Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil Hellmuth, Jr. is the ultimate bad boy of professional poker. But his notoriety is matched with superior card playing skills that has put him in the ranks of poker greats like Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan.
Phil came into limelight in 1989 when as a 24-year-old he became the youngest World Series of Poker main event champion by defeating the two-time defending champion, Johnny Chan.
In the 2006 WSOP, he has collected his 10th gold bracelet, he ties this record with Chan and Brunson. Also as of this year, his total live tournament winnings (from the WSOP and other major tournaments) exceed $8,100,000.
Phil is sometimes known as "poker brat" because of his attitude and huge ego at the poker table. His notoriety is mainly due to his perceived inability to gracefully handle adversity and defeat.
During the 2005 WSOP, he pronounced that he could "dodge bullets" after making a laydown to an opponent with pocket Aces, and even accused an amateur player of not even being able to spell poker (this after the player put all his money in the pot with King high and hit a three-outer to win the pot). He is sometimes referred to as "Hell Mouth", a play on his surname.
Despite this reputation, his accomplishments are highly respected in the poker world.
Early this year, he replaced Phil Gordon as host of the TV show, Celebrity Poker Showdown, at the Bravo network. Aside from touring the tournament circuit, Phil is also a multi-million brand having released poker books -- Play Poker like the Pros, Bad Beats and Lucky Draws, and The Greatest Poker Hands Ever Played -- and developing several instructional poker videos, including Phil Hellmuth's Million Dollar Poker Secrets.
He is also a spokesperson for (and player at) Ultimate Bet, an online poker room. More recently, he has worked with Oakley to develop his signature series of poker style sunglasses as well as currently working on a clothing line. Phil also appeared in promotional commercials for the Arena Football League during the 2006 season. In an online interview with ESPN, he estimated that he could earn anywhere up to $400 million off the poker table.
Phil attended the University of Wisconsin for three years before dropping out to play poker full time. He now resides in Palo Alto, California with his wife Katherine Sanborn (a psychiatrist at Stanford University) and two sons, Phillip III and Nicholas.
