Hellmuth doesn't seem to understand that bluffing is part of playing poker

I think he understands but it tilts him to get bluffed I think. he has great skill but he will talk bad to u for no real reason.

In a way he is correct, people calling when not getting the right pot odds is bad poker but if you only call when youre supposed to you wont do very well. You have to mix it up some. That said 12 bracelets is no small feat. I think PH is obviously one of the top 4 or 5 tourney players in the world, but I would still love to call a raise of his and suck out on him.

Ladybugger said:

Here's another. Why does he criticize someone for calling a raise after the flop when the guy has 2 pair!?!? Of course he'd call that raise with 10 J.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mOl8nR4Ryc

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Why not look up some of the hands that he played well?
Why not look up some of the tournaments that he played well in?
Why not look up entire series he played well in? (ie. wsop 2012)

Phil is by far one of the most colorful players in the game and a dozen bracelets is impossible to ignore. Overall, he has so much more knowledge and experience than most fo the players out there and would be one of the most respected players if he didn't lose his cool so often and go on tilt. I think he understands bluffing is important, just shows how much it affects more than others.

Well I like him. I also go mad sometimes, also some harsh word can be thrown in. Couple of words should not hurt more then $100k.

I love watching Phill play, he is one of the most entertaining people to watch imo. I do feel bad for some of the players when he calls them morons and idiots though, I wish he would stop belittling people, while still being the Phill that throws fits.

Tony G, Tony G

ScottishMatt said:

You got to respect his ability to play . . . and completely loathe his attitude. Regardless of however delusional he is, it makes fantastic entertainment.

This video warms my heart like a cute little puppy does - Tony G - Welcome to the game - YouTube



Tony just punishes him so much! Did you enjoy it?

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Tony likes to run his mouth, only in an entirely different way. However, when you cannot beat a guy in france named SURINDER (pronounced surrender) at the WPT season X grand prix....maybe you should shut up. But I hope he never does. (And I hope I can use that line on him someday)

Phil seems to have a serious problem with assuming every hand he loses in should have been played by his opponent just like he would have played it. That seems to be the gist of every single blowup he has. Which is, of course, ridiculous. And even if he is correct about someones play, it's not correct every time and therefore not that time. So, I don't know why he gets upset.

Frankly, Phil, I'd like to have 1/64th of your knowledge and ability. Geez, you do have 13 bracelets, I have none. You have millions, I have -23.62. Are you really that bad off?

I cannot believe that his tantrums are staged or an act. If they were, why would the other big name pros get such a kick out of yanking his chain and the commentators constantly making a walking joke out of him? As far as being self-promotional, maybe. They could be a big part of why he gets invited to play on TV as often as he does. But who knows? So called "professional wrestlers" make bookoo bucks by making asses out of themselves; why not a poker player?

He is probably in of top 10 best poker pros but also he's a very bad loser like me

Ladybugger said:

When you are the LOSER, you don't tell everyone how YOU'D have played the hand.
What a jackass. You lost fair and square. There is no "should". Same rules for everyone.

What a sore loser. *Phil actually is the idiot. *
7% odds means you can actually win 7% of the time.
Phil seems to think 7% is 0% and only thinks in absolutes.

It's called bluffing. Get over it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tdW3VsDUNgE

Whatever, Dwan went all in with pocket 10s, and hit trips. A little luck is part of the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Un8xBYFIe8

If he won by going all in with K J, then tough sht.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoZeCEl6PNc

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What is so funny is that while he certainly cannot stand being bluffed, that is why he went out in this years WSOP main event; he bluffed off all his chips with no hand whatsoever. And, of course, assumed the other guy was bluffing him.

"bluff-a-Phobia", maybe?

I think he played like shit in the 2013 WSOP.
Constantly bluffing with junk and getting called.

I can't make it past the bubble in a freeroll when I'm steaming. Meanwhile Phil seems to be on permatilt and he's what, a multimillionaire?

This type of player like Phil Helmut is very difficult to handle, because when the blofea feels good, but the contrary is angry and thinks that as a poker star everyone should respect it and allow you to earn everything, but wrong for each person handles their style of play and want to be victorious in their battles.

Ladybugger said:

You know what I am getting at.

Yes, I agree it’s horrific low-odds playing, but horrific playing pays off once in a blue moon. Phil needs to accept that. Alternatively, if Phil folded, it would have been a brilliant re-raise bluff, etc. Luck is part of the game.

Phil can’t adjust his game to play crappy amateur players. So he loses. He needs to know they will go in with wacky sht. A great player adjusts to the context.

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Right. You know better than Hellmuth what Hellmuth should be doing,

How many bracelets have you won? Or tournaments of ANY kind, for that matter? That's what I thought.

