The WSOP Legend: Phil Hellmuth
Whether you love or hate Phil Hellmuth you can not rebuff that he might just be the finest player in the history of the WSOP. If he is not the greatest he at least is on the short list of players that would include Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Stu Unger and Chip Reese. Phil has more bracelets has one thing on all these guys or anyone you can think of. He already shared with Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson, by winning his eleventh bracelet in 2007 Phil set the record. Phil has finished more then five million dollars at the World Series of Poker alone.
Phil’s biggest cash at the World Series of Poker is the first bracelet came in 1989 and still. In 1989 Phil won took home $755,000$ in the 10,000 No Limit Holdem Main Event. That seems like not anything compared to the fact that the Main Event winner these days can make more then $10,000,000. Although the field was no where near the size of today’s events you need to understand that in those days the Main Event was filled with top professional players. Phil was only 24 years old and his first bracelet didn’t come easy in 1989, he had to beat Johnny Chan heads up to take the title. At the time Johnny was going away for his third straight title and may have been the best poker player in the world. Phil didn’t manage to win a bracelet, but in 1992 he took home the $5000 Limit Holdem poker bracelet.
1993 was the year that Phil Hellmuth formally began the talk that he might be the best player in the poker world. He succeeded three events in 1993 including the $1500 No Limit Holdem, $2,500 No Limit Holdem and the $5,000 Limit Hold’ em. With more then $450,000 in earning and three coveted bracelets, Hellmuth walked away from the 1993 World Series of Poker. For the three years following Phil’s advance in 1993 he didn’t manage to win a single bracelet, but broke through again in 1997. Hellmuth won the $3000 Pot Limit Holdem tournament taking home more then $200,000 in 1997. Heading into 2001 Phil Hellmuth was a poker star. He had six bracelets and was looking further. He tied poker legends Chan and Brunson, winning his tenth bracelet in the $1,000 No Limit Holdem Rebuy tournament in 2006. In 2007 Phil captured his second best single tournament making at the World Series when he won over $630,000 in the $1,500 No Limit Holdem event, his record infringement eleventh bracelet.
Phil Hellmuth’s nickname when he is sitting at the poker table is “The Poker Brat”. As the World Series of Poker gained exposure on television, so did Phil Hellmuth became as popular for his tricks at the poker as he was for his outstanding play. If he thinks you made a bad play he is going to tell you about it, maybe more then once Phil is known to speak his feelings when he is at the tables. You better watch out if you are at a table with Phil and you hit an inside straight to beat his set. The public want to see him play this persona has taken Hellmuth along ways. Most because of his unpredictable attitude, although some even watch to see a great poker player in action. Unique to him and was created through years of experience “The Poker Brat” has his own style. It will be like walking on a tight rope, you never know when you are going to fall if you play like Phil. His inert and slow play opens himself up to get sucked out on, or to win pots with monster hands. Attempt it play like that and you will find you might get a little disturb from time to time at the tables to.
Texas Hold’em is Phil Hellmuth’s game, all eleven of his bracelets won playing it and has won bracelets playing Pot Limit, Limit and No Limit Hold’ em, but has never won playing a new form of poker. People who criticize Phil tend to look directly at this stat, Hellmuth has mastered hold’ em.
However Hellmuth has won eleven bracelets playing Hold’ em. “The Poker Brat” will always have his reviewers, although if you ask around the top pros in the world you find they have great respect for his game. People will hate on Phil because of his publicity, much like the way people hate on Tiger Woods in golf, but it is not reasonable. Hellmuth is still in his prime and who knows how many bracelets he will win in his life time, other than you can be assured that he will try to win them all. Over Five Million Dollars in career World Series of Poker pay, a record eleven bracelets and more then sixty cashes, Phil Hellmuth is a star at the World Series of Poker.
Tags:
Chip Reese, Doyle Brunson, Holdem, Johnny Chan, Limit Holdem, No Limit Holdem, Phil Hellmuth, Poker, slow play, Stu Unger, The Poker Brat, World Series of Poker, WSOP
