After “seven days of being sick with COVID,” a “rested” Phil Hellmuth bagged a strong stack on Day 2 of the WSOP $50,000 Poker Players Championship after entering one of poker’s most prestigious tournaments late on Monday afternoon.
The 17-time bracelet winner was evidently not suffering from one of COVID’s most notorious symptoms, a lack of taste, as Hellmuth devoured a burrito at the table while beginning his pursuit of the 2026 Chip Reese Trophy.
And all that carby goodness appeared to pay off as The Poker Brat spun his 300,000 starting stack into 900,000, finishing 16th in the counts with 39 players set to return on Tuesday’s Day 3. With the WSOP confirming a $1.34 million top prize, Hellmuth stands a decent chance of a big payday in one of the summer’s marquee events.
Out for Revenge
The day started in a typically entertaining fashion for the burrito-wielding Hellmuth, who tangled with Chris Brewer in an early PLO hand.
After Brewer limped under the gun, David Williams called from the hijack, Hellmuth completed from the small blind, and Brad Owen checked his option. Hellmuth then led for 25,000 on the A♣7♣3♥ flop, with only Brewer calling.
Both players checked the Q♥ turn before the 8♣ landed on the river. Hellmuth checked, Brewer bet 40,000, and the Poker Brat launched into one of his trademark speeches.
Hellmuth said he felt it was going to be a good day and that he was due some “revenge” on Brewer for all the “goofy beats” he’d suffered over the years. Despite that, after flashing Ax7x, Hellmuth folded.
Brewer questioned just how much history the pair really had, suggesting they’d played only around 100 hands together in their lives. Hellmuth agreed, but joked he may have won only three of them. Brewer responded that Hellmuth was in pretty exclusive company, given Brewer’s reputation for ending up on the wrong side of some of poker’s most brutal beats.
With that, the debate ended, the pot was pushed Brewer’s way, and Hellmuth returned to eating his burrito.
Playing It Weird
After slipping a little below his starting stack following that opening salvo with Brewer, Hellmuth began to build some momentum in the 2-7 Triple Draw streets.
The 17-time bracelet winner raised under the gun and was called by Williams and Ioannis Angelou Konstas in the blinds. Hellmuth drew one card on the first draw while Williams took two and Angelou Konstas three.
The action checked through after the first draw, and after all three players improved again on the second draw, Hellmuth fired a bet. Both opponents called to the final draw, where Hellmuth stood pat while Williams and Angelou Konstas each took one more card.
When the action checked to him again, Hellmuth bet once more. Neither opponent liked their final draw and both quickly mucked, sending the pot the way of Hellmuth.
“I played it weird,” Hellmuth concluded as he dragged in the chips to his then 332,000 stack.
Folding Blez & Arieh
Hellmuth’s stack continued to trend in the right direction during the Pot-Limit Omaha round, where he picked up a sizeable pot without seeing a showdown.
The Poker Brat squeezed to 112,000 on the button after an opening raise from Jared Bleznick. Bleznick, who sparked debate with this criticism of streaming Seniors Events called, as did Josh Arieh from the cutoff, and the trio saw a 7♥A♠K♥ flop.
After both opponents checked, Hellmuth wasted little time firing the full pot of 356,000. The pressure proved too much, as Bleznick and Arieh quickly folded, sending a big pot the way of the all-time bracelet leader, now up to 800,000.
Running Well(s)
The chips kept flowing Hellmuth’s way in the Limit Hold’em round.
After opening from the hijack, Hellmuth was called by Robert Wells in the big blind. Wells check-called a flop bet on Q♣8♥6♦, but when the 7♠ arrived on the turn, Hellmuth fired again and Wells quickly released his hand.
It was another small but steady addition to an impressive day for Hellmuth, that saw him finish in 16th, bagging 900,000 chips.
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Eliot Thomas
Editor, Poker & Casino