Phil Hellmuth

The Gentleman

“Well, what do you know...Phil's giving off a tell that he's a douchebag.”

~ A douchebag projecting his own tell, seconds before he loses stacks of benjamins to Phil Hellmuth

Phil "The Gentleman" Hellmuth (born July 16, 1964) is a professional poker player, children's book author, and inventor of the California All Up In 'Em variant of poker. He has won 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, all of them in the All Up In 'Em category. Additionally, he is an accomplished Monopoly player, having cashed in over 20 World Series of Monopoly tournaments, the most ever cashes to date. He was to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1995, but he declined the honor, saying "I don't deserve it." He is well-liked and respected among his peers due to his modesty and his grace when losing a hand.

World Series of Poker

In 1989, the 24-year-old Hellmuth became the first player to win the California All Up In 'Em event of the WSOP by defeating the two-time Main Event champion, Johnny Chan. At the 2006 World Series of Poker, at the All Up In 'Em final table, Hellmuth was holding four aces in a hand with fellow pro Doyle Brunson. Brunson held three 2s and a 7, the best possible starting hand in All Up In 'Em. When Hellmuth flopped a Fosbury, defeating Brunson's hand, Brunson proceeded to fire at Hellmuth from across the table with a .44 Magnum pistol. Hellmuth dove under the table in time to avoid injury, prompting pro Scotty Nguyen to exclaim "Phil can dodge bullets, baby!" No charges were brought against Brunson, and Hellmuth went on to win the event.

At the 2007 World Series of Poker, Hellmuth won his 11th bracelet in the All Up In 'Em event, defeating 6,000 entrants in one hand. In honor of the achievement, the event was retired from the WSOP, making Hellmuth the only player who will ever have won it. He has entered many other WSOP events in poker games such as Texas Sold 'Em, 12 Card Draw, Milwaukee 38 or Worse, and Spazz, but never lasts more than a few hands in these events.

Books

In 2004, Hellmuth wrote a book for children entitled The Sad Old Monster. It is reportedly inspired by fellow poker pro Doyle Brunson, and tells the story of a child being terrorized by an old man who climbs in through his window every night. The book caused some controversy upon release due to the fact that the child in the story is allowed to eat unhealthy foods by his parents. Regardless, it was very popular among critics, and has sold over 3,000,000 copies. In late 2007, Paramount Pictures announced that they had bought the rights to the book, and would be producing a film version with Ron Howard directing. Hellmuth has also stated that he is planning to write two sequels to the book.

Personal Life

Hellmuth was born in Madison, Wisconsin, which doesn't matter. What matters is that he dropped out of junior high school to pursue a career in Three-Card Monte. It was this game which led him to meet poker legend Amarillo Slim, who introduced him to poker through the H.O.R.S.E.S.H.I.T. variant. He enjoys eating muskrats, betting on midget bobsled races, and weaves various Persian rugs to wear on his head.

He currently resides in California where he trains year-round to win more World Series of Poker bracelets.

Famous quotes Phil Hellmuth said because you won instead of him

• "Very nice hand, sir. Well played!"
• "If it weren't for luck, I don't know what you'd do."
• "How do you spell poker? I've forgotten. Maybe you know. Oh, that's right, you don't. "
• "I think I'm the only one at this table who knows what he's doing."
• "I can dodge bullets, baby!"