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Phil Hellmuth Jr.: The Bad Boy of Poker
| There are
those amongst us in the poker world who have achieved such greatness
that recognition is proper and highly deserved. Phil Hellmuth Jr. first
distinguished himself in 1989 when he was only 24 years old and won the
World Series of Poker and the coveted gold bracelet, making him
the youngest winner of the main event. Another amazing feat of his
during that same tournament was defeating the two-time defending WSOP
champion, the seasoned and skillful Johnny Chan.
Nine Coveted WSOP Gold Bracelets
Since that time, Phil has captured a share
of the record for having won the most WSOP gold bracelets. He is
the proud owner of nine, and is tied with poker icon Doyle Brunson and
the remarkable Johnny Chan. Phil teasingly adds that T.J. Cloutier, for
whom he has great respect and admiration, is lagging behind in the
bracelet department. However, T.J. points out that he has "far more
trophies than Phil."
Phil is currently the all-time WSOP
money leader, having racked up an impressive $3.5 million, with Chan
nipping at his heels but coming up short by about $15,000, followed by
Cloutier, who has won almost $3 million. Phil playfully and
good-naturedly taunts his friends in the running with this public
challenge: "The first one to 10 million wins."
Phil has been at the final table of World
Series of Poker events more than 35 times, with his most recent
WSOP win being the 2003 $3,000 buy-in no-limit hold'em event. In it,
he won his record-tying ninth gold bracelet, pummeling 397 other players
to seize the title for a respectable $410,860 in first-place prize
money. He and T.J.
hold
the record for the most final tables, whereas Phil and Berry Johnston
have the most WSOP cash-outs, somewhere around 45 each.
In 2003, Phil won three big events: Omaha
eight-or-better at the L.A. Poker Classic, and limit hold'em and
no-limit holdem at the World Series of Poker. He also took third
in the no-limit holdem championship event at both the United States
Poker Championship at Trump Taj Mahal and the World Poker Finals
at Foxwoods, third in pot-limit Omaha and sixth in limit holdem at the
WSOP, fourth in pot-limit Omaha at the Festa al Lago at
Bellagio, and seventh in no-limit holdem at the Four Queens Classic.
On the World Poker Tour, he placed
third in Aruba and at Foxwoods, fourth at Lucky Chances, eighth at The
Bicycle Casino, 10th at the World Poker Open in Tunica,
Mississippi, 14th in Costa Rica, and 19th in the World Poker Tour
Championship at Bellagio in Las Vegas.
Phil has won so many tournaments in so many
places that he literally cannot remember all of them. In 1995, he won
the Hall of Fame Poker Classic championship; he has four
additional Hall of Fame victories, giving him the most Hall of
Fame wins; he was the 2000 Poker
EM
winner, which is the European Poker Championship, in Vienna; and
he was the 2000 Late Night Poker III winner in Cardiff, Wales.
The Bad Boy of Poker
Phil is probably one of the most talked
about characters in the poker world, because of his flamboyant,
thespian, over-dramatic style. As Phil puts it, 95 percent of the time
he is a perfect gentleman, fun to play with, and relaxed. Then, there is
the rest of the time. Because his histrionics have often been caught on
film, he is also one of those players about whom everyone has an
opinion.
One moment, you might see his 6-foot-5-inch
body dramatically sprawled out on the floor of a World Poker Tour
TV set, kicking his feet and bemoaning a bad beat like a child having a
temper tantrum; on the other hand, you might catch him graciously
signing autographs, shaking fans' hands with sincerity, or buying Dom
Perignon champagne for everyone at his dinner table. That's what happens
when a kid makes history by winning the World Series of Poker at
the tender age of 24.
