Hellmuth has been playing like Ivey has had a gun to his head, and after winning his 8th bracelet, he practically does. The impending doom of the Ivey Express is bearing down on Hellmuth’s spot atop the coveted all-time bracelet leaderboard. So what does Hellmuth go and do? He makes his 42nd World Series of Poker (WSOP) final table.
Earier this morning, Hellmuth busted out in 7th place of the $1,500 pot-limit Omaha high-low event. Known for having bracelets in only hold’em events, a win in a different poker variant would have alleviated talks that it was the only game Hellmuth could win at. In typical “Poker Brat” fashion, he walked away from the table complaining: “He woke up with aces. I raise once and he wakes up with aces!”
His 7th place performance was just the lastest of his recent cashes at the 2010 WSOP. In Event #8, the $1,500 no-limit hold’em event, Hellmuth finished 15th amongst a field of 2,348 for $25,472. In event #17, the $5,000 no-limit hold’em, Hellmuth made another deep run through a field of 792 players, ultimately falling short and walking away with a $14,000 consolation prize for 50th place. In his greatness, he is consistent, and out of this ability to constantly perform at the top of his game against the highest caliber player in the world, he has cemented his legacy to what we can call the “Phil Poker Trifecta”.
Hellmuth not only holds the record for most WSOP bracelets with 11, he currently has the most WSOP cashes (78) and final tables, setting the bar even higher on the poker world with his latest record-breaking 42nd WSOP final table, a record held none other than himself. It was formerly held by T.J. Cloutier with 39 final tables, who’s last, dying rays of poker relevancy vanished after Hellmuth’s 8th place finish in the $5,000 pot-limit Omaha rebuy at the 2008 WSOP, and the 40th final table that came with it.
Brash comments and swelling ego aside, you really have to give it to a man who can continuously make deep runs through such formidable fields. It’s not to say that he’s the only one that does it, but it can be argued that he is the best at doing it. His legacy has undoubtedly been cemented, if not for his accomplishments, his “colorful” personality and inability to take a loss on the chin. After Ivey’s recent bracelet, it has stirred up what is destined to be an age-old debate: Hellmuth or Ivey? It’s like matching Friday vs. Saturday, Coke vs. Pepsi, sausage vs. pepperoni. The pros of one outweigh any foreseeable cons of the other. As far as I’m concerned, we’re all winners; we just get to sit back and watch the show
