I can’t argue with most of that. But I’m not sure what the high roller player pool is worth. You have a small handful of guys with access to massive amounts of cash that play a few tournaments each year with very small fields.Phil is... Okay.
He's certainly a good poker player, you can't argue with his results. It's just too bad that he's usually an asshole with a huge ego. Arrogance is one of the few personality traits that really grinds my gears though, so the ego might bother me more than others.
What he's certainly not is one of the elite hold em players in today's professional (and especially high roller) player pool. He is a huge underdog in any of the really elite NLHE tournaments. He's definitely not worth a 1.8 mark-up.
Still, all time leader in bracelets and another one on top is nothing to choke at. Congratulations are due.
PH is a huge egocentric douche bag. That being said, he's a great tournament player and I personally find him entertaining to watch when he freaks out on his rants. 15 WSOP bracelets (5 more than anyone else) is an amazing statistic - can't argue with that.
Yet that elusive NLHE bracelet continues to elude him...great job nonetheless!
I can’t argue with most of that. But I’m not sure what the high roller player pool is worth. You have a small handful of guys with access to massive amounts of cash that play a few tournaments each year with very small fields.
I think it’s possible that we put a lot more emphasis on those events than they deserve.
But as far as Helmuth goes, I think his strongest skill is knowing when he’s behind and then laying it down. He might be better than anybody at that, and it takes him far in deep tournaments.
My recollection is that all of his bracelets are in holdem... maybe one recently was something other. He won the main in ‘88 or ‘89... not sure what you’re referring to.Yet that elusive NLHE bracelet continues to elude him...great job nonetheless!
9 NLHEMy recollection is that all of his bracelets are in holdem... maybe one recently was something other. He won the main in ‘88 or ‘89... not sure what you’re referring to.
This bracelet was in a $5k NLHE event.
My recollection is that all of his bracelets are in holdem... maybe one recently was something other. He won the main in ‘88 or ‘89... not sure what you’re referring to.
I've never met him, but I doubt he's really a douchebag. Nobody is a lovable saint 100% of the time. I've read enough to know that he's not necessarily proud of those televised moments where he loses his shit.
I've never met him, but I doubt he's really a douchebag. Nobody is a lovable saint 100% of the time. I've read enough to know that he's not necessarily proud of those televised moments where he loses his shit.
I was thinking that too. I’ve seen so many athletes, Richard Sherman comes to mind, being a douche on the field. Tom Brady, screaming at his whole layers and coaches and refs. Whether it’s a tool of their greatness or a byproduct of it - you can’t argue with the results.I find it amusing the number of people with 0 bracelets critical of a player with 15.
He may be an intolerable egomaniac, but so is <insert athlete name here> and they are considered the best. The game changes and PH may not be the pinnacle of the game at this moment, but his results are incredible and span decades. I've had many a daydream that ends in a single bracelet, let alone multiple.
Daniel is my favorite, and probably for that reason. But let’s not kid ourselves, he’s not perfect. He can be arrogant too, and I’ve seen him get pissy at the table from time to time. Phil is the poker brat, and the cameras are always waiting for that next outburst. He can be a smiley, chatty table captain too, but he’s not as good at it as guys like Daniel or Antonio because he’s just naturally a bit of an awkward guy.Daniel Negreanu is the most successful tournament player of all time and one of the nicest guys in poker. Success isn't an excuse for being an A-hole
Daniel is my favorite, and probably for that reason. But let’s not kid ourselves, he’s not perfect. He can be arrogant too, and I’ve seen him get pissy at the table from time to time. Phil is the poker brat, and the cameras are always waiting for that next outburst. He can be a smiley, chatty table captain too, but he’s not as good at it as guys like Daniel or Antonio because he’s just naturally a bit of an awkward guy.
I guess I’m trying to say that I think it really is all just shades of gray. If you watch these guys play for hours, and don’t just focus on the tv/YouTube clips, and temper it all with the truth that these guys are all flawed humans - what I get out of all that is that Helmuth isn’t bad, just an imperfect guy who’s really good at big tournaments.
I don't question Hellmuth as a poker player but as a person. In the modern era of every major game being broadcast in some way if you have any evidence of Negreanu acting in any way like Hellmuth does feel free to post it. I just hate the reality that people get to be nice to certain people like the Hellmuth story above and then treat others like garbage and get to be called complicated. Hellmuth might be a nice guy when he chooses to be but he is a verified jerk at the tables. I refuse to defend him because of that.
I don’t think those numbers exist in any accessible format. But I remember he did a long interview with Doug Polk last summer in which I think he addressed that - he might have even given a percentage.I'm curious what his win rate is...he's been playing a lot of tournaments for a lot of years. 15 wins out of how many?
IMO, one of the biggest problems we have in our culture is that too many people think that being wealthy, famous, or highly skilled in a competitive field makes you a good person or even a "hero" - often in spite of lots of evidence to the contrary.
I'm curious what his win rate is...he's been playing a lot of tournaments for a lot of years. 15 wins out of how many?
I was going to go on a similar but much longer rant but stopped myself.