Phil Hellmuth’s jewellery box will be bursting at the seams with his latest World Series of Poker bracelet win. He now has 16 WSOP bracelets, six more than Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson – and brings his total earnings in the series up to more than $15 million.
A Long Journey to Number 16
It’s only been three years since Hellmuth’s last World Series of Poker bracelet win, but surely seems like much longer. Since coming in first in the 2018 $5,000 NLHE event, he’s landed himself at seven final tables but failed to secure the bracelet.
This year, he’s cashed in four events – three of which saw him make the final table. So, onlookers wondered if he’d continue to miss out, but he managed to fight his way to the front of the field in the No Limit 2 -7 Lowball Draw event.
Day 1 was pretty touch-and-go for Hellmuth but he held strong and made it into the Day 2, where he was nearly eliminated by Rok Gostisa. Eventually, he found his footing and was able to enter the final day with the second largest stack.
In the final hand, Hellmuth went head-to-head against Jake Schwartz. He shoved on the button and Schwartz called with the last of his chips. With a nine-eight, Hellmuth came out on top of his opponent’s pair of fours for his record-breaking WSOP win.
All Bracelet Wins for Phil Hellmuth
Hellmuth first started collecting WSOP bracelets in 1989 when he came first in the Main Event of the 20th World Series of Poker. So, even though his longest stint without winning a bracelet was 5 years, he’s averaged a bracelet win every other year for the past three decades.
His full list of World Series of Poker bracelet wins is as follows:
- 2021 WSOP Event #31: No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw: $84,951
- 2018 WSOP Event #71: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em: $485,082
- 2015 WSOP Event #17: $10,000 Razz Championship: $271,105
- 2012 WSOP Europe Event #7: €10,540 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event: €1,022,376
- 2012 WSOP Event #18: $2,500 Razz: $182,793
- 2007 WSOP Event #15: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em: $637,254
- 2006 WSOP Event #34: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em: $631,863
- 2003 WSOP Event #32: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em: $410,860
- 2003 WSOP Event #12: $2,500 Limit Hold’em: $171,400
- 2001 WSOP Event #5: $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em: $316,550
- 1997 WSOP Event #15: $3,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em: $204,000
- 1993 WSOP Event #9: $5,000 Limit Hold’em: $138,000
- 1993 WSOP Event #8: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em: $161,400
- 1993 WSOP Event #7: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em: $173,000
- 1992 WSOP Event #8: $5,000 Limit Hold’em: $188,000
- 1989 WSOP Event #14: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event: $755,000
Where Will He Go from Here?
Hellmuth has built up plenty of momentum and shows no signs of slowing down yet. After his win, he stated that he would possibly take two days off but still has a goal of collecting many more bracelets.
He certainly has some big plans:
“If I can win four or five mixed bracelets, I think it will say a lot about my legacy. I think I am playing a bunch of games at a world-class level now” – Hellmuth said in a post-game interview.
It would certainly be something to behold if he manages to land himself over 20 World Series of Poker bracelets, making it nearly impossible for any other player to surpass him.