The Crybaby Versus the Gentleman
Phil invited me to ask him whatever I
wanted; of course, I asked about his behavior when he falls on the
ground or acts like a crybaby. To his credit, he opened himself up in a
way I have never heard or read about before. He said that it is good for
him to talk about his bad behavior. In Atlantic City, when he
unexpectedly lost a hand after making a great read, he got so upset that
he dramatically threw himself onto the floor, a somewhat familiar sight
for this poker luminary. He admits that sometimes he is a crybaby. He
explains that it depends upon what mood he is in. Sometimes when he
takes a bad beat, he calmly says nice hand. In a perfect world, that is
the way he would like to behave.
The key for Phil is to meditate on how
blessed he is before the tournament. When he is focused on what really
matters, he becomes mindful of the fact that he has what is most
important — good health. He has a beautiful wife whom he is crazy about,
and wonderful kids with perfect health. When he meditates, he gets in
touch with the way his life is blessed, and he instantly becomes calm
and focused. He sees health, love, a wonderful, supportive family, fame,
wealth, and all the other ways his life has reached excellence.
He spoke about his bad behavior in a very
insightful way. "It's all about self-esteem; I had very low self-esteem
as a kid growing up, and probably a mild form of attention-deficit
disorder. It was difficult to get good grades. I was the oldest of five
kids. My dad was a university assistant dean, with an M.B.A., Ph.D., and
J.D. Growing up, I was never good enough." Phil went on to explain that
while growing up, he had a terrible case of warts on his hands, which
made him so self-conscious that he wrote with his palm facing upward so
that his warts would not show. Then, he developed a terrible case of
acne, which plagued him until he was about 35. He was uncomfortable with
himself as a person. He was a disappointment to his intellectual father,
his warts were humiliating, and his acne made him awkward and
self-conscious. Being the oldest of five, there were certain
expectations that he never met. Years of being uncomfortable with
himself took its toll on him, leaving vestiges of an inner struggle.
Phil wants to be a better person and works on that aspect of his
personality.
He added, "If I play poker for 50 hours,
you'll love me for 49 of those hours! When I lose it, I look like a
jerk, until I see one of my friends laughing at me." He explains that
when he gets that dose of reality, the good levity puts him back in his
place.
University of Wisconsin
Phil stumbled upon poker in his college
days. One night, he was playing basketball with his college buddies. At
the end of the game, one of the players said he couldn't decide whether
to go home for dinner or play poker. He told Phil about a campus game at
the Memorial Union. They played no-limit holdem with a $20 buy-in. After
beating the game regularly, Phil found a bigger game on campus. This
game had a $100 buy-in. The game consisted of a psychiatrist, three
professors, a lawyer, a doctor, some others, and 20-year-old Phil. What
an ego rush he experienced when he beat them all. In no time, he paid
off his college loans and amassed $20,000. He was on top of the world.
For a college kid, it was amazing to have his college loans paid off,
let alone having a chunk of cash in the bank.
Phil then decided to venture out to Las
Vegas. He walked into the Dunes poker room, and instantly saw "Kojak",
Telly Savalas, sitting at a $30-$60 table. There was a seat open next to
him, so Phil immediately sat down. He was used to the college game,
where he played until he won everyone's money. In this game, he played
for 72 hours straight. In Wisconsin, he played while he was fresh, and
never left an ongoing game. He didn't know you were supposed to quit at
some point. He was used to being the best player, but after 72 hours in
this stud eight-or-better game, which he'd never played before in his
life, he left the game stunned, with his spirit broken, after sustaining
a huge loss.
As a matter of fact, during his next 10
trips to Vegas, he lost consistently. He didn't always lose in poker,
but he found all the other games. He loved baccarat, craps, and
blackjack. After those 10 trips, Phil was broke. He lost every penny of
his $20,000.
Starting Over
Phil went crawling back to the college game,
where he won consistently. Eventually, he was to try his hand in Vegas
again. This time, he left as a huge winner, to the tune of about
$10,000. It almost felt awkward winning, since he was used to the losing
streak in Vegas. Then, he made the decision to drop out of college to
play poker professionally.
On Easter Sunday in 1988 at the Reno Hilton,
Phil won his first poker tournament ever. The game was no-limit holdem,
and he still has that trophy!
