Phil Hellmuth entered the 2021 World Series of Poker (WSOP) as the leader of the WSOP bracelet list. He had 15 bracelets to his name and was well ahead of the pack as Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan have 10 WSOP bracelets to their name and occupy the second spot on the list.
Phil Hellmuth Adds Another Bracelet
Hellmuth’s last WSOP bracelet win came back at the 2018 WSOP and for the last few years he has tried to win his 16th bracelet but hasn’t had any success even though he made three WSOP final tables prior to the start of the 2021 WSOP.
He had a great start to the 2021 WSOP as he made four final tables within the first three weeks. Hellmuth reached the final table of the $10,000 Seven Card Stud event where he was eliminated in fourth place; reached the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better event and was eliminated in fifth place and the $25,000 H.O.R.S.E event and was eliminated in sixth place.
His frustrations grew and boiled over when he lost his cool at one of the final tables and went on a 15-minute abusive rant that received a lot of social media attention and made him issue an apology. Hellmuth did not have to wait long to make it to his fourth final table as he had success at the $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw event.
Hellmuth had a rough start on Day 1 and was nearly eliminated but he bounced back and fought hard as the event generated 272 registrations and a prize pool of $363,120. Once he made the final table, he was determined to go all the way and ended up doing so. He won $84,851 for finishing first and clinched his 16th WSOP bracelet.
Hellmuth Thrilled With 16th Bracelet
Hellmuth had to wait a long time to add to his bracelet collection but the worth was worth it as it’s a win he isn’t going to forget anytime soon. This was only his third WSOP non hold’em event win and his first win playing a WSOP deuce-to-seven poker game.
In a statement, Hellmuth said “I’ve wanted a deuce-to-seven bracelet ever since the 1980’s because it was the coolest bracelet to win. It’s the one tournament that Chip, Doyle, and all the big named poker players showed up for. I’ve been fighting so hard for this bracelet for so long, and my game has gotten better and better. I’ve worked really hard at it and I know all these tricks because I’ve been playing since the eighties. It feels really good.”
Who Can Overtake Hellmuth?
Hellmuth is sitting comfortably in the lead with 16 WSOP bracelets and as of now it looks like there is no one out there ready to challenge him. Doyle Brunson has retired from poker even though he did confirm that he would make an appearance at the 2021 WSOP. Brunson is 88 years old and has called Hellmuth the Greatest of All Time (GOAT).
Johnny Chan is 64 years old and his last WSOP bracelet win was back in 2005. Given that Chan hasn’t won a WSOP bracelet in the last 16 years, it’s highly unlikely he is going to challenge Hellmuth.
Phil Ivey could be the only one capable of pushing Hellmuth even though Ivey’s last WSOP bracelet win was back in 2014. Now that Ivey has sorted out his legal issues in the United States, we could see him play more WSOP events going forward but it will still take some doing to knock Hellmuth from the top spot.
