The Poker Brat -Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
The mercurial, tempestuous personality of Phil Hellmuth, Jr has earned him a lot of fans and rivals and you only need to look at any online poker forum to see what the zeitgeist is saying about the man at any given time, good and bad alike. That said, his achievements in the world of poker are unparalleled. The 11-time WSOP bracelet winner has become a champion of the game and a brand in his own right. How did Phil become a poker icon? What drives him at the tables, both online and in the real world?
Phil was born in Northern Madison, Wisconsin and spent his youth in the typical manner of kids in the sixties and seventies. However, in his third year of college, after making above-average grades and getting noticed for his ambition, he dropped out to try playing poker professionally, something that simply wasn’t done at the time. It was at age 24 that Phil made his first big move in the game: he won the World Series of Poker Main Event and walked away with more than just a big payout: he became the youngest player to ever win that illustrious event.
That initial win was just the first strike in his ongoing campaign against the WSOP. He’s earned ten more bracelets since the first and continues to play in the biggest tournaments in the world. While his achievements are undeniable, there’s also the matter of his personality, which is a bone of contention for many players. He’s widely considered a bad loser, having told one person who beat him in a showdown that they were lucky and they couldn’t even spell “poker.” He’s actually engaged in fisticuffs with old-guard pro Sam Grizzle over his constant banter and nearly walked off Poker After Dark when another player mocked his requests for silence even as he chattered away.
No matter what others say about the man, he remains undaunted. “I can dodge bullets, baby!” he once trumpeted, and his infamous quotation about how he’d win every tournament if it wasn’t for luck is one for the ages. His books on the game provide valuable insights for players of all types and even if they may disagree with his behavior, his methods have proven invaluable.
