Phil Hellmuth
United States of America17
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Early Life
Born on July 16, 1964, in Madison, Wisconsin, Phil Hellmuth Jr. didn’t thrive in school and had problems making friends. He was introduced to poker by his family, but his father put a lot of pressure on him to be the best in school and sports.
Phil dropped out of University and became a full-time poker player, making him the family’s black sheep.
Hellmuth came onto the professional poker scene in 1989 with a bang when he won the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event at 24 years old, making him the youngest player to achieve this feat. In 2008, he lost the title of the youngest winner. He earned “only” $755,000 for the win.
This win also made him one of the poker community’s biggest stars and most-known names.
World Series of Poker
Phil is the all-time leading WSOP bracelet winner with 17 bracelets, which is seven more than the second-place holders Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Erik Seidel, and Johnny Chan. Many consider him to be the best poker player in the world. After the win in the WSOP Main Event, he won his second bracelet in 1992 in Event #8: $5,000 Limit Hold’em, also earning him $188,000.
In 1993, he won another three bracelets in $1,500, $2,500, and $5,000 No Limit Hold’em events, for a total of $472,000. From then on, bracelets kept coming every few years, but in 2012. Phil won fourth place in The Big One for One Drop – $1,000,000 No Limit Hold’em event for $2,645,333, which ended up being his most significant ever live cash.
Also, the same year in WSOP Europe, he won Event #7: €10,540 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event for $1,333,841, earning him his 13th bracelet. His last bracelet came in 2023 in Event #72: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty, where he also earned $803,818.
Phil Hellmuth’s WSOP Bracelet Wins
| Year | Event | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | $10,000 WSOP Main Event | $755,000 |
| 1992 | Event #8: $5,000 Limit Hold’em | $188,000 |
| 1993 | Event #7: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em | $173,000 |
| 1993 | Event #8: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em | $161,400 |
| 1993 | Event #9: $5,000 Limit Hold’em | $138,000 |
| 1997 | Event #15: $3,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em | $204,000 |
| 2001 | Event #3: $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em | $316,550 |
| 2003 | Event #12: $2,500 Limit Hold’em | $171,400 |
| 2003 | Event #32: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em | $410,860 |
| 2006 | Event #34: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em | $631,863 |
| 2007 | Event #15: $1,500 No Limit Hold’em | $637,250 |
| 2012 | Event #18: $2,500 Seven Card Razz | $182,793 |
| 2012 | WSOPE €10,000 Main Event | $1,333,841 |
| 2015 | Event #17: $10,000 Razz Championship | $271,105 |
| 2018 | Event #71: $5,000 No Limit Hold’em | $485,082 |
| 2021 | Event #31: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw | $84,851 |
| 2023 | Event #72: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty | $803,818 |
World Poker Tour
Surprisingly, Phil has never won a WPT event; his best score was second place in the WPT Legends of Poker event in 2017, which earned him $364,370. He got 19 cashes and five final tables, earning him a total of $1,577.843.
Phil Hellmuth’s Top 5 WPT Results
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | WPT Legends of Poker | 2nd | $364,370 |
| 2003 | WPT World Finals | 3rd | $281,700 |
| 2008 | WPT L.A. Poker Classic | 6th | $229,820 |
| 2010 | WPT World Championship | 7th | $152,856 |
| 2007 | WPT World Championship | 18th | $123,760 |
PokerGO Tour
Phil got his first PGT cash in 2022 and managed to get two second places, one fourth-place finish, and a 13th place, for a total of $588,000.
Next year, he won $10,000 No Limit Hold’em – U.S. Poker Open #5 for $211,200 and got fifth place in $25,000 No Limit Hold’em – U.S. Poker Open #8 for $108,000.
Phil Hellmuth’s Top 5 PGT Results
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $15,000 8-Game Mix – US Poker Open #6 | 2nd | $155,100 |
| 2022 | $15,000 Pot Limit Omaha – US Poker Open #8 | 4th | $100,500 |
| 2022 | $25,000 No Limit Hold’em – US Poker Open #9 | 2nd | $315,000 |
| 2023 | $10,000 No Limit Hold’em – U.S. Poker Open #5 | 1st | $211,200 |
| 2023 | $25,000 No Limit Hold’em – U.S. Poker Open #8 | 5th | $108,000 |
Controversy
As an Ultimate Bet sponsored player, Phil was involved in the Ultimate Bet superuser scandal. He was not directly involved in the scandal, and the leaked voice recordings confirm that. In recordings, we hear others discussing keeping Phil in the dark about the “God Mode” program.
His tilted reactions on the poker table are the most controversial thing he is guilty of but also the most fun thing about him.
He also made some famous quotes like: “I guess if there weren’t luck involved, I’d win ’em all,” “They Don’t Even Know How to Spell Poker,” “Models are interested in me, mostly because of my ‘bad boy of poker’ image.”
