“I am a very happy person”: Phil Hellmuth Opens up on Reddit

Phil Hellmuth Antiques & Quirks

Q: Are your reactions genuine, played up for the cameras, or are your “tantrums” to get some kind of advantage over opponents?

Hellmuth: Do you think your reputation gets you action?

Phil: For sure! Folks want to beat me for the story. However; when you are deep enough in a tourney, then they are concerned about cashing in it so that tendency for them to gamble vs me disappears.

Q: Do you have a great relationship off the table?

Hellmuth: I get along super well with everybody! That’s intentional for me. No need to have enemies and foster hate or negativity.

Even the very few players that didn’t like me publicly, have approached me privately to say they appreciate me. Daniel, Ivey and I helped make all the pros a lot more money. They finally appreciate that I am a great person! Makes me happy!

Q: Did you really think about burning that mother f*cker down?

Hellmuth: Nah. I said “I should tell this joke, but I’ll burn down the place if I don’t win!” Folks like Doug Polk left the first part out where I said it was a joke and dem are the FBI coming after me. It was the most brutal case of showing half of one’s statement!!

Q: Why is every hand torture to you if you know everything?

Hellmuth: I do feel tortured, like today, when I don’t pick anything up for 5 hours straight. I had to remind myself how blessed I am…had to remind myself to lose less when these dry spells hit. I had to remind myself that I have lots of “Wet Spells” as well.

Q: What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses in both NL tournaments and cash games?

Tips From Phil Hellmuth

Q: Would you recommend a young guy going for the poker pro path now?

Hellmuth: It does seem like players are playing better. But I still see tons of mistakes! If you are great at poker you will find a way to make it.

Q: Have you ever actually used Octopi? Or is this just a brand deal?

Hellmuth: I did buy a piece of Octopi Poker, I believe their solver tools are filled with truth. I did look at Octopi with my sons, and will continue to look at octopi with my sons. Mainly to tell them if I agree with the solver tools. Which I have so far…

Q: What advice would you give to the casual/rec tournament player who wants to improve their results during their annual WSOP trip?

Hellmuth: Thomas Bolvin has a nice course on Octopi Poker. Practice is always good as well! Use some strategies from others, but be yourself! Play your game. Have fun at WSOP.

Q: What advice would you give to a poker hobbyist that wants to start making real money with playing?

Hellmuth: Read my book “Play Poker like the Pros.” Super tight play, whim defined right, when done right, really does win the money! Start with ST.

You can move up in stakes when you can easily beat the current stakes you are playing. Also, make sure you have a decent bankroll for the bigger game!! Money management is SO important. You should have at least enough money to risk 4 buyins per session 30 times. So 120 buyins more minimum.

Watch good high stakes poker shows that match the games you play in. Too much craziness infects the mind! Watch tame games if you want to learn. Like Hellmuth’s Home Game on YouTube.

Q: What is the biggest poker skill to have, to become a better Poker Player in MTT?

Retrospect and Lessons Learned

Q: How has poker changed from the 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s? What was each decade like?

Hellmuth: Too big of a question!

• 80s — I could run over the fields with aggression.
• 90s — poker was still smaller, and everyone knew everyone. It was a tight knit community…
• 2000s — massive explosion! Millions of new folks entered our game. Strategies started “Crazy 4 bets” but by 2009 those guys were all busted
• 2010 — GTO and everyone selling strategies that were bad! Yummy!
• 2020’s — solver tools help, but you still need reading ability to be great

Q: Looking back with 20/20 hindsight, where do you rate your poker abilities / knowledge on a scale of 1- 10 against your peers (top players) at that time period at an age of 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60?

Hellmuth: 20s abilities and knowledge 9, but I was way ahead on strategy!

30s — 10 but a step behind in mix games

40s — 10 but a small step behind in mix games

50’s — 10 of 10 (so good they don’t even comprehend it)

60’s — TBD I hope to show them what I can do in June/July

Q: With better modeling, resources, and analysis in 2026, what are some “poker rules” that you employ now that you would have disagreed with or were not even on your radar in 1989?

Q: How does the study and learning process compare between now and when you started playing poker? When you set your sights on the wsop events in the late 80s/early 90s, was there anything more than Super System available?

Hellmuth: I never read Super System. By the time I knew books existed, I was CRUSHING all of the authors! I wish I would have read SS because I would have improved at the mixed games at a faster pace…I devised my own theories. Just me. Then I had help in the mixed games. My Hold’em theory is my own: it can be hard for others to follow as I add “Reads” to my poker theory.

Q: In your opinion what mistakes do most pros make in MTTs that you do not? What do you think your edge is over so many good players?

Hellmuth: I do try to avoid flips as often as I can. I do try to fold JJ or QQ pre-flop for 25 big blinds. Or fold JJ and QQ when “I feel I am beat” white magic! Reading ability separates me from the crowd. Each generation of learning is different. I felt it was awful in 2004-2010, awful in 2010-2015, really bad 2015 to 2018. I think GTO was really bad!

Solvers are the first thing that makes sense to me.

Phil Hellmuth’s Opinion on Other People

Q: How did the Chris Moneymaker win and the ensuing poker boom change your life in particular?

Hellmuth: Chris Moneymaker won $175,000 the last two days filming with me! It is a sore subject for me right now!

Moneymaker contributed in a huge way to the poker boom. Which led to me becoming famous, and eventually wealthy. I don’t mind the fame, I’m used to it, just be nice to everyone at all times (except occasionally at the poker tables!!). The poker boom has been very very good to me!

Q: Is Tony G a gentleman?

