|
|
|
|
 |
|
Phil Hellmuth - Poker Legend
|
The self-confessed poker brat, Phil Hellmuth Jr. has one of the most dazzling tournament records of all time with 9 World Series Of Poker bracelets alone. His incredibly overbearing, willfully arrogant table personality is considered by some to detract from his overall ability as a poker champion. These critics are sadly misguided, as Hellmuth's verbal abuse is an integral part of his play. In fact, we would argue that his persona is the single most important component of his game.
Phil Helmuth bullies and belittles his opponents relentlessly, creating the impression that no one in the world knows more about poker than he does. Whether this is true or not is ultimately irrelevant, the perception is what matters. In this regard he is a direct descendant of Stu Ungar, another precocious talent who burst onto the scene young and dominated his elders through sheer bravado. Ungar was genuinely gifted at poker, however, whereas Hellmuth's main gift is self-promotion. The results are the same, but there is no doubt that if Ungar had ever played Phil heads-up he would have destroyed him. Very few players can match Phil Hellmuth when it comes to "coffee-housing" at a table - and his 35 final tables at the WSOP, including 1 Championship win 16 years ago (no longer a young gun our Phil) are testament to his tremendous abilities. Phil liked to describe himself as the bad boy of poker, but at this advanced stage of his career his immature petulance simply marks him as one of the bad men of poker. But bear in mind that it is all part of his game, and enables him to intimidate opponents as surely as if he went all-in before the flop.
Phil Hellmuth lives in California. He travels the tournament circuit and publishes plenty of poker guides, which spend a little time teaching basic skills and a lot of time musing about the author's brilliance. He is very hard on himself, believing as he does that he should win every time he sits down at a poker table. His unassailable confidence when it comes to poker is another big reason why he is so successful. No one buys into his own press more than Phil. He has also parlayed his high-profile into several successful business ventures, all associated with poker. He has long been a spokesman for Ultimate Bet, and has helped that poker room to become one of the four biggest online poker destinations in the world today.
Related Poker Articles And News Items:
> Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson - Poker Legend
> Johnny Chan - Poker Legend
> Daniel Negreanu - Poker Legend
> Howard Lederer - Poker Legend
|
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
