Phil Hellmuth

Born July 16, 1964, in Madison, Wisconsin.

In a nutshell…

You know who he is. And you either love him, or you hate him. But no matter how you feel about the “Poker Brat,” one thing is undeniable - he is one of the premier poker players of all time. The mere mention of “Hellmuth” evokes thoughts of great poker play…and annoying felt behavior.

In 1989, Hellmuth became the youngest WSOP champion when, at the age of 24, he beat two-time defending champ Johnny Chan for the title and set in motion what would become a legendary WSOP resume. Hellmuth has nine WSOP bracelets and an amazing 47 money finishes. He also has six money finishes, including four final-table appearances, in the WPT. Hellmuth, who has over $5.4 million in tournament winnings to his credit, gained notoriety most recently when he bested 63 fellow top professionals and won the inaugural National Heads-Up Poker Championship in 2005.

There is a lot more to Hellmuth, however, than his play at the felt. The author of three books, “Bad Beats and Lucky Draws,” “Phil Hellmuth’s Texas Hold ‘Em,” and “Play Poker Like the Pros,” the Palo Alto, California, resident may be the best self-promoter in the history of the game. He has made several instructional poker videos, including “Phil Hellmuth’s Million Dollar Poker Secrets,” and is also a spokesperson for Ultimate Bet, a poker site. More recently, Hellmuth has worked with Oakley to develop poker-style sunglasses and has an autobiography, “Poker Brat,” in the works. He also has an extremely popular cell-phone poker game on Verizon. If that’s not enough Hellmuth for you, he’s sold a script to Beacon Pictures based on his life entitled “The Madison Kid,” and the Game Show Network is developing a reality show called “Winner Take All” created and starring the Poker Brat himself.

But despite his play at the table and his marketing prowess away from it, Hellmuth is probably still best known for his antics and sportsmanship in the card room. He’s usually filmed at tournaments ranting and raving after a bad beat or boasting and bragging after a winning hand. Some of his all-time best televised comments have been caught by ESPN’s cameras at the World Series of Poker, including the now infamous line, “If luck weren’t involved, I guess I’d win every one of them.” After suffering a bad beat at last year’s WSOP, Hellmuth told his opponent that he probably couldn’t even spell poker. Hellmuth’s behavior just may be purposeful, though, as it certainly hasn’t hurt sales for his many books, videos and other products.

Life story…

Hellmuth started playing poker as a student at the University of Wisconsin. He dominated low stakes games against fellow students before moving on to higher stakes against professors and other older members of the community. Before long, Hellmuth won enough cash to pay off all his student loans and build a substantial bankroll. He first started taking weekend-only trips to Vegas, which eventually broke him. He was forced to revert back to playing in Madison, where it didn’t take him long to earn enough money for a subsequent return Vegas trip. This time proved fruitful, as Hellmuth won over 10 grand. He then decided to drop out of school after his junior year to become a full-time poker pro.

In 1988, Hellmuth placed 5 th in a 7-card stud WSOP event before finishing 33 rd in the main event. It was this effort that gave him the confidence he needed to emerge triumphant in the following year’s event. His 1989 victory was significant in more than one way for Hellmuth. It also marked a reunification with this father, an assistant dean who had been disappointed when he dropped out of college. The two had little communication since the time Hellmuth had decided to turn pro. Hellmuth himself is a devoted family man, married with two sons.

Poker achievements…

* Ten WSOP bracelets - 1989 Main Event, 1992 $5,000 Limit Hold ‘Em, 1993 $1,500 Limit Hold ‘Em, 1993 $2,500 No-Limit Hold ‘Em, 1993 $5,000 No-Limit Hold ‘Em, 1997 $3,000 Pot-Limit Hold ‘Em, 2001 $2,000 No-Limit Hold ‘Em, 2003 $2,500 Limit Hold ‘Em, 2003 $3,000 No-Limit Hold ‘Em.

* 1 st place in 2000 Jack Binion World Poker Open - No-Limit Hold ‘Em.

* 1 st place in 2000 Global Pot-Limit No-Limit Open.

* 1 st place in 2000 Pot of Gold Tournament.

* 1 st place in 2000 Poker EM 2000 - Limit 7-card Stud.

* 1 st place in 2001 Shooting Star Tournament - Limit Omaha Hi-Lo.

* 1 st place in 2001 Austrian Masters - No-Limit Hold ‘Em.

* 1 st place in 2003 L.A. Poker Classic - Limit Omaha Hi-Lo.

* 1 st place in 2005 National Heads-Up Poker Championship.

* 1 st place in 2006 No Limit Hold ‘Em.

Did you know?

* Wife, Kathy, is a doctor at Stanford University.

* Favorite bands include Pearl Jam and the Rolling Stones.

* The oldest of five children.

* One of his favorite movies is “The Matrix.”

* When Hellmuth won the WSOP Main Event in 1989, he earned $755,000. 2005 Main Event winner Joseph Hachem pocketed $7.5 million.

* During the 2005 Main Event final table, he covered the action live via streaming audio for “CardPlayer” magazine. He also writes articles for “CardPlayer.”

* Has replaced Phil Gordon as the color commentator on Bravo’s “Celebrity Poker Showdown.”

* When he was 17, a psychic read his palm and told him he’d be famous some day.

* Just won his 11th Bracelet
* Stands 6′5″ tall.