Hellmuth: He can be way out of line at the tables. Not sure how he is away from the tables, and cannot comment beyond that.

Q: What is your opinion on Bill Fillmaff?

Hellmuth: Very clever guy! I enjoyed his shtick! We hired him to come and film with me. He thought we were found to threaten him! But he realized we were harmless and liked his schtick.

Phil Hellmuth & Money

Q: HighRollerPoker online tracking shows that you’ve lost $956,040 over all the live streamed games you’ve played in over the past 20 years. Why do you think you have such a tough time beating live streamed cash games?

Hellmuth: Online tracking is WAY off! How insulting!! I won 22-out-of-23 sessions of filming from 2013 to 2020. Including the biggest winner in “Rob’s Game” for like $400,000! I did have some losses the last few years, but more wins than losses.

Q: How much money have you made playing poker this year and how much money have you made playing poker in your lifetime?

Q: Is the loss to Ivey in Chinese still one of the biggest losses?

Hellmuth: It is still my biggest loss in a single day! I just had been paid $5M, and learned a lesson. Digest the money before you play high stakes poker!!

Q: What would you guess a good pro, say #10-20 on POY leaderboards (Kempe, Elias, Foxen, Peters, etc…) makes in net profit in a year from purely poker tournaments after accounting for selling pieces?

Hellmuth: Much less than you think! They trade pieces with each other, sell pieces to poker players and businessman, and it is expensive to travel the world playing tourneys.

Q: What was your coolest/funniest side bet?

Hellmuth: I have had some great side bets!! Huck Seed and I bet on a bunch of random stuff. Like would Bobby Hurley last 3 years in the NBA! He would have, except for a motorcycle accident!

Huck bet me on golf, pool, his weight! The worst is when I bet him $15,000 a month that he would weigh less than 180 pounds! He collected for 3-5 years! I finally bought him out for $70,000. How does a 6’ 6’’ man maintain that weight? Sigh…

Some Personal Questions

Q: What’s it like being the guy everyone secretly loves but also the guy everyone secretly roots against?

Q: Favorite thing to eat at the poker table?

Hellmuth: Lately a cheeseburger!

Q: What should you be more ashamed of: folding QQ preflop when you had like 11bbs, or eating a sandwich like a drunk baboon?

Phil: When I fold QQ, I’m right 70% of the time! I can’t defend eating food like a drunk baboon. You got me there.

Q: Why did you eat that sandwich like that?

Hellmuth: It started in the pandemic. I took my mask off, but didn’t want to leave the mask off for long. So I took a huge bite!! I was shocked later. When I watched the show back and they made a big deal out of my huge bite. Then, it felt like they filmed me every single time I ate. And, those videos went viral. Sometimes I did eat the meat out of the sandwich and that became a thing!

Later I found out there are channels on YouTube that feature folks that eat food. I guess I should start my own channel…

Q: Favorite Madison-area supper club?

Hellmuth: Used to be “White Horse Inn” where wifey and I had our first date in 1989. These days, I’m not sure.

Q: Would be interested to hear about the significant ways your wife’s helped improve your mental game + information gathering and live tells (if any!).

Hellmuth: She made me into a better man!! My wifey called me and asked me to change, or she was gone. She asked me to grow up! I knew she was right. I became a completely different person because of her. I spent a lot of time knowing myself and improving myself. This lead to my life improving on every level possible.

Q: What did your wife think of the play when you commented to her, “Honey, he called me with Queen-Ten”?

Q: What are some of your all time favorite music albums?

Hellmuth: I still love Pink Floyd, Jay Z, Gypsy by Fleetwood Mac, I listen to tons of music!! Tons of 80’s 90’s and 2000’s. Playing right now, I’m on a flight to LAX, I am listening to “Roller Girl” Diar Straights (🎶🎼I seen a girl on a one way corner 🎼🎶) My anti-ego song is “Fanny” by Gibbs brothers.

Q: How important is it to you to live in Northern California versus Vegas to not be around gambling 24/7?

Q: Where can we get more shirtless pictures/videos of you doing yoga/meditation?

Hellmuth: Please! No more pictures of shirtless!! ESPN did that, but in 2005 I didn’t mind. At age 61, no more shirtless photos!

Blitz Poker Questionnaire for Hellmuth

Q: Do you look forward to poker?

Q: Have you thought about your next entrance costume?

Hellmuth: Superman! July 3rd. Son Nick as BatMan, JungleMan and son Phillip TBD. Chris Washburn as Deadpool.

Q: Is online poker dead?

Q: What’s your favourite televised moment / hand?

Hellmuth: Favorite moment — winning WSOPE Main Event. I was playing so street that Antonio Esfandiari was flummoxed in the booth! The most memorable hand ever — this one from the WSOP 1989 Main Event.

Q: What is your best bad beat story?

Q: What is the luckiest thing you’ve ever seen?

Hellmuth: Well, I did lose a pot once where I ran it four times! The guy won that last 3, which was 0.18%. I guess losing that pot, for $50,000 each time he outdrew me, was great content, memorable content, and probably generating some “Likes” from the world.

Q: What is your favorite non-Holdem variant to play? And least favorite?

Hellmuth: Razz! And No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw.

Q: Why do you often skip events like WSOP Europe or Bahamas?

Hellmuth: I have been skipping WSOP Europe since 2019. It is a long way to travel! I should have gone back the last time I was there I had a 2nd and a 3rd.

Q: Why aren’t you continuing the PokerGO heads-up games?

Hellmuth: I was 19-2 or something. Maybe I’ll enter the heads up arena again soon.