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Phil Hellmuth is one of the most colourful characters on the tournament
poker trail. He is a larger than life presence (he stands taller than 6'5")
who frequently lets his emotions get the better of him. He cries, he wails,
he taunts opponents and criticizes their play, and he collapses out of his
seat when he finds himself on the wrong end of a draw. He has a massive ego
and an irritating habit of working his poker accomplishments into casual
conversations (he has a hilarious feud with Paul Phillips and is often the
target of the dot-com millionaire's sarcastic blogs). But Hellmuth is a huge
part of the poker landscape and one of the game's biggest stars. He seems
like a character that one can't help but like, and I'd love to sit down at
the poker table with him. If he started shooting off his mouth, however, I'd
have no problem with ripping the suglasses off his face and shoving them
directly up his ass.
Phil Hellmuth can put his money where his mouth is. He is one of the most
successful tournament poker players of all time. His track record at the
WSOP is second to none. He won the Main Event in 1989 at the age of 24, the
youngest man to ever do so (his two black nines bested Johnny Chan's pocket
eights). He has won three bracelets in a single year (sharing the record
with Phil Ivey and Ted Forrest) and he has nine total bracelets (second only
to Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan, who each hold ten). Recently, Hellmuth won
the National Heads-Up Championship at the Golden Nugget, besting 64 of the
best players in the world and pocketing $500,000. After the win, he bought
Dom Perignan champagne for everybody in the crowd and lingered signing
autographs for hours. To that end, Hellmuth is one of the most accessible of
professional players, a man who genuinely enjoys meeting his fans.
Phil began playing poker while at the University of Wisconsin. He started in
games that had a $20 buy-in and then moved up to games with a $100 buy-in.
In no time at all the kid was beating a game consisting of professors,
lawyers and doctors. Within a year he had built up $20,000 and decided to
try his luck in Vegas. Of course, he got his ass handed to him and stumbled
back to his college game. In fact, for the next ten times that he went to
Vegas he ended up going broke, stumbling back to Wisconsin to lick his
wounds. However, every time he went back home he became more determined to
beat the Vegas game. Finally, he had a winning session (to the tune of
$10,000), and he has been a Vegas regular ever since. While his specialty is
tournament play, Hellmuth has always dabbled in cash games.
One of Phil's greatest strengths as a player is his ability to mix up his
game. He has many gears, and he knows when to speed up or slow down. Phil
says, "I think my greatest strength is that I have no one particular style.
I can mix it up and let the table dictate how I play. I am capable of
raising 15 out of 20 hands or only one. I don't play in a box."
Consequently, Phil is a tricky player who is very difficult to read. He is
just as likely to limp with Aces as he is to raise.
Phil is also a shrewd businessman. He had the foresight to anticipate the
poker explosion and he has put his fingerprints everywhere. He has written
books, released instructional DVDs, started fantasy camps and worked as a
poker commentator. Some might say that he has concentrated too much on his
business ventures and let his poker game slide, but even if he never won
another poker hand he would still be making a very nice living. And you can
be sure he'll make sure everybody knows that.
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