from todays WSOP TOC
Hellmuth is asked by the tournament director to stack his chips, as they are spread out over a large area in front of him. Hellmuth lightly challenges him, and it's not long before he and Matusow are back into it. Eventually, even Steve Dannenmann jumps into things, saying that as a professional poker player, he isn't acting very professionally. They exchange a few more words, and Dannenmann caps it off by saying, "Nobody should buy your books or CDs, because you're a punk." Phil is taking a lot of abuse today, but he seems to be taking it very well. Of course, some would say he's had a lot of practice

I sort of didnt like Dannenmann but after this and seeing him in the wsop more i sort of like him

Uston, i feel the same way. At first i didnt like him after he called his friend when he bluffed Lederer but when i saw that interview where he basically said he wasnt that good and he was just having a good time, i started to like him more.

Steve also handed out presents, it airs near Christmas, he gave Hellmuth a stuffed Donkey. :)

The 4th best guy in his homegame bantering a 9-time WSOP Hold'Em bracelet winner.

Like or dislike Phil, he IS a good player, Dannenmann isn't, case closed. :)

Not only is he world class, but he can dodge bullets!

Maybe he has not dominated the tournaments because the poker boom has made these tournies that had 100-300 players in them to grow to have over 1000 in each, its not as easy to get through the fields these days as they are so big....there is no question Helmuth is a world class player and you cant take away the 9 Braclets and the most cashes at WSOP, so for anyone to say he is a donkey should look in the mirror and see who is truely the donkey....

Did anyone say Hellmuth's a donkey? In NL tournaments, that would be an insane point to argue. He's one of the best tournament players ever. That's not the point up for debate here AT ALL.

Then, of course, you top it off by calling everyone else a donkey. In my case, you may be right. It's also completely missing the point. The level of skill or success that I have at the poker table HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the fact that Phil Hellmuth's behavior at a poker table is unprofessional at best, and deplorable and disgusting at worst. It is completely insane that Phil can get away with saying what he says, in all of its self-promoting glory and opponent-bashing outrageousness...as long he doesn't use the word "fuck", it's all OK with the tournament directors.

I work really hard with my 5-year-old son to try and teach him the right way to behave with people, especially when it comes to playing games. Don't be mean, don't call people names, etc. Then, of course, we turn on the WSOP (poker on TV is one of his favorite shows, because he loves telling me what the cards are and what everyone's hand is), and see Hellmuth acting 10 times worse than my son could dream of. I'm past the point of even thinking that because he comes back to the table 5 minutes later and apologizes, that it's OK.

Before anyone comes back with the "Phil Hellmuth shouldn't be a role model to your kids", I'm not trying to make him. Hell, he's an excellent anti-role model. If I ever caught my son speaking to ANYONE like that in a game or any other situation, he'd be eating Dial sandwiches for a week.

People confuse the personality and the talent.

The talent is to be respected; 9 bracelets is worthy of respect.

However, the person simply BEGS for the abuse he receives. No one would act the way Phil does without subconciously wanting the attention. Positive or negative, he craves it like heroin.

Phil was at my table in Aruba and it was EXACTLY what you would expect.

Shows up an hour late. He is constantly explaining to people how the "amateurs" don't understand the game, the etiquette, how to play. If you beat him, you were lucky. If beats you, you were outplayed. Period.

I know I've posted about this before but it was classic. LatestLines2 was at the table and can verify. I had 66 in the BB. Hellmuth raised to 225 I think (BB=100), and I called. Flop was 6JQ. Check-check. Turn is a jack. I bet out and he called. River was rag. I bet like 1200 and he raised to 3000. I just call. He says "just a jack", I turn over and he mucks. Now two things happen:

(1) The kid next to him says he should have shown his hand because he got called, and he goes on a RANT about how "none of the top players do that" and so forth, and only an amateur would ask to see the hand, blah blah blah. For 5 minutes.

(2) Then he looks over at me and says "I knew you were strong on the flop. I could tell." So LatestLines says "Well if you knew he was strong, why did you raise him on the river, PHIL?" No answer. All the "amateurs" were cracking up on that one. LL2 owns.

Then of course he got busted on a bad beat and went into a total tantrum replete with MFers and assorted other f-bombs. It was wonderful. Very entertaining. [and he did come over like 30 minutes later and apologize to the kid who knocked him out]. The guy is just a huge baby. Period.

Can he play? Sure he can. But he is a giant baby witha massive ego, and that will always haunt him and his legacy, IMO.

I think I would pay to see a Phil Helmuth and T.O. match up on MTVs Celebrity Death Match!

This would be a Riot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(This is an animated show, so no real dying just comedy)

OK, good point. One of them was a Limit Hold'em event, in 2003.

Maybe back off the "idiot posters" talk in your 6th post if you want to be taken seriously.

Poker is emotion and mental warfare.

If being an ass gets your opponent on tilt, why not try to get that edge?

It's not my style of playing, but some people do it, Mike does, Phil does.

Besides that, it makes for good TV. :)

Can we please stop with the 'this professional poker player is bad' topics?

They always seem to get started to make ourselves feel better ("I would never have made that play there, so I must be better than him!") or just flame away without taking into account what the players are besides what we see on ESPN.

People will be people, don't judge so easily, that's always the easiest thing to do.

He played, i think he busted around the middle of the field. A chance at $1,000,000 with no risk is worth anyone's hourly rate, except maybe Andy Beal.

I played with Phil last year and he was 2 hours late and the first to bust out at our table, much the same as he did this year, but last year he was very nice to all of the players.