Love Nuke

If Hellmuth Twitter feed is to be believed, the Poker Brat is set to join the cast of Dancing with the Stars – the U.S. version of Strictly Come Dancing – when it is sent to next March.

Writing in his Twitter last weekend (Dec. 18), Hellmuth said, “OMG! Phil Hellmuth (me!) on “Dancing with the! Stars” Outrageous! May make a fool out of myself Worldwide Television, once again …”

If the rumors are true, Hellmuth could make a monumental fool of himself, as for those unfamiliar with the show, it features celebrities prancing around on screen in skimpy sequined outfits. Contestants are paired with professional ballroom dancers as they shimmy across the floor performing a host of dance routines, including the foxtrot and the rumba, in a bid for the Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) crown.

And if Phil’s Jitterbug is as good as his gambling he may just find himself rubbing shoulders with past DWTS champions Donny Osmond and Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey. 6ft6 portly Phil should be warned, though, the public doesn’t take kindly to contestants carrying a couple extra pounds.

In the last series, which finished in November, Sarah Palin’s recently-pregnant daughter Bristol graced the dance floor, only to receive a barrage of criticism from the media. One comedian branded her “the white Precious” and said she was “the only contestant to gain weight”.

In response to the comments Bristol said winning SWTS “would be like a big middle finger to all the people out there that hate my mom and hate me.” Sadly she finished third so she never got to swear. But let’s hope Hellmuth – who seems equally inept at handling criticism – fares better if he does take part in 12th series. Perhaps the thought of all the sequins and lycra will motivate him to shed the pounds and have the last word on Huck Seed’s $100k weight loss bet.

Only time will tell whether these promises are good, but one thing is for sure though, if the Poker Brat is not getting his jive on national television, the poker player will surely be in some respects …

Phil Hellmuth is now considering as one of the most successful poker players on the planet. Although not everyone cup of tea, his career earnings are unusual, the profits are still undefeatable cuff and no one could argue that he has raised the profile and awareness of the game of poker.

Born in 1964 in the United States and after crossing to the university, like many players today have only managed three years before he finishes his studies to concentrate on his poker career, a choice some would say.

He has collective over $11million in live tournament winnings alone which leaves him in 4^th place on the all time earnings list but you have to feel that considering his big wins came at an early age, if he had been born a couple of decades later then his earnings would be excessive. His one Main Event win in 1989 came with a prize of $755,000 at the time; certainly not a figure to turn your nose up at but paling in comparison to the $8-9million that it is worth these days.

He has held plenty of records throughout his career but there are two that stick out as being his biggest and most well-known achievements.

11 bracelets and still going strong

He won the WSOP Main Event at the age of 24 against Johnny Chan, who was defending his title at the time, in 1989 and with that victory came the honor of being the youngest player to have ever taken a Main Event victory. In itself, this is a great achievement but this record was not beaten until 2008 when Peter Eastgate at just 23, won the event. That’s an amazing 18 years that Hellmuth held this record, showing just how good you had to be at that age to win it.

The other record that sticks out and is still a record to date, is that he has won an amazing 11 WSOP bracelets throughout his career and sits atop a pack of players looking to overtake him.  There are a couple currently on 10 bracelets but it will surely take a while for Hellmuth to be dethroned, especially as he still has plenty of poker playing years in him; if Doyle Brunson can play into his 70s then why can’t Hellmuth?!

Should he be called Phil Hellmouth?

Hellmuth has always been a colorful figure and has been in some absolutely crazy bust-ups during his career. In recent years, with the emergence of strong online players, big tournament fields and younger and younger players, Hellmuth has been deemed to be a terrible loser; often exploding with rage when beaten by what he feels are inferior hands and players.

He calls himself the ‘Poker Brat’ and has made a secondary living from a merchandise range bearing that very name. He has developed this character well and while I have no doubt that he is normally being as genuine as possible, it wouldn’t surprise me if he hammed it up a bit now and then, especially when the TV cameras turn to him; fans love nothing more than to see Hellmuth blow up and even he believes “if it weren’t for luck, I’d win ‘em all”.

His success is impressive in the WPT as well; although he is yet to actually win a title he has made the final table four times and has cashed in their tournaments thirteen times to date. With his popularity and wallet swelling he was a perfect choice for TV show Poker after Dark where he battles it out with other huge pros like Daniel Negreanu and Annie Duke.

Married with children, Hellmuth is a very big family man and is ready for life away from the feel through the publication of numerous books, videos, DVDs, and created his own publishing house.

Whatever your personal opinion on the great man, you can not deny he is a great talent to the table and has brought anything but good exposure to the world of poker. Deserves his Hall of Fame site, it is also worthy of the Legends of Poker profile.