Later in 1988, he played in his first
WSOP. He had the chip lead until someone unknown to Phil came to
table. It was the dreaded Johnny Chan. There were four tables left. Phil
tried to bluff Johnny, which turned out to be an unwise and expensive
move. A few hands later, Chan had J-J and Phil had 10-10. Phil didn't
know exactly what to do. When the dust settled, Chan had busted Phil,
who came in 33rd in his first WSOP and won $7,500.
Hungry for a Win
In August of 1988, Phil went to L.A. to play
in the Legends of Poker tournament.
He entered the $1,000 buy-in (with rebuys)
no-limit holdem event. After the rebuys, he had $300 in his pocket and
no credit. If he lost, he would have had just enough money to get home.
Instead, he played until he was heads up with Erik Seidel; they made a
deal in which Phil received the lion's share, but then Erik went on to
win it. This made Phil all the more hungry for a win. The very next day,
he played his heart out in the $5,000 buy-in main event.
He found himself at the final table with
Jack Keller, Glenn Abney, Johnny Chan, and T.J. Cloutier. Jack wanted to
make a deal. He said, "Son, you're green." Phil politely said, "Mr.
Keller, I don't want to make a deal." That night, Phil busted them all
and left with the trophy and $145,000. In two days, he went from nearly
having to go home with just enough to cover his traveling expenses to
winning $222,000.
1989 WSOP
Phil's dad was an intellectual who had high
aspirations for his first-born. Playing poker was clearly not one of the
preferred vocations. With his degrees, education, and profession, Phil's
dad was devastated that his son dropped out of college to play poker.
All that talent was wasted.
Phil began flying around the country to
different tournaments, and told his dad he would like to fly him
anywhere to watch, but his dad only wanted to watch his son play poker
at the WSOP. Phil said no over and over again, because he knew he
would be so distracted that he would have no time for his dad. His dad
told Phil he was going to win and he wanted to be there, and Phil
reluctantly agreed.
After winning with the now-famous pair of
nines against poker great Johnny Chan, Phil searched the crowd for his
dad. That was the one person with whom he wanted to share this moment of
fame. "The minute after I'd won, my hands were up in the air; that was
the best moment of my life, until I got married and had kids. My arms
shot up in the air, and within a few seconds I started scanning the
room. There was my father running up the aisle, but remember, there was
more than a million dollars on the poker table, so the security guard
abruptly stopped him. I was yelling, 'No, no, it's OK; it's my dad, let
him through!' I waved my father through and gave him a big hug, and that
moment is forever in my mind.
"Having my father at the World Series of
Poker when I won had to be one of the greatest moments of my life.
Imagine, here was a man who hated poker; here was a man who couldn't
stand the profession I'd chosen, and the first time he ever came to see
me play, he saw me win the World Championship of Poker and $755,000 for
first place, with ESPN filming the event and the place knee-deep
in press."
Philosophy
Phil explained his life philosophy: "I
expect great things to happen to me. Life is a lot about attitude, about
expecting great things. If you believe in something, it will happen. If
you think you can move mountains, you can. Life is also about balance.
If I have balance, I can accomplish anything. My family comes first.
When I am mindful of how my life has been blessed, I feel a sense of
calm inside. My goal is to see the best in people and not to judge them.
If all people felt that way, there would be no war."
The people I respect most have solid values,
like Erik Seidel. His reputation is flawless; he is always a gentleman;
he is a great poker player; and he is a family man.
What Makes Phil a Winner?
I asked Phil whether he considers himself
one of the best poker players alive. "Let me see if I can politely dance
around this. There are those who consider me the best poker tournament
player in the world, but for those who don't, there is T.J. Cloutier,
Johnny Chan, Erik Seidel, Men the Master, and, of course, the great
Doyle Brunson and Chip Reese. I'm not the only one at the top of the
poker world.
