Phil Hellmuth vs. Mike Matusow: When Table Talk Crosses a Line

The Hand That Set the Mood

Things were already starting to tilt Hellmuth earlier in the session during a three-way hand involving Randy “3Coin” Sadler and his own son, Phillip Hellmuth III. The flop came 9 6 7 . Sadler bet $600 with A 8 (open-ender), Phil raised to $1,200 holding 8 7 (middle pair, backdoor flush), and Phillip called with 10 9 (top pair, gutshot).

Everyone saw the 2 on the turn and checked. The K river brought no help to anyone. After a check, Sadler shoved for $3,100. Both Hellmuths folded — and then saw the bluff.

That one clearly got under Phil’s skin. And it wouldn’t be the last time Sadler got involved.

Hellmuth Tanks, Matusow Talks, and a Phone Goes Flying

Later in the session, with the straddle on, Sadler limped with J 8 , Kalas followed with Q 4 , and Hellmuth checked with 6 4 . The flop ran out J 8 6 , giving Sadler top two pair and Hellmuth bottom pair. Sadler led $300, Hellmuth called. The 6 on the turn gave Hellmuth trips.

Another $300 bet from Sadler, and Hellmuth bumped it to $900. Sadler jammed for $12,050.

Hellmuth now faced a big decision. He tanked — for several minutes. While he was deep in thought, Matusow, seated beside him, began whispering to Kelly Minkin, commenting on the hand and eventually pulling out his phone to film.

That’s when Hellmuth snapped.

“Mike, shut the f*** up,” he said. Then louder: “What are you doing?” Seconds later, Matusow leaned in with the phone again. Hellmuth slapped it out of his hands. It skidded across the table and landed behind the dealer.

Matusow laughed. Hellmuth folded. Sadler tabled his J 8 for top two.

No bluff this time — just a very well-timed shove, and a lot of tension in the room.

Context and Reactions

It’s worth pointing out that the hand was legitimate, the shove was likely standard, and the fold — while controversial — was defensible if you’re Hellmuth and think you’re up against a tight player with a full house.

What really kicked things off wasn’t the hand itself but the atmosphere. Hellmuth’s Home Game is built around live table talk with no commentary, and that means everything that’s said and done around the table makes it to air. In this case, Matusow’s commentary — invited or not — disrupted Hellmuth’s thinking process, which he didn’t appreciate.

Whether or not slapping a phone was warranted, well… that’s a separate debate.

Watch the Hand: Phil Hellmuth vs. Mike Matusow