Phillip J. “The Poker Brat” Hellmuth Jr.

b. December 13, 1980

Phil “The Poker Brat” Hellmuth is where ego and talent meet. This Madison, Wisconsin, native is still the youngest player ever to win the main event of the World Series of Poker, which he did in 1989 at the ripe young age of 24. This accomplishment is compounded by the fact that Hellmuth had just learned to play poker four years earlier while attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Hellmuth is the oldest of five children, and his father was a university assistant dean with many academic achievements to his name. Hellmuth did very well in school, but when he got to college his academic life was pushed to the side.

He was invited to play in a small cash poker game in a student union hall, and after many wins in these low-dollar games, Hellmuth starting seeking out games with bigger stakes. He found them in $100 buy-in games with university college professors and prominent Madison citizens.

Within a few months Hellmuth had made enough money to pay off all the student loans he had accrued up to that point and build a $20,000 bankroll to take him to Las Vegas, so he dropped out of school before graduation to take up poker full-time.

Before leaving college, however, Hellmuth was an active UW-Madison Ultimate Frisbee Club player, and he often recounts the story of how he broke his ribs when diving to catch a disc that was thrown to him, and that catch, of course, was the game-winning play.

It’s stories like these that illustrate the “big ego” side of Hellmuth’s personality. It’s the side of Hellmuth that also makes him millions of dollars in endorsement fees, helped contribute to his nickname “The Poker Brat,” and why Hellmuth thought it was a good idea to literally trademark his name, “Hellmuth.” Hellmuth takes any opportunity he can to talk about how good he is and how bad other players are.

To balance this gigantic ego, Hellmuth, to his credit, has accomplished some incredible poker feats. He holds numerous world records for poker. Aside from being the youngest WSOP champion ever, Hellmuth holds a record eleven WSOP bracelets.

He is one of three players who has won three WSOP bracelets in one year, but the only player ever to have won three bracelets in three consecutive days, which he did in 1993 by winning the $2,500 and $1,500 No Limit Hold ‘em and $5,000 Limit Hold ‘em events. He also holds the records for most WSOP cashes and most WSOP final table appearances. Hellmuth is currently 4th on the “All Time Money List” for his live tournament earnings of over $10,000,000.

When Hellmuth isn’t winning or whining, he’s often writing. He has penned several poker books, countless articles for Card Player, produced several instructional poker videos, and has his own multi-player mobile phone game, Texas Hold ‘em by Phil Hellmuth.

He is also working out a deal with Oakley to develop his own signature series of sunglasses, working on producing his own clothing line, and discussing the possibility of his own movie called The Madison Kid.

A player like Hellmuth doesn’t come around often, and given the chance, he’ll likely tell you that himself. To sum Hellmuth up in a few words, all one has to do is turn to one of his classic phrases: “If luck weren’t involved, I guess I’d win every one.”

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