandler location, and 7 and 10 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at the Gilbert location
Prizes: Poker gear like chips and cards
Info: and

UPPER DECK SPORTS GRILL
4224 N. Craftsman Court, Scottsdale
5 to 7 p.m. Sunday and 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Friday
Prizes: Upper Deck gift certificates, movie passes, DVDs
Info: