Once we consider names like Dan Heimiller and Phil Gordon, we image respectable and accountable members of the poker neighborhood. It is fairly surprising, then, to seek out out that the 2 have an impressive dispute between them involving a debt that Heimiller owes to Gordon. Probably the most unbelievable a part of the story is that they are feuding over just some thousand {dollars}!
Concerning the Disputants
As already talked about, each events to this dispute are completed and well-known practitioners of the sport of poker. This is some information about them in case you could be unfamiliar with both one:
Phil Gordon
Phil GordonPhil Gordon, 55, grew up in Georgia, and he put the B.S. in Pc Science that he earned at Georgia Tech to good use. Turning into the primary worker of Netsys, he wound up a millionaire when that firm was acquired by Cisco.
Turning then to poker, Phil launched into a profession that included 21 WSOP cashes, 6 WSOP last tables, and one WPT title. Although he has booked greater than $2.8 million in stay tourney wins, a WSOP bracelet has to this point eluded his grasp.
Gordan is maybe equally acknowledged for his endeavors away from the felt. He was one of many group of people that initially designed the software program utilized by Full Tilt Poker and have become part of Crew Full Tilt though this resulted in catastrophe with Black Friday in 2011. Phil has additionally authored a variety of poker books, like “Phil Gordon’s Little Inexperienced Guide.”
Dan Heimiller
Dan HeimillerDan Heimiller is 63 years previous and has a profession in poker spanning greater than 30 years. He did not waste a lot of that point both, posting strong outcomes 12 months after 12 months. In truth, he has cashed within the WSOP no less than as soon as for 28 consecutive years.
Throughout his time on the event poker scene, Dan Heimiller has received three WSOP bracelets, made it to 31 WSOP last tables, and secured 140 WSOP cashes. In whole, he has earned greater than $3.5 million from WSOP occasions alone and an extra $4.5 million from different stay tournaments.
As is the case with many poker execs from his era, he is well-versed in types of the sport apart from No Restrict Texas Maintain’em. Certainly, amongst his notable tourney outcomes embrace such delights as Restrict O/8, 8-Sport Combine, 7 Card Stud, HORSE, and different variants.
Jungleman the Instigator?
The entire motive why we learn about this dispute is as a result of it was delivered to the eye of X customers by none apart from Daniel “Jungleman” Cates who’s no stranger himself to unpaid monetary obligations. Cates was a participant within the notorious “durrrr Problem” whereby he performed Tom “durrrr” Dwan for prime stakes with Dwan allegedly dragging out the proceedings and failing to pay Jungleman what was owed.
Again in March 2025, Cates posted on X explaining a brand new technique for coping with poker cheaters. He inspired everybody to ship of their tales and proof of any scams or cons that that they had skilled:
Plainly the Heimiller/Gordon dispute was one of many issues submitted below this new “angle” as Jungleman is in possession of a historical past of messages between Phil Gordon and Dan Heimiller. Presumably, these screenshots of the conversations had been despatched by one of many events to the disagreement (most likely Phil Gordon).
Cates gave an summary of the case on X:
The connected conversations are type of complicated, and so we are going to summarize them right here reasonably than reproducing them precisely.
Evidently, the quarrel dates again to 2010 when Dan Heimiller and Phil Gordon went companions in one thing known as the “Wynn participant public sale.” It isn’t clear precisely what this refers to, however it seems that their three way partnership was profitable and made a revenue. The winnings had been evidently paid to Dan Heimiller who was imagined to ship Gordon his portion of the haul: a accountability that was not discharged.
Phil first seen this overdue obligation whereas going by means of his papers and discovering information of their partnership, and he contacted Heimiller about it in November 2016. Heimiller claimed that he had needed to borrow cash and was nonetheless in debt. Phil responded that it was “not a giant deal” and inspired Heimiller to pay the debt when he “[made his] method again.”
Nonetheless, Phil modified his tune on Aug. 14, 2017 when it turned out that Dan Heimiller had made a “$1m guess on a combat.” In gentle of such an extravagant wager, Gordon was rightly curious as to why Heimiller couldn’t “pay the very small amt [sic]” he owed to Phil.
Quick-forward to 2024…14 years after the unique deal was made. Loads had occurred on this planet of poker in the mean time, together with the dying of Phil’s good friend Perry Friedman. Gordon informed Heimiller that he can be in Las Vegas for Friedman’s celebration of life and inquired about the potential for settling up.
That is the place Dan Heimiller appeared to go off the rails. He denied that he would ever make good on the debt. He claimed that as a result of Full Tilt Poker didn’t pay him, he wouldn’t be paying Phil Gordon who had profited from the defunct poker web site.
How A lot Is at Stake?
One baffling wrinkle to this story is the amount of cash concerned. Dan Cates, in his unique message concerning the battle, acknowledged that it was $15,000. Nonetheless, within the recorded textual content conversions, Phil Gordon claimed that the debt was $8,000. Dan Heimiller contends that the quantity was about $3,500.
It is fairly unusual that the precise quantity owed is in dispute. Even with haphazard recordkeeping, one would assume that they might slim it down a bit between $3,500 and $15,000. Whatever the precise determine, such chump change is sort of not price preventing over for these grizzled sharks who’ve each received hundreds of thousands of {dollars} apiece.
Our View
Having examined the supplied proof rigorously, we’re squarely on the facet of Phil Gordon. Except there’s one thing else occurring behind the scenes that we’re unaware of, we strongly advise Dan Heimiller to pay what he owes to Phil Gordon.
Heimiller’s competition that Gordon’s affiliation with Full Tilt absolves Dan of any money owed he owes to Phil is extremely suspect. In any case, throughout their earlier conversations, Heimiller freely acknowledged the debt, and this Full Tilt rationalization solely appeared in a while.
It is onerous to see how Heimiller didn’t receives a commission his Full Tilt steadiness anyway. Below the Full Tilt remissions course of, customers had been paid out their balances in full with some exceptions for Crew Execs and associates.
The almost certainly rationalization is that Heimiller didn’t submit his request for remission from Full Tilt earlier than the deadline had handed. This could be extraordinarily silly if the cash had been important sufficient for him to care about, however then once more, it is most likely not out of character for somebody who lets money owed go unpaid for 15 years.
Reactions From the Group
Most of those that have been following the controversy agree with us that Dan Heimiller should pay Phil Gordon his cash. Such are the feelings of X customers “Tony Del Monte” and “Rmoney22”:
Phil Gordon Provides Dan Heimiller an Out?
A couple of day after Dan “Jungleman” Cates posted concerning the state of affairs on X, Phil Gordon made a suggestion to Dan Heimiller:
Whether or not Heimiller will observe Phil’s suggestion and produce this matter to a decision is unclear.
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