For the past few years many have doubted Phil Hellmuth’s poker ability, which may seem absurd seeing how the man has won a record eleven World Series of Poker bracelets and has lifetime winnings that surpass eight figures but the haters of the self-proclaimed “Poker Brat” may just have a point.
Nobody can argue with Hellmuth’s past results as there are simply very few poker players who can match him in terms of cashes, wins and winnings but apart from the recent WSOP, where he finished second in three $10,000+ tournaments, his results have been nothing to shout about and his playing style and his approach to the game have been questioned ever since the internet generation of poker player began playing in major live events in their droves.
Hellmuth generally plays a loose-passive style that mixes in “small ball.” This style, like any in poker, can be profitable but it is his thought process that people are now doubting. At the recent WSOP he did some commentary for various shows and his comments, although entertaining, were way off the mark. He was putting people on ranges that were at least 20% too tight and he was incorrect in his reads on players and by a long shot and yesterday he showed how far behind the competition his game really is.
The 11-time WSOP bracelet winner made it through to Day 3 of the €2,680 Six-Handed No Limit Hold’em Event at the WSOPE in Cannes. Not only did he make it to the final day, he did so second in chips with just 12 players remaining. However, within two hours he had lost his entire stack and had burst the final table bubble, finishing in seventh place. Some of his losses could not be helped, such as calling an all in with nines and being up against his opponent’s ace-ten, which made trip tens on the flop but some of his plays were questionable at the very least.
He constantly three-bet then folded to four-bets, even when he only had 15 big blinds behind, and he liberally called three-bets and then check-folded the flop when short-stacked. On one occasion he even open-folded when the action folded to him in the small blind and he had five big blinds left, when he should have been moving all in with any two cards. He basically blinded himself off and cost himself the shot at the elusive 12th bracelet that he has been so desperate to win. There are another five events for him to try and win the aforementioned bracelet but after seeing how he played late in Event #1, I seriously doubt he will win another bracelet here or any time soon.
11 bracelets is still something. Yet, 11 bracelets or not, sometimes you know your time has come and all you can do is call it quits. Some players should learn to realize when that time has come and passed, instead of still going at it and make themselves look like a fool in the end.