"What makes me great is my ability to read
people. There are those who say I try harder than others. They say I
hate losing more than others hate losing. I think my biggest strength is
that I have no one particular style. I can mix it up and let the table
dictate how I will play. I am capable of raising 15 out of 20 hands or
only one. I don't play in a box. I know what other great players do
well. Some of them do those things better than I do. But I just try to
have all the gears and try to use them at the right time."
"Play Poker Like the Pros"
Hall of Fame inductee Amarillo Slim Preston
says: "Phil's new book Play Poker Like the Pros is the best poker
strategy book ever written." Poker legend Doyle "Texas
Dolly" Brunson says: "From the moment I first played poker with Phil, I
knew that I was witnessing something special." Phil has already signed
more than 2,000 copies of his new book. Bob Feduniak once told Phil that
when using Phil's technique, he came in third at the WSOP. In his
book, Phil shares his methodology for winning poker tournaments. His
book can be purchased at
www.cardplayer.com.
Phil is about to release a DVD, as well. In
Masters of Poker: Phil Hellmuth's Million Dollar Poker System,
Phil explains how to win a no-limit holdem tournament. He is excited
about the DVD because for about $10, players with different skill levels
can learn some of Phil's winning secrets. He believes this DVD will be a
classic that will retain its value in years to come. Because the DVD is
full of valuable information for the serious poker player, Phil and
Card Player have teamed up. Phil believes Card Player
magazine is a great educational tool for the earnest poker player.
Therefore, purchasers of his DVD will also receive two free issues of
Card Player magazine. Phil also has other videos/DVDs in the works,
which will be available at
www.cardplayer.com
as soon as they are released.
Anyone who wants a piece of Phil can find
him playing at www.ultimatebet(dot)com, in small games using the
unpredictable screen name of "PhilHellmuth," where he is happy to chat
with players. He also plays in the high-stakes games, where he is
probably a bit less talkative. For more information about Phil, visit
his website at
www.philhellmuth.com.
A Consummate Gentleman
During the PartyPoker Million III
cruise, I walked up to Phil while he was playing in a high-stakes poker
game in order to plan some time for an interview. I observed two people
walk up to him at different times to ask for his autograph. He
graciously shook each gentleman's hand, asked him his name, and then
wrote him a personal message. One of the fans asked him to also sign his
Oasis hat, and Phil courteously agreed. Later, Phil explained that his
responsibility to the poker world requires him to be hospitable when
he's away from table, even if someone wants an autograph the moment he
busts out of a tournament.
The day after this conversation with Phil, I
phoned Chris Hinchcliffe, who had won his entry in the PartyPoker
Million III with $25. He was the chip leader going into the WPT
final table with $1.7 million. We agreed to meet, and when he walked
into the room, I immediately recognized that he was the fan who eagerly
asked for Phil's autograph on his book and hat the previous day.
Hinchcliffe thought that the day before, when he was a poker nobody,
Phil had behaved like a class act. I got the two of them together before
the final table began and Hinchcliff asked for Phil's advice. Phil was
friendly and encouraged the poker novice to just play his own game, not
someone else's game. Hinchcliff told us that he read Phil's book and had
so much respect for not only his play, but the way Phil had treated him.
At the final table, Hinchcliff took third, winning $441,463 and singing
Phil's praises. He said that Phil was his favorite player and he was
thrilled to have played with him.
Future Goals
Besides being the best person, father, and
husband he can be, Phil's goal in life is to become the best poker
player of all time in all categories. With nine WSOP gold
bracelets, he is off to an impressive start.
"I want to earn the right to be considered
the best poker player of all time. I want to achieve greatness by
winning all of the major tournaments. In 10 years, I want people to say
Phil Hellmuth broke every record in poker, and no one else even comes
close."
A crowd of people had gathered during our
interview, and Phil smiled while entertaining them: "I am the king of
those who sprawl on the ground after a bad beat. I am confident I have
that one locked up! That record is unbeatable!" |
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