Opinions are split on Phil Hellmuth. On the one hand he's a self-centred scoundrel, but this is subsumed by his loving relationship with his family. Is Phil Hellmuth like is nickname ′Brat" or are we deceived by his appearance as one of the most successful poker players of all time?
A debate that reaches new heights daily. But the controversy surrounding him is one of his assets. At least Phil knows how to profit from the turbulence around his personage; it's made him the most talked about personality on the poker scene. Poker relevant things like video games, DVDs and books are just one side of the coin, but they always land on the Hellmuth's side. His assortment of merchandise is crowned by his own line of Oakleys and his own fashion collection. No matter what the direction, wherever his name is, Hellmuth is there too.
When he's not letting his name do the work, he's working as a columnist for papers and magazines or writing yet another best-seller. His works so far ′Play Poker like the Pros", ′Bad Beats and Lucky Draws", and ′The Greatest Poker Hands Ever Played" have sold millions. Not lastly because of the great successes over the course of his 20 year poker career.
You don't have to like him to be impressed by his winnings. Phil Hellmuth must have been under a lot of pressure when he decided not to follow the footsteps of his father, a university professor. He didn't like seeing his son go the way of a poker pro. He calmed down after Hellmuth won the World Series of Poker at the age of 24, the youngest participant to date at that time. Back then he won heads-up against Johnny Chan, with whom he and Doyle Brunson form the triumvirate of the World Series of Poker. All three of them have won 10 WSoP tournaments and a bracelet for each win.
In the meantime, all that success seems to have gone to Phil Hellmuth's head. While continuously expressing his pre-eminence, he then acts stunned should he lose. The competition at the table escalates verbally as soon as Hellmuth has to admit a defeat or just has bad luck. His insults about the incompetence of the other players like ′This guy can't even spell poker" or ′If luck weren't involved I guess I'd win every one" have earned him the nickname ′Hell mouth." His drive to set himself against his opponents stems from his early years. As the oldest of five children he grew up with competition every day. ′I was not able to lose," said Hellmuth.
But for Phil it's a question of prestige and he forget to give special effort to maintain his image during tournaments. ′I want to be the best ever." That this sort of statement reflects pride is only conditionally true in Hellmuth's case. In his younger years he seemed to be seduced by the sweet scent of Las Vegas. ′You can anything in Las Vegas with a pile of money," Hellmuth said. However, Phil Jr. Reached a turning point as he realized the folly of his ways. He showed great moral character to make the move to new goals from the trite existence of a drinking gambler.
His will to do something meaningful holds fast. Even though he doesn't need to hide behind his success thus far, he sees himself as underestimated. He wants to give his outstanding respect to his family too, not just his wife Katherine Sanborn and sons Phillip III and Nicholas but to his parents and siblings. They keep him grounded during upswings and catch him after defeats. Phil puts a high value on his family and attributes a lot of his success to them. Phil Hellmuths career bears witness to such merciless strength of will that he cannot help but be scandalized, and he'll be scandalized in the future too. This won't stand in his way. Without a doubt, Phil Hellmuth can say he has attained that lofty goal of numbering amongst the greatest players of all time. One question remains open: Will Phil Hellmuth set himself apart from Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan? In the next part of our series, you'll hear about the intentions that these two icons have to withstand the pressure from Hellmuth
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