Phillip J. Hellmuth, Jr. (born July 16, 1964 in Madison, Wisconsin) is a professional poker player.
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In 1989, the 24-year-old Hellmuth became the youngest World Champion of Poker by defeating the two-time defending champion, Johnny Chan, in the World Series of Poker main event.
Hellmuth attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison for three years before dropping out to play poker full time. (much to the chagrin of his father, a professor at the school who holds a MBA, a J.D. and a Ph.D., who equated the idea of becoming a professional poker player to dealing drugs). He earned the nickname, the "poker brat" because of his perceived attitude and ego. Despite this reputation, his accomplishments are highly respected in the poker community and is widely recognized as the world's greatest hold'em player. As of 2006 he has won ten WSOP bracelets, each one in Texas hold 'em events. Hellmuth is also the season three champion of Late Night Poker.
In 2005 Hellmuth won the inaugural National Heads-Up Poker Championship. He defeated Men Nguyen, Paul Phillips, Huck Seed, Lyle Berman and Antonio Esfandiari on the way to the final against Chris Ferguson whom he defeated in two out of three games. While trying to repeat in 2006, he lost in the first round to Chip Reese.
As of 2006, his total live tournament winnings exceed $8,325,000
Hellmuth is one of the most recognizable figures in poker and many fans have strong opinions of him, both negative and positive. While his ten WSOP bracelets bring him much recognition, his notoriety is also due to his perceived inability to gracefully handle adversity and defeat.
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He has made many notable boasts while playing poker tournaments, usually after suffering a "bad beat". Some televised examples include "If luck weren't involved I guess I'd win every one," and "I've revolutionized the way to play Texas hold 'em." During the 2005 Main Event at the World Series of Poker, he stated that he could "dodge bullets, baby!" after laying down Ace King to an opponent with Aces, and even accused an amateur player of not even being able to spell poker (this after the player put all his money in the pot preflop with King Jack against Hellmuth's Ace King and hit a three-outer to win the pot). He is sometimes referred to as "Hell Mouth", a play on his surname. While many players may not like Hellmuth's antics, producers of televised poker tournaments certainly do, since there are rare times (especially during the World Series of Poker) when a camera is not on him to capture a moment where he speaks his mind.
Hellmuth as a business person
Hellmuth is involved in many endeavors away from the felt. He is the author of many articles for Card Player Magazine and poker books, including Play Poker like the Pros, Bad Beats and Lucky Draws, and The Greatest Poker Hands ever Played. He has made several instructional poker videos, including Phil Hellmuth's Million Dollar Poker Secrets. Hellmuth is also a spokesperson for (and player at) Ultimate Bet, an online poker room. More recently, he has worked with Oakley to develop his signature series of poker style sunglasses as well as currently working on a clothing line. Hellmuth also appeared in promotional commercials for the Arena Football League during the 2006 season. In an online interview with ESPN, he estimated that he could earn anywhere up to $400 million off the poker table. |
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