Should The WSOP Set An Example By Penalizing Phil Hellmuth For His Abusive Behaviour?
The poker community has been discussing Phil Hellmuth’s behaviour at the 2021 World Series of Poker (WSOP) after the Poker Hall of Famer went crazy and launched a 15 minute foul mouthed abusive attack which included him threatening to burn down the Rio.
His foul mouth tirade was heard loud and clear by the players, fans and even WSOP commentators during the final table of the $10,000 Seven-Card Stud Championship.
What Did Hellmuth Say?
Phil Hellmuth started to go crazy when things did not go his way during the final table. Hellmuth is known for his explosive personality which is why he is nicknamed the Poker Brat. He has had a good run at the 2021 WSOP so far, making it to the final table of multiple events but failing to win any.
Some of the crazy stuff that Hellmuth said is listed below.
“F*****g punish me, he pops me on the f*****g turn with a diamond draw and an ace,” Hellmuth continued, talking to himself while the others were more focused on the next hand. “There’s like one ace left. F**k! How does he get rewarded for that bulls**t f*****g play? They f*****g overplay their hands against me. That’s why I win all these f*****g tournaments.”
“God dammit, what the f**k is going on here? A mother*****g diamond, he popped it every street like he was gonna get me out of there or some f*****g bulls**t. “So un-f*****g fair, I play like a f*****g genius every f*****g day. I think I’m gonna burn this f*****g place down if I don’t win this f*****g tournament.”
What Did The WSOP Do?
Phil Hellmuth is widely respected throughout the poker world and leads the list of players with the most number of WSOP gold bracelets. Hellmuth has 15 and is very keen on adding to that tally at the 2021 WSOP.
His frustration is understandable as he is playing really well but not well enough for him to win an event. However, that does not give him the right to lose control of his emotions and make things difficult for other poker players at the table.
The WSOP hasn’t done anything so far to punish Hellmuth for his outburst. We feel that the WSOP has shown partiality to Hellmuth and overlooked his outburst. If it was an average poker player who had an outburst, the situation would have been very different as the WSOP has strict rules.
Here is what the rulebook says. “Rio prohibits the use of obscene or foul language in any public area of the casino at any time. Any Participant who uses such language or makes a foul, profane, obscene or vulgar statement, or speaks abusively or in an intimidating manner to another Participant, a dealer or a WSOP Tournament staff member, will be penalized. These penalties will be levied based on Rules 40, 113, and 114”.
Those penalties include a verbal warning, missing one hand at the table, disqualifying the player and even expelling them from the Rio. By failing to hand out a punishment to Hellmuth, the WSOP has shown that it is partial to certain players.
Hellmuth Issues Apology
When Hellmuth found his outburst making the rounds on social media, he was quick to issue an apology for his behaviour. He put out a long tweet which said.
“My Mother and Father were embarrassed/mad at me…My friends told me I was out of line. After 44 hrs of ridicule on social media, and realizing my rants set a bad example for poker players everywhere, I think I can reign it in A LOT. I might not be perfect, but I can be better…”
