WSOP

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.

The first ever World Series of Poker Champion was the “Grand old man of poker”.  The first World Series of Poker champion was strong-minded in 1970 by a vote.  Benny Binion draws together the seven best poker players in the world and held a series of cash games.  He put the vote to the players to determine who the best poker player was at the end of the event.  The players in presence were Johnny Moss, Carl Cannon, Doyle Brunson, “Amarillo Slim” Preston, Sailor Roberts, and Puggy Pearson.

There were two votes conducted to determine the world champion According to legend.  The first time they voted, which naturally resulted in a 7 way tie each player cast a vote for them.  Players were then asked to throw a vote for the second best player and the fallout of the voting placed Johnny Moss as the World Champion of poker.  The prize for being chosen the World Champion of Poker was a silver cup.   Bracelets were not awarded as the top prize in anticipation of 1976.

The WSOP was expanded to a set of tournaments and the World Champion was decided by a freeze out tournament the following year.  Six players went into the Main Event in 1971.  Each player put up $5,000 of their personal money.  A winner takes all prizes the top prize was $30,000.  Head up saw Johnny Moss face Walter “Puggy” Pearson and in the end, Moss come out the victor and took the $30,000 prize and his second straight world title.

The World Series of Poker was not at 5 preliminary events and the Main Event by the time 1974 came around.  The Main Event saw 16 people put up $10,000 to take a shot at the world designation.  The top award for this event was $160,000 and was once more a winner take all prize.  Faced each other heads up for the title was Johnny Moss and Crandell Addington. Addington put up a fight but in the finish Johnny Moss acquired his third World Series of Poker World Championship.

In the Main Poker tournaments Event after his win in 1974 but the best he would finish is 4th in 1980 Johnny Moss would make three more final tables.  Moss ended his career with 9 bracelets in all and is silent only one of two players to win the Main Event three times.

Johnny Moss was a staple of the Poker Games for the first 25 years of the World Series of Poker’s continuation.  He played all the games well and was an appreciated man at the poker tables.  Moss’ nickname of the “Grand Old Man of Poker” was not just a term of endearment in addition, but also a fact.  Moss was 63 years old when he won his primary main event title and was 81 years of age when he won his final bracelet in 1988.  Typically referred to as the Johnny Moss was the ace-ten.  Moss was one of the unique members of the Poker Hall of Fame.  He was inaugurated in 1979.

Known as much for his gambling and prop betting as he is for his prowess in Online Poker is Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston. Slim has bet on the whole thing from playing pool with a broom to betting on presidential elections all the way through the years.

One of the first seven original players that started the World Series of Poker in 1970 was Amarillo Slim. On the other hand, it was not until 1972 that Slim took down his first title. The 1972 World Series of Poker Main Even had eight contestants that year and $5,000 per player was added to the prize pool. This was completed as a media hype stunt to try and draw viewers into the Horseshoe.

Puggy Pearson, Doyle Brunson, Crandall Addington, Jack Straus, Johnny Moss, Roger Van Ausdall, Jimmy Casella, and Preston clashed it out for the $80,000 top prize. Doyle Brunson, Puggy Pearson, and Slim were the last three lasting in the event as Brunson struck a deal to “cash out” his poker chips for $20,000. Then Puggy Pearson and Amarillo Slim fight it out for the attuned top prize of $60,000. Although Pearson held a 2 to 1 chip lead, Slim was able to battle back and win his first Main Event title.

The Main Event went down slightly differently than history portrays it according to Barry Greenstein. It seems that Doyle Brunson, Puggy Pearson, and Amarillo Slim struck a deal to where they would throw the occasion and let Slim have the win. Slim agreed to let them have the prize money In exchange for the win.

Amarillo Slim went on various talk shows to talk about his win at the World Series of Poker after winning the Main Event. He acquires a lot of fame and even picked up a part in a Robert Altman movie entitled California Split. Then Slim made a very wise business decision if Greenstein’s story about the 1972 Series being thrown is true. Giving up $80,000 was well worth the promotion he received as a result of his win.

Amarillo Slim won 4 bracelets at the World Series of Poker In all two were in Pot Limit Omaha and two were in No Limit Holdem. Slim is still playing at a high level even at 79. He has cashed in the seniors event at 2008 World Series of Poker and the 2007. He as well plays in a few chosen events. Players take note whenever he is at the table. It is still a big thrill for a player to be able to say that they receive a pot of Amarillo Slim.

He is classic example of an old school gambler. He likes the thrill of chasing the dollar and bets on anything that you can wager on. That just adds one more legend to the man that has so many legendary tales if the story of how he won the 1972 WSOP is true.