Phil Hellmuth Jr. is perhaps one of the biggest names in the world of professional poker for various reasons. First of all, Hellmuth is an absolutely amazing poker player, having skillfully earned 11 WSOP Bracelets over his career, the current world record, followed by the legendary Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan, both tied with 10. Phil Hellmuth is also well known for his boisterous behavior, always managing to draw the attention to himself when he wants it.

Born Phillip J. Hellmuth Jr. in Madison, Wisconsin on July 16, 1964, Phil grew up to attend the local University. It was during his college days that Phil Hellmuth actually started playing poker. It wasn’t long before Hellmuth’s quick mind and instinctual gift developed into a truly skilled poker player. Thus, in 1985, after spending 3 years in college, Phil dropped out to play poker full-time.

The decision turned out to be quite positive for Phil. Only four years into his career, in 1989 at the age of 24, Hellmuth became the youngest player to ever win the World Series of Poker Main Event, also awarding his first of 11 WSOP bracelets.

One of Phil Hellmuth’s most memorable moments, aside from the actual prize purses he’s received, was an incident at the opening of the WSOP Main Event in 2007. Phil decided to celebrate the WSOP’s newfound acceptance of sponsor marking on clothing. To do so, he wanted a racing suite covered in sponsorships - just like a real racecar driver. The online poker room, UltimateBet, jumped on the chance to gain some PR of their own and offered Hellmuth a real NASCAR racing car, repainted with $35,000 worth of logos, sponsorship markings and of course, Phil Hellmuth’s own likeness painted on the hood. Known for his extravagant entrances in the past, Hellmuth decided to make this the grandest of all, pulling up in a black and yellow NASCAR, racing around the parking lot a few times, then entering in his matching racecar get-up. You know what they say about “plans” though, right?

Instead, Phil drove around the parking lot only to crash the quarter-million dollar NASCAR into a pole. Completely embarrassed, and a little bruised up, Hellmuth did not make his entrance until sometime later, but still managed to do it with gusto. He entered the WSOP Main Event doors wearing his jumpsuit, as planned, but with a beautiful lady

Phil, not known for his polite nature, often makes scathing remarks about his opponents during a match, especially when suffering a bad beat. For this behavior, Phil has been frequently termed “The Poker Brat”. Though his personality may grate on his opponents, and perhaps some viewers as well, it is impossible to disregard his incredible talent for playing poker. The numbers speak for themselves - 126 live tournament cashes, 20 first-place finishes, 11 WSOP bracelets and $8,233,916 in live tournament career earnings.

Phil Hellmuth and the WSOP
Phil Hellmuth’s first lucrative experience with the World Series of Poker came at the age of 23 in the 1988 WSOP. Phil took a 5th place purse of $15,450 in Event #6 Limit 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo on May 10th, followed by a 33rd place finish in the NL Hold’em World Championship, earning $7,500.

The 1989 WSOP was a landmark event for Hellmuth, finishing in the money twice before taking down the entire WSOP Championship on May 14. Phil earned his first WSOP bracelet, $755,000, and became the youngest poker player to ever win the WSOP Main Event, at the age of 24.

1990 brought limited success to Phil compared to his previous year, though he did take 5th place in a NL Hold’em event for $32,500. Hellmuth passed right over the next year’s WSOP, but made up for it in 1992, taking 5 purses throughout the tournament. Among these was a 2nd place finish in Event #4 and a 1st place victory in Event #8, both Limit Hold’em, awarding Phil his second WSOP bracelet.

The 1993 marked yet another historical moment in Hellmuth’s WSOP history, not only pocketing 4 cashes worth $544,500, but three of those were 1st place finishes and the other a 2nd place. Phil earned his 3rd, 4h and 5th WSOP Bracelets in the 1993 WSOP. The next year offers a short but lucrative story as Phil Hellmuth worked his way to a single cash in Event #4, NL Hold’em, taking home $93,900 at the 1994 WSOP.

In the 1996 WSOP, Phil earned another small chunk of change for a 6th position finish in Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, worth $12,375. The 1997 WSOP saw Hellmuth once again earn a WSOP Bracelet, his 6th, taking down Event #15 for $204,000 on May 3rd. One week later, Phil finished the World Championship in 21st position for another $21,200.

Hellmuth was relatively quiet in the following years, earning small cashes here and there, until the 2001 WSOP. He cashed 7 more times that year, gaining his 7th WSOP bracelet in Event #5, along with $316,550. He also took 2nd place in Event #23 for $103,785, and finished in 5h at the World Championship table for another $303,705.

Phil Hellmuth earned his 8th and 9th WSOP Bracelet at the 2003 tournament, earning $171,400 in Event #12 Limit Hold’em, and $410,860 in Event #32 NL Hold’em. Hellmuth ended in the money at four other events as well, worth nearly $80,000 combined.

WSOP 2004 saw another 5 cashes for Hellmuth, but none awarding a bracelet this year. His best placement was 6th and 7th in PL Hold’em events. Phil earned a total of about $75,000 in 2004. Another 4 cashes came in the 2005 WSOP, totalling near $95,000, but again no more WSOP bracelets just yet.

Phil Hellmuth was at the top of his game coming into the 2006 WSOP, taking home an amazing 8 purses worth roughly $1,180,000. These included a 2nd place victory in Event #9 NL Hold’em, worth $23,893, and Phil Hellmuth’s 10th WSOP Bracelet for triumphing over Event #34 NL Hold’em for $631,863.

The final, record-breaking 1tth WSOP bracelet was presented to Phil Hellmuth on June 9 at the 2007 WSOP, for clearing the field of Event #15 NL Hold’em. Phil pocketed $637,254 for this victory, plus 5 more purses in other events that year, worth about $105,000.

As the 2008 WSOP approaches, all eyes will be on Phil Hellmuth. It will be interesting to see if he can skillfully maneuver his way to further increasing the record with a 12th WSOP bracelet, or even more…

Phil Hellmuth’s Other Achievements
Though most of Phil’s fortune and fame are linked with the World Series of Poker, he has had significant success in other major poker tournaments as well.

Phil has closely followed the World Poker tour (WPT) since its first season in 2002, taking prize purses here and there throughout the years. Highlights of Phil Hellmuth’s WPT winnings include a 1st place victory at the LA Poker Classic Event #11 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, held February 9, 2003. Phil earned $55,485 for his win. Later that year, Phil finished 3rd in the World Poker Finals, pocketing $281,700 for his efforts. Most recently, Hellmuth earned $229,820 for a 6th place finish at the LA Poker Classic NL Hold’em Championships, WPT Season 6, held on February 28, 2008. On a final note, Hellmuth also took down the LA Poker Classic in 1998 for $50,400, before it became a part of the WPT.

In the Fall of 2000, Phil had a great run with 1st place finishes, the most lucrative being a $161,920 prize purse for taking down a Limit 7 Card Stud event at the Poker EM 2000.

The 2005 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, held March 5th, brought yet another 1st place victory for Phil Hellmuth, along with a half-million prize.

Phil Hellmuth Outside of Poker
Phil Hellmuth is married with two children, residing in Palo Alto, California. His hobbies including working on his web site, writing and listening to 80’s/90’s rock music. When the opportunity arises, Phil loves to visit Esalen, located to the south of Pebble Beach and Monterey Bay, California.

Phil Hellmuth believes that family should always come first, above anything else. He is also a firm believer that if one truly focuses on it, you can ’see the good’ in anyone.