Phil Hellmuth Net Worth and History

Phil Hellmuth Net Worth: Anybody who follows poker will know the name, Phil Hellmuth. Known as ‘The Poker Brat’ because of his behavior at the tables, especially if he’s losing, he has been on the poker circuit since 1987 and is not ready to quit yet.

So who is he, and where did he come from? Why is he such a good player, and what exactly is Phil Hellmuth’s net worth? All these answers are below.

NamePhillip “Phil” Jerome Hellmuth Jr.
NicknameThe Poker Brat
ProfessionProfessional poker player
Born16th of July, 1964
Net Worth$23 million

Early Career 

Born in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 16, 1964, Phil Hellmuth is considered by many of his peers to be one of the best live poker tournament players in the world. He discovered Texas Hold’em poker when he was studying at the University of Wisconsin.

Phil Hellmuth playing professional poker

Phil won a few local poker tournaments, so in his 3rd year of college, he decided to quit and become a professional poker player. After ten failed trips to Las Vegas, he temporarily gave up poker and worked as a field laborer to save more money to start again. Everything changed for him in 1987.

Professional Poker Career 

Phil Hellmuth went to Nevada to the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno on October 26, 1987. He played No-Limit Hold’em in the Pot of Gold. He came 5th and won $1,980. His career was about to take off. On April 8, 1988, he returned to the Grand Sierra Resort for that year’s Pot of Gold. This time he came in 1st place and won $17,550.

He went back to Las Vegas and made his first appearance at the World Series of Poker, where he came 33rd. Things turned around for him when he attended the 4th Annual Diamond Jim Brady at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, he came 1st in that event and won $125,000.

Phil Hellmuth's autobiography "Poker Brat"
Phil Hellmuth’s autobiography “Poker Brat” is a reference to his nickname, “the poker brat”.

His first impressive win was the following year at the 20th World Series of Poker, he came in 1st and won a whopping $755,000. Phil Hellmuth’s net worth was on the rise. His most significant win to date was at the 43rd Annual World Series of Poker, where, despite coming in 4th place, he won $2,645,333.

In 2005, he entered and won the 1st National Heads Up Poker Championship at the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. At this tournament, he beat some of the best players in the world. Big names like Huck Seed, Antonio Esfandiari, Paul Phillips, and Men Nguyen all fell victim to him. To win the final prize of $500,000, Phil defeated Chris Ferguson in two of the last three games they played.

Phil Hellmuth also made regular appearances on TV show Poker After Dark, sometimes as a player and often as a commentator. As a player, he was the champion of season 3. He has appeared in several other poker player TV series since then.

Phil Hellmuth Achievements at a glance

Surprisingly even though he has the most World Series of Poker bracelets of any player, he doesn’t hold a World Poker Tour title. He has, however, won some staggering amounts of money.

World Series of Poker Bracelets

Phil Hellmuth is currently the all-time World Series of Poker bracelet holder. He has 15! He’s also the only poker player to have won bracelets across four decades.

TournamentWinningsYear
No-Limit Hold’em – 30 Min Levels$485,0822018
Seven Card Razz$271,1052015
No-Limit Hold’em Main Event€1,022,3762012
Seven Card Razz$182,7932012
No-Limit Hold’em$637,2542007
No-Limit Hold’em$631,8632006
No-Limit Hold’em$410,8602003
Limit Hold’em$171,4002003
No-Limit Hold’em$316,5502001
Pot-Limit Hold’em$204,0001997
Limit Hold’em$138,0001993
No-Limit Hold’em$161,4001993
No-Limit Hold’em$173,0001993
Limit Hold’em$188,0001992
No-Limit Hold’em World Championship$755,0001989

Phil Hellmuth Biggest Cashes

Some big cash wins have dramatically boosted Phil Hellmuth’s net worth. Here are some of his most significant earnings:

TournamentWinningsYear
No-Limit Hold’em – 30 Min Levels$485,0822018
Super High Roller Bowl$1,600,0002016
No-Limit Hold’em High Roller for One-Drop$696,8212015
No-Limit Hold’em Main Event€1,022,3762012
The Big One for One Drop$2,645,3332012
The Poker Players Championship – 8 Game$1,063,0342011
No-Limit Hold’em$637,2542007
No-Limit Hold’em$631,8632006
Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em$500,0002005
No-Limit Hold’em$410,8602003
No-Limit Hold’em World Championship$755,0001989

Phil Hellmuth Recent Earnings

Phil Hellmuth’s net worth continues to rise as he keeps playing and winning, his most recent event the 2019 World Series of Poker Europe, played in the Czech Republic saw him succeed in 4 games.

TournamentWinningsDate
Mixed Games Championship€238,509Oct 21 – 23
No-Limit Hold’em – Turbo Bounty Hunter€1,267Oct 19 – 21
8 Game Mix – 6-Handed€31,058Oct 17 – 18
Pot-Limit Omaha – 8-Handed€918Oct 14 – 17 

Phil Hellmuth Net Worth

Phil Hellmuth’s net worth from poker winnings is currently $23,267,333.  World Series of Poker tournaments contributed $14,000,000 of this.

Poker is his life, and all his other business interests come from the industry. He has written a ton of books on the subject and created some instructional videos. He has his own publishing house and is a commentator on TV shows like Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown.

In 2004, he created a mobile phone app called Texas Hold’em by Phil Hellmuth for Oasys mobile. He likes to pursue other interests connected to poker.

Phil Hellmuth Personal Life

The thing that most people think of when discussing Phil Hellmuth (apart from his World Series of Poker bracelets) is his behavior at the tables. He is nicknamed the ‘Poker Brat’ as he has had some spectacular blow-ups at the table. When he’s on a losing streak, he gets hot-tempered and impatient.

He has verbally abused players, and in 2008 during the World Series of Poker’s main event, he was given a one-round penalty for such abuse (it was later overturned at a private meeting). The altercation rattled him, though, as he finished in 45th place at that event.

On one occasion on the Poker After Dark show, he blew up at one of the players, stormed off the set, and threatened never to return to the show again. One of the producers talked him off the ledge, and he returned to the show, but he didn’t make any apologies for his behavior. Despite his actions, he’s still a much-loved and admired personality on the poker circuit.

He also gives generously to charities, especially ones for fallen police and firefighters. As for his World Series of Poker bracelets, he’s only kept one, the first one. The rest he’s given to family members and close friends as gifts.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Hellmuth