Hellmuth answers his critics
Despite what Daniel Negreanu says, Phil Hellmuth claims he can beat the best poker players in the world.
He has before, and he will again, he contends.
In a Feb. 4 PokerListings news story, Negreanu conceded that Hellmuth is good at taking advantage of bad players in big fields.
However, Negreanu predicted, he will be outclassed in the small, pro-heavy field at the WSOP's commemorative $40k No-Limit Hold'em tournament this summer.
"That just gives me motivation and that's a big mistake," Hellmuth said.
In the days following Negreanu's criticism, Internet poker forums were filled with posts flaming the 11-time bracelet winner and agreeing with Kid Poker's claims.
However, Hellmuth said the fact that he has finished first or second in half his appearances on NBC's Poker After Dark against top-notch competition and was 9-2 lifetime at the NBC National Heads-Up Championship before losing to Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier in the quarterfinals this weekend should be more than enough to silence his critics.
Plus, there's always those 11 World Series of Poker bracelets to fall back on.
"Everybody knows I won the first nine bracelets against the toughest players in the world," he said. "Back then the fields were shorter, but I played against some great players."
In fact, Hellmuth believes people want to tear him down simply because he's on top.
"People are always trying to spin stuff," he said. "First they said I can't do the cash games, now it's this.
"When you're the guy on the top of the mountain people are always trying to chop you down and stand on your shoulders. It comes part and parcel with all this and I'm OK with that.
"Daniel may be one of my biggest critics, but I still love him."
Hellmuth has famously exploded more than a few times at televised poker tables, and said he understands that might motivate some of the comments directed against him.
"People are going to say what they want to say, and they are going to invent ways to chop you down," he said.
"If there's even a grain of truth to it the people that don't like you because you are a bad boy or a jerk at the table are going to say 'Yeah that's right; Phil can't do that or Phil can't do this.'
"Well, Phil can do this and he can do that, and Phil has done this and he has done that; end of interview."
Related Article: Rebuys bad, Hellmuth worse: Negreanu
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Comments
15jurn
2010-04-19"When you're the guy on the top of the mountain people are always trying to chop you down". i'm totally agree with that. he is one of the best player of all time, don't forget that Phil is the member of poker Hall of Fame and Negreanu is not. please tell mr. negreanu to take care of his own business and work hard to be the member of Hall of Fame like Phil Hellmuth done.
mpup54
2010-02-17Watch a session of High Stokes Poker where Phil Hellmuth is involved and see how he ends up. A lot of players have passed him by and he has become predictable despite employing his tactic of trapping (or that of leaving during the middle of a taped session lol).
If the top players are beating him even when he is trapping that really says alot about how easily beatable he has become.
The fact is that he needs to reinvent his game and stop believing that he is the worlds best player still when TV shows he clearly struggles against the top pros every time he plays High Stakes Poker; a measure which SHOULD indicate the key barometer.
I also believe he has feasted on a certain segment of poker and that clearly the worlds best player should be adept in all poker games, Hold "em or not, tournament or not. Rather than focused, I believe most of us would call this one dimensional.
CY2005
2010-01-15Hellmuth is, without a doubt, the best live NL Holdem player in the game today. Regardless of what he's playing, Live MTTs, live cash games, etc. The critics are either turned off by Phil's personality and want to belittle him because of their hate for him, or they are envious of his superior game (like Negreanu) and try to belittle him for that.
DenverKid
2009-05-14I have no respect for Helmuth as a man or a poker player.
ZutboF
2009-03-12Anyway even the top pros can do the same mistakes as a guy who play only for 2 years.
_FullFlushles_
2009-03-11In his defense Hellmuth did finish second in the 2006 WSOP Tournament of Champions (back when it still existed) and that was a pretty tough field.
Whatever, he's still donk.
zyg0tic
2009-03-11The fact that you put for Esfandiari and Farha above Negreanu in Hold'em skill makes it hard for me to trust your view that Hellmuth is better than Negreanu as well.
I've been saying the same thing Negreanu said for years. Hellmuth is the best at playing against a large field of very bad players, that's all he's got.
He likes to say "I won WSOP events back in the day when it was all the best players", but if you look back to the average standard of play, even among the "best" at that time, the play was still very poor on average compared to now.
Hellmuth has never proven himself to be a long-term winning player against other very strong poker players, especially in cash games. He should stick to donkaments, it's what he does best.
clam showder
2009-03-11Fundamentally, Hellmuth's game is pretty bad. Just ask Annette_15 =P
jamil
2009-03-11its so funny i guess how people underestimate hellmuth at the poker table, is 11 bracelets not enough? all u haters just hating on him cause he is one of the best poker players to play no limit holdem, and no doubt about it he is in the same league as doyle,chan,chip and stu . but dont get me wrong negranue is one of the best too and infact is one of my top 5 players without a doubt he comes after ifcourse esfandiari,ivey,sam farha and hellmuth, anyways i think before u talk about a player bieng bad or good u should check urself and see how each and everyone of u play so bad and give these pros a break from your nonsense .
ZutboF
2009-03-11Hellmuth problem is he try to much to trap by slow play the best hand on flop and let his opponents outdraw him.
EricA
2009-03-11Some poeple come to see him win, many poeple come to see him lose but all come to see him.
If somebody meets that point he must be a great one.
darkair
2009-03-11yeah phil hellmuth has proven he can beat pros and not just amateurs
mvelas
2009-03-11phil is one of the best in the world, and THE BEST at NL texas holdem tournament, no one cant deny that
MVP
2009-03-11Regardless of what people say, Hellmuth has proven himself as a great player and poker legend. No one can take away his bracelets or the fact that he won the WSOP main event. He's made millions of dollars through poker. While I thought his play on High Stakes Poker was atrocious at best, Phil is still a top notch player in my book.
rc
2009-03-11finishing first or second in a table of 6 half the time isnt that impressive