Phil Gordon gives execs poker tips at charity event

Phil Gordon teamed up with his former employer, Cisco Systems, for a charity event benefiting the U.S. Disabled Ski Team during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.

Cisco Systems invited its top 50 cable clients to join them for a charity poker event Tuesday. The clients donated $100 to the ski team in order to attend.

To sweeten the deal for them, Cisco also got Phil Gordon, who briefly worked for them in the 1990s, to come in and give the group poker tips before the start of the tournament.

Gordon joked with the group that he wasn't cut out for corporate life. He worked for Cisco for about six months after it bought his employer and then took a buyout which he used to start his poker career.

He gave the following six tips to the room of eager poker playing execs on what it takes to win at poker in Vegas:

Be aggressive
Be patient
Be observant
Be courageous
Be resilient
Have a desire to improve
The reception and following poker tournament took place in the high-roller suite at the Venetian where guests had a chance to mingle and were also given a copy of one of Gordon's poker books.

While Cisco's executives said the night was all about fun, and they weren't looking for a lot of publicity for it, Time Warner executive Mike Hayashi told the Mercury News that the company wasn't taking enough credit.

Cisco already sponsors three athletes on the U.S. Disabled Ski Team and shelled out another $10,000 to host the charity event.

courtesy of Sarah Polson

News Added: 15 January, 2007

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