Phil Hellmuth Sr., Father of Phil Hellmuth Jr., Passes Away

Long before the sunglasses and the WSOP feature tables, the Hellmuth name belonged to a classroom, not a card room. Phil Hellmuth Sr. earned a Juris Doctor from Marquette University, where he met his wife, Lynn. He later added a PhD and an MBA.

He spent his entire career in the University of Wisconsin Letters and Science Department. His son took a different path, dropping out of college to play poker professionally, a decision Hellmuth Jr. recounted in his autobiography, “Poker Brat.”

In late 1988, Hellmuth Jr. offered to take his father on vacation anywhere he wanted to go. Hellmuth Sr. had never watched or played poker. He chose to travel with his son to the 1989 World Series of Poker.

Hellmuth Jr. asked his dad not to watch him during the Main Event because it would distract him. His father supported him every day anyway, showing up with bananas in hand. Then Hellmuth Jr. beat Johnny Chan to win the 1989 WSOP Main Event, his first gold bracelet, with $1 million in cash sitting on the table. Father and son shared an emotional embrace when it was over.

The trip started a habit of shared milestones. In 1998, Hellmuth Jr. took his dad to Super Bowl XXXII to watch the Green Bay Packers face the Denver Broncos.

Hellmuth Sr. was also there in 2006 when his son won bracelet No. 10, a win that tied Hellmuth Jr. with Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson for the most WSOP bracelets at the time. From there, Hellmuth Jr. kept climbing, eventually building the most decorated bracelet career in WSOP history with a record 17 gold bracelets.

Hellmuth Sr. was deeply proud of his family. In a 2008 interview with writer Gary Trask, he spoke about his five children and the competitive streak they shared.

“All five of them hate to lose, and it comes from watching Phil all of their lives because he was the oldest,” he said. “All five of them have reached the top in whatever they have decided to do. Phil just happens to be the most famous.”

Poker fans know Phil Hellmuth Jr. for the bracelets and the bravado. Behind that career was a father who never played the game but showed up for it, from a first Main Event win in 1989 to bracelet No. 10 in 2006.

Hellmuth Sr.’s story is a reminder that the biggest moments at the felt are often shared with the people in the seats behind the rail. Our condolences go out to the Hellmuth family.