Phil Hellmuth is a well known and controversial poker player. He attended the University of Wisconsin for three years but decided to make poker playing his profession and dropped out of school. Born on July 16, 1964 in Madison, Wisconsin, his stated career goal is “to become the best poker player of all time”. His first step toward this achievement was taken in 1989 when he was 24 years old. At that time, he won his first World Series of Poker Title and was the youngest Poker player to ever accomplish a feat of this kind.



Hellmuth has racked up a number of accomplishments, one of which is the fact that he has thus far won nine World Series of Poker bracelets in Texas Hold’em events:









- 2003 - $3,000 No Limit Hold’em - $410,860



- 2003 - $2,500 Limit Hold’em - $171,400



- 2001 - $2,000 No Limit Hold’em - $316,000



- 1997 - $3,000 Pot Limit Hold’em - $204,000



- 1993 - $5,000 No Limit Hold’em - $173,000



- 1993 - $2,500 No Limit Hold’em - $161,400



- 1993 - $1,500 Limit Hold’em - $138,000



- 1992 - $5,000 Limit Hold’em - $188,000



- 1989 - $10,000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship - $755,000



Phil Hellmuth has also authored several instructional books on Poker:



- “Texas Hold’em” (Harper Torch)

- “Bad Beats and Lucky Draws”

- “Poker Brat” - autobiography and Poker advice

- “Play Poker like the Pros” - which was translated into French and Czech.



In addition to his writings, Hellmuth’s life story will be made into a movie by Beacon Pictures. The film will be entitled “The Madison Kid”. Hellmuth will also be starring in a reality show called “Winner Takes All” on the Game Show Network.



Hellmuth has achieved a degree of notoriety due to his lack of etiquette at the Poker tables. Consequently, he has two nicknames. One is “Poker Brat” and the other is “Hell Mouth”. The latter was bestowed upon him by other Poker players who take exception to his bad behavior while gambling. Some people think his inappropriate antics are done on purpose to gain the spotlight since he gets a great deal of attention from the cameras during televised Poker Tournaments in response to his often brash comments.



He is also considered a colorful character. At 6’5” tall, he is hard to overlook. Phil is an emotional player and does not deal well with adversity. However, he seems to enjoy meeting his fans and is available to sign autographs when asked to do so.



Phil Hellmuth is also considered a Poker icon and one of the most successful Tournament players of all time.



Phil is married and the father of two sons. He makes his home in Palo Alto, California. As of this writing, his winnings at the World Series of Poker amount to $3,406,705. He stated in an online interview with ESPN that he estimates “he could earning anywhere up to $400 million off the Poker table.”

By: Kenneth Bateman -

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Kenneth Bateman writes numerous articles on the subject of poker and its players. To read more player profiles, visit XL Poker Room.