‘Poker Brat’ makes ’80s rock star entrance to WSOP Main Event — PHOTOS
Phil Hellmuth couldn’t stay away from the World Series of Poker Main Event.
The 17-time WSOP champion made his grand entrance to the $10,000 buy-in No-limit Hold’em World Championship on Thursday, turning up at Horseshoe Las Vegas dressed as a 1980s rock star.
The “Highway to Hellmuth”-themed arrival included his son Phillip III and professional poker player Dan “Jungleman” Cates playing guitars. Hellmuth, wearing a black leather jacket, lip-synched to AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” as groupies followed behind.
The Highway to Hellmuth…#WSOP2025 pic.twitter.com/prN20d3IE8
— WSOP - World Series of Poker (@WSOP) July 4, 2025
Hellmuth, nicknamed the “Poker Brat,” threatened in February to skip the Main Event, citing the grueling schedule that favored younger players. Since 2003, only two winners of the Main Event have been over age 40.
He reversed course in May, and the 60-year-old Hellmuth took his seat on Day 1B at the featured table for the PokerGO online stream.
Hellmuth won the 1989 Main Event and is the only player to win the WSOP and WSOP Europe Main Events. The last time he cashed in the Main Event was 2015.
This summer, Hellmuth has cashed in eight events, and his best result was a third-place finish in the $2,500 buy-in Mixed Omaha High-Low 8/Seven-Card Stud High-Low 8 event two weeks ago.
Hellmuth’s late arrival to the Main Event has become a tradition, with his cosplay featuring characters such as Darth Vader and “The Greatest Showman.” Last year, he came dressed as a karate black belt and advanced to Day 2 but didn’t make the money.
Hellmuth wasn’t the only big name to enter the Main Event on Thursday.
Seven-time WSOP winner Daniel Negreanu was off to a strong start and doubled his 60,000-chip starting stack by the dinner break.
Johnny Chan and Qui Nguyen were among the former Main Event champions who appeared in the chip counts. Poker Hall of Fame member John Hennigan, seven-time WSOP winner Nick Schulman and Michael Mizrachi, who recently captured his seventh career WSOP title, were among the notables entered.
Online poker superstar Niklas Astedt, who finished third in last year’s Main Event, also was spotted at the tables.
Main Event update
The Main Event continued its record-breaking pace with more than 1,000 entrants at the second break. Last year’s Day 1B drew 831 players en route to a record 10,112 players.
The Main Event continues Friday with Day 1C, the third of four starting flights. A large field is expected on the Fourth of July holiday, with Saturday’s Day 1D certain to draw the largest attendance. The 2024 Main Event saw more than 5,000 players take their seats on Day 1D.
Registration remains open in the Main Event until Monday, and the money bubble is projected to burst early on Wednesday during Day 4. The final table is scheduled to begin July 15.
Ivey falls short
Most of the attention Thursday afternoon was focused on the $100,000 buy-in Pot-limit Omaha final table, not the Main Event.
Phil Ivey’s quest for his 12th career WSOP win drew a sizable crowd at Horseshoe Las Vegas, but he fell short, finishing in fifth place for $715,614.
Isaac Haxton held a commanding chip lead with four players remaining as he closed in on his second career WSOP title.
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on X.
