Phil Hellmuth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Phil Hellmuth |
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Phil Hellmuth during the WPT Venetian 2021
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| Nickname(s) | The Poker Brat Lumestackin |
| Residence | Palo Alto, California |
| Born | July 16, 1964 Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | 17 |
| Money finish(es) | 210 |
| Highest ITM Main Event finish |
Winner, 1989 |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | None |
| Final table(s) | 5 |
| Money finish(es) | 18 |
Phillip Jerome Hellmuth Jr. (born July 16, 1964) is a famous American professional poker player. He is best known for holding the world record for the most World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, with seventeen wins. Most of his bracelets were won playing a popular version of poker called no-limit hold'em.
Hellmuth won the main championship event at the 1989 World Series of Poker. He also won the main event at the 2012 World Series of Poker Europe. In 2007, he was added to the Poker Hall of Fame. Many people consider him one of the best poker tournament players of all time.
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Personal Life
Phil Hellmuth was born in Madison, Wisconsin. When he was in school, he sometimes struggled with his grades and making friends. He once said he felt like the "ugly duckling" of his family. After high school, he went to the University of Wisconsin–Madison for three years. He then decided to leave college to play poker full-time.
Since 1992, he has lived in Palo Alto, California, with his wife, Katherine, and their two sons. He is also a big fan of the Golden State Warriors basketball team and often goes to their games.
Poker Career
Hellmuth is known for his unique personality at the poker table. He is sometimes called "The Poker Brat" because he can get frustrated when he loses a hand. He is also known for arriving late to tournaments. As of December 2024, he has won over $30,000,000 in live poker tournaments.
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is the biggest poker tournament series in the world. Winning an event at the WSOP earns a player a special award called a bracelet.
In 1989, Hellmuth made history when he was only 24 years old. He won the WSOP Main Event, which is the most important tournament of the series. To win, he had to beat Johnny Chan, who had won the event the two previous years. At the time, Hellmuth was the youngest player ever to win the Main Event.
Over his career, Hellmuth has won 17 bracelets, more than any other player. Fourteen of his bracelets are from Texas hold'em games, but he has also won in other poker variations like Razz and 2-7 Lowball.
| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$/EU€) |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship | $755,000 |
| 1992 | $5,000 Limit Hold'em | $168,000 |
| 1993 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | $161,400 |
| 1993 | $2,500 No Limit Hold'em | $173,000 |
| 1993 | $5,000 Limit Hold'em | $138,000 |
| 1997 | $3,000 Pot Limit Hold'em | $204,000 |
| 2001 | $2,000 No Limit Hold'em | $316,550 |
| 2003 | $2,500 Limit Hold'em | $171,400 |
| 2003 | $3,000 No Limit Hold'em | $410,860 |
| 2006 | $1,000 No Limit Hold'em with rebuys | $631,863 |
| 2007 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | $637,254 |
| 2012 | $2,500 Seven-Card Razz | $182,793 |
| 2012E | €10,450 No Limit Hold'em Main Event | €1,022,376 |
| 2015 | $10,000 Seven-Card Razz | $271,105 |
| 2018 | $5,000 No Limit Hold'em | $485,082 |
| 2021 | $1,500 No Limit 2–7 Lowball Draw | $84,851 |
| 2023 | $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em | $803,818 |
Record-Breaking Moments
- 1993: Hellmuth won three bracelets in a single year, all on three days in a row. He was only the second player in history to achieve this.
- 2007: He won his 11th bracelet, breaking the record for the most bracelets held by one person.
- 2012: Hellmuth won his 12th bracelet in a non-hold'em game called Razz. That same year, he won the WSOPE Main Event, becoming the first player to win both the main events in Las Vegas and Europe.
- 2021: He won his 16th bracelet, making him the first player to win bracelets in five different decades (1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s).
- 2023: Hellmuth captured his 17th bracelet in a Super Turbo Bounty tournament.
World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour (WPT) is another major series of poker tournaments. While Hellmuth has not won a WPT title, he has reached five final tables and earned over $1.5 million. Reaching a final table means a player was one of the last few contestants in a large tournament.
Other Poker Events
Hellmuth has appeared on many poker TV shows, like Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker. He has also competed in special events.
In 2005, he won the first NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. This is a tournament where players compete one-on-one until a champion is crowned.
More recently, he competed in a series called High Stakes Duel. In this event, two players face off in a high-stakes match. From 2020 to 2021, Hellmuth won seven matches in a row against famous players like Antonio Esfandiari and Daniel Negreanu.
Other Activities
Besides playing poker, Hellmuth has been involved in many other projects.
- He has written several books about poker, including Play Poker like the Pros.
- He helped create instructional poker videos to teach others how to play.
- He has worked as a commentator for poker shows on TV.
- He was involved in creating the software for the poker website UltimateBet.
- In 2009, his company, Phil's House Publishing, published a book about how 20 top poker players became professionals.
See also
In Spanish: Phil Hellmuth para niños
