BY TOM SOMACH

Eleven-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet-winner Phil “Poker Brat” Hellmuth Jr. was injured in a car crash in Las Vegas Sunday, possibly jeopardizing his participation in the WSOP main event.

Hellmuth, in full auto racing uniform, was driving a race car in the parking lot of the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, as part of a promotional stunt, when he crashed into a pole.

He was not seriously injured in the accident, but did complain about suffering whiplash.

The promotion was on behalf of Ultimate Bet (www.ultimatebet.com), an online poker room that Hellmuth shills for.

According to a report about the incident, on the Ultimate Bet website: “Hellmuth had spent the day testing the 200 mph race car in the Nevada desert. Upon approaching his hotel, the 11-time WSOP bracelet winner lost control of the vehicle and crashed head-on into a pole.”

Video of the crash can be viewed at the Ultimate Bet website or at the Raw Vegas website, at www.rawvegas.tv.

It was not immediately known whether the accident would prevent Hellmuth from participating in the World Series of Poker main event, now underway at the Rio.

Hellmuth won his 11th championship WSOP gold bracelet several weeks ago, making him the career leader, one ahead of Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson and Johnny “The Orient Express” Chan, who have each won 10.

Hellmuth, formerly of Madison, Wisc., USA, and now of Palo Alto, Calif., USA, is also the youngest person ever to win the WSOP main event, which he did in 1989, beating Chan and preventing the Chinese poker pro from winning his third straight WSOP main event.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)