-HooDooKoo

you're correct..he bluffed with hands he shouldn't have been playing and what gets me is people like him have this attitude where.."i raised you, you should fold by default because i'm a pro". i got bereted by a so called pro for calling his stupid pre flop raise with my aces to the point he shoved me all in ..this was all in the first level of the tournament. He had kings and i survived and he kept referencing that call all tournament.

Why did he say your call with A A was bad? I would have told him AA is the best preflop hand, so **** yea, I am going to call. Try reading a poker book, brah. How's that short stack, brah?

I love phil and hes right 90% of the times, How can you go all in preflop with KJ come on man this is the WSOP Think a little.

I honestly think the problem is a planet sized ego; he never thinks the guy that beats him should have because he would have played that persons hand totally different. Which really basically says "you got lucky because that is not how you should play it - trust me, I'm the best."


At any rate, thanks to Daniel Negreanu, he has competition in the "big head" department. "OMG, I have to be in my seat when the dealer starts dealing out the cards? Why wasn't I consulted about this first? The nerve of some people!"

Michael Paler said:

At any rate, thanks to Daniel Negreanu, he has competition in the "big head" department. "OMG, I have to be in my seat when the dealer starts dealing out the cards? Why wasn't I consulted about this first? The nerve of some people!"

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Actually this ^ statement is not correct (why am I not surprised?).
As the ruling is worded, it was in fact a bad call against Negreanu.

Poker Orifice said:

Actually this ^ statement is not correct (why am I not surprised?).
As the ruling is worded, it was in fact a bad call against Negreanu.

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Yet, if I said the sky was blue,
you would argue that to,
until your face turned
the exact same hue.
I know I'm not surprised, it is, after all, you!

Wow, I should be a poet! lol.

No, it's called "paraphrasing" P.O. and is spot on if go watch his first rant on the subject. I would not be a bit surprised if next time he stretches as far away from the chair as possible (while standing behind it) with one finger on it, looking away, just to push the damn rule as far as possible. He clearly wanted to push the envelope as far as possible in this instance. Come on; back to the table, talking with a friend seated at another table...he wants to nitpick the radius around his seat he can be within, with his back towards the table, without having his hand mucked? Spare us all the drama.

Clearly, he wants the opportunity to delay the game without looking like that is what he is doing. Or needs a pacifier. You decide.

Clearly you seem to know how they all are thinking. With reads like this are you sure you aren't actually Phil Helmuth himself?

Poker Orifice said:

Clearly you seem to know how they all are thinking. With reads like this are you sure you aren't actually Phil Helmuth himself?

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No, but if it walks like a duck....

Hilarious. Phil doesn't seem to understand that no matter how you slice it or dice it, poker is still gambling. You can learn the odds and try to minimize the risk, but in the end luck will have the final say.
There's always some idiot that goes "all in" bluffing and I'll call with my low pair of 2's. After they lose, they'll say "you called with 2's?! What a donk!". Of course, they went all in with nothing, but I"M the donk! lol
Hellmuth must not enjoy super high stakes tables where maybe Dwan might be playing. I've noticed that there is quite a bit of wreckless play there. Not necessarily donk play, but just careless. That's what it seems like anyway. They have a lot of cash and it becomes a battle of big bets and bluffing. Maybe that's just Dwan - I don't know lol. Sometimes I think it's just luck that separates the pros from the novices.

Ladybugger said:

When you are the LOSER, you don't tell everyone how YOU'D have played the hand.
What a jackass. You lost fair and square. There is no "should". Same rules for everyone.

What a sore loser. *Phil actually is the idiot. *
7% odds means you can actually win 7% of the time.
Phil seems to think 7% is 0% and only thinks in absolutes.

It's called bluffing. Get over it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tdW3VsDUNgE

Whatever, Dwan went all in with pocket 10s, and hit trips. A little luck is part of the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Un8xBYFIe8

If he won by going all in with K J, then tough sht.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoZeCEl6PNc

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dudemanstan said:

I love watching Phill play, he is one of the most entertaining people to watch imo. I do feel bad for some of the players when he calls them morons and idiots though, I wish he would stop belittling people, while still being the Phill that throws fits.

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Kind of hard for them to feel belittled, considering the circumstances. I mean...his belittling of someone is not going to be very effective if they just schooled him in poker..

Michael Paler said:

What is so funny is that while he certainly cannot stand being bluffed, that is why he went out in this years WSOP main event; he bluffed off all his chips with no hand whatsoever. And, of course, assumed the other guy was bluffing him.

"Bluff-a-Phobia", maybe?

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I don't know, but I'm relatively new in the game. I've got 2 or 3 years in now and my game has shown much improvement over the last 6 months.
I remember in the beginning, though, one of my first big hurdles that improved my game was getting over thinking that everybody was always bluffing. I learned that with a mediocre hand, it's usually best to "respect the raise". It seems silly that someone with 13 bracelets would succomb to "Bluff-a-Phobia".