Philip is an excellent starter for the Law Dogs - his stats are nothing to write home about - 1 Influence is better than nothing, but 1 Draw means he's better as back up for a better shooter, but his low cost and zero upkeep make him affordable.

What really sets him apart for me is his Trait. This allows you to discard a card and draw a card every time an opponent reveals a cheatin' hand and you have a legal one. This is potentially very powerful to prevent cards becoming stuck in your hand for whatever reason, and can allow you to see more of your deck in a turn, and perhaps play more cards in a turn.

As its a Trait, it can be used multiple times per day, doesn't require you to boot Philip and crucially can be used from home. It also doesn't prevent you using other Traits that work on the reveal of a cheatin' hand (such as Lucinda "Lucy" Clover, Tommy Harden or Sheriff Dave Montreal) or playing a Cheatin' Resolution card, allowing you to stack the penalties on an opponent who cheats.

This also works on Lowball, unlike most other cheatin' punishment which requires you to have a posse in order to benefit. Low ball is basically luck of the draw so, there is a reasonable chance of getting the effect at the start of the turn if your deck isn't too prone to cheatin'. The effect is even stronger in multi player games, where a legal low ball hand could net you 2 - 3 card cycles.

As Philip can effect shootout draws he's not even involved in, he makes a good candidate to sit in the relative safety of home and a good card to boot for the Law Dogs Outfit ability, to start making some low influence dudes wanted. This can expose him to cards like Kidnappin' however, and his fighting stats aren't good enough to save him without a bit of back up.

In conclusion a strong starter for Law Dogs who can help improve your hand right from the get go.