Paul Phillips biography
Paul Phillips was born on 9 August 1972 in San Francisco. While at UC San Diego he wrote the Boa web server, and in 1996 he became Chief Technical Officer of Go2Net, which earned him the nickname "Dot-Com". A college friend introduced him to poker in 1994.
Phillips was one of the top tournament players of the early 2000s: he finished 2nd to John Juanda in a $1,500 Triple Draw Lowball event at the 2002 World Series of Poker, won a World Poker Tour title at Bellagio for about $1.1 million and was 2nd on the 2003 tournament money list. In 2004 he made three WSOP final tables. He also played competitive Scrabble.
He largely stopped playing tournaments after 2005 to spend time with his family and returned to software, working on the Scala compiler and co-founding Typesafe. He has more than $2.3 million in live tournament earnings.
Career summary
Paul "Dot-Com" Phillips, former CTO of Go2Net, won a WPT title at Bellagio and was 2nd on the 2003 tournament money list.
Paul Phillips poker winnings
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic | 1st | Undisclosed |
| 2002 | WSOP $1,500 Triple Draw Lowball | 2nd | Undisclosed |
Verified live tournament earnings: $2,300,000+.
Paul Phillips playing style
Phillips was an analytical, numbers-driven player who brought an engineer's mindset to tournament poker.
Business & sponsorships
Former CTO of Go2Net; co-founder of Typesafe (later Lightbend), the company behind the Scala and Akka ecosystems.
Why Paul matters
Software developer Paul "Dot-Com" Phillips made his fortune as CTO of Go2Net, won a WPT title and was 2nd on the 2003 tournament money list.
FAQ about Paul Phillips
Why is Paul Phillips called "Dot-Com"?
Because of his success as CTO of the internet company Go2Net in the 1990s.
Does Paul Phillips still play poker?
He has played very few tournaments since 2005 and returned to software development.
How much has Paul Phillips won playing poker?
Paul Phillips has won $2,300,000+ in live tournament earnings.
How many WSOP bracelets does Paul Phillips have?
Paul Phillips has not won a WSOP bracelet yet.
