Custom Poker Tables Profile: Phil Hellmuth

Phil Hellmuth, born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin is 45 years old.  He is known as one of the best poker players in the world. Hellmuth spent a few years at the University of Wisconsin, where he claimed he learned card games at the student union. Hellmuth spent three years as a Badger before becoming a professional poker player. Phil currently resides in the Bay Area, California. Phil has won a record 11 WSOP bracelets, including the Main Event in the 1989 WSOP. Hellmuth has always been known for his very hot temper, and also some have called him a “poker brat”.

When Hellmuth won the WSOP event in 1989 he was 24 years old and the youngest to win the event. During the event he knocked out defending champion Johnny Chan heads up. That record was later beaten by Peter Eastgate in 2008. Eastgate won the event at the age of 22. And most recently it was broken at the 2009 WSOP by Joe Cada at age 21. In 2006, Hellmuth won the WSOP and his 10th bracelet. The 10th bracelet tied him with some of the biggest names in poker; such as Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan. Later, in 2007, Hellmuth won his 11th bracelet. He holds the record for the most times in the cash and most final table appearances.

Hellmuth has been the key man in several poker videos. He has also written numerous articles in different magazines. Hellmuth is currently a poker coach on Fox Sport’s Best Damn Poker Show, and has sponsorship with Ultimatebet.net. Phil has had several run-in’s with other poker players, due to his knack of being a bad loser. Many times, Hellmuth will make negative comments about his opponents skills, most notably after a beat. Several years ago Hellmuth and veteran Sam Grizzle almost came to blows after an argument over a play. Some of Hellmuth’s best quotes include:

• “I can dodge bullets, baby!”
• “You can’t even spell poker.”
• “If luck weren’t involved, I guess I’d win every tournament.”
• “I’ve revolutionized the way to play Texas hold’em.”

Every WSOP bracelet Phil wins, he has given away, with one exception. The first one he won, he has kept, while the rest have went to various people. People such as his mother, father, wife, three sisters, brother, two sons and close friends. Hellmuth has spent a lot of time volunteering at charity events, in fact some of his most noted events have been tournaments for fallen police officers and firemen. Hellmuth donates a portion of his winnings to the Heifer International, which is an organization that helps some of the poorest countries in the world.

All in all Phil Hellmuth has to be in the discussions when talking about the greatest poker player alive. Though some might not want to acknowledge it because of his style, the man just knows how to win poker tournaments.

Tags: Phil Hellmuth, poker brat, pro poker player, WSOP

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 at 7:56 pm and is filed under Featured Pros. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.