Phil Hellmuth again puts on show at WSOP
Phil Hellmuth fell short Monday in his bid for a record 15th career World Series of Poker bracelet.
Of course, the Poker Brat can be even more entertaining when he doesn’t win.
Hellmuth finished ninth in the $10,000 buy-in Seven-card Stud Hi-Low/8 or Better Championship at the Rio Convention Center and still managed to put on a show for the 100-plus fans in attendance.
Here is what an afternoon spent watching Hellmuth was like:
1:58 p.m.: Hellmuth arrives at his table in the Brasilia Room wearing his customary black baseball cap and black sweatshirt. He also has on custom-made gold sneakers.
2:03 p.m.: Hellmuth loses an early hand to Abe Mosseri. “Nice life,” Hellmuth sarcastically tells the two-time bracelet winner as he tosses away his cards.
2:19 p.m.: Hellmuth folds to a bet from Mosseri and blurts out, “C’mon! What the (expletive) is going on here? How many times are you going to do that (expletive)?”
2:24 p.m.: A visibly frustrated Hellmuth walks away from the table and kicks a nearby wall before quietly returning to his seat.
3:03 p.m.: Hellmuth tells the other four players at the table he is going to “break the door down.” None of them appear to know what he means.
3:09 p.m.: Hellmuth survives an all-in bet against two opponents, chopping the pot with three-time bracelet winner Brock Parker. “I’m fighting for my life here!” Hellmuth exclaims.
3:31 p.m.: Hellmuth has been silent for several minutes. But when a fan says, “Give ’em hell, Phil,” Hellmuth protrudes his bottom lip and nods in approval.
3:42 p.m.: Hellmuth loses another pot to Mosseri. He stands up and swipes the cards together in anger before mucking his hand.
4:00 p.m.: After a 15-minute break, play resumes at the final table with nine players remaining. Hellmuth has the shortest stack.
4:18 p.m.: Hellmuth is eliminated from the tournament by Mosseri and earns $26,938. He exits quietly out of a side door with his wife, Katherine.
Negreanu hits 100
Daniel Negreanu also made the money in the Seven-card Stud Hi-Low/8 or Better Championship, his 100th career cash in a WSOP event.
The Las Vegas resident is the third player in history with 100 or more career WSOP cashes, joining Hellmuth (124) and Erik Seidel (101).
Player of Year race heats up
Raymond Henson of Houston jumped into the lead for the 2017 WSOP Player of the Year award after finishing third in the $1,500 buy-in Pot-limit Omaha Hi-Low/8 or Better event late Sunday.
Henson, who has three final tables and eight cashes this summer, holds a slim lead in the standings over Ryan Hughes of Phoenix.
Hughes has cashed in 11 events in 2017 and is approaching the all-time record for cashes in a single WSOP, which was set last year by Roland Israelashvili with 13.
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.
Most WSOP cashes, all-time
1. Phil Hellmuth 124
2. Erik Seidel 101
3. Daniel Negreanu 100
4. Humberto Brenes 90
5. Men Nguyen 87
6. Chris Bjorin 85
7. Barry Greenstein 84
8. Chris Ferguson 84
9. Tony Cousineau 78
10. David Chiu 73
Source: WSOP.com
