When it comes to the World Series of Poker (WSOP), they don’t come much bigger than Phil Hellmuth. The most decorated player in WSOP history was already six bracelets ahead of his next closest competition with 16 gold bracelets, and at the 2023 WSOP he extended that lead by adding No. 17.
The victory came in Event #72: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty, a tournament that drew 642 runners that generated a $4,044,600 prize pool. Hellmuth earned $803,818 plus various bounties for the win, which happened with little fanfare as it concluded in the early morning hours at an outside table in the Paris Ballroom.
It was not the money, however, that meant the most to Hellmuth. Rather, the extension of his record seemed to be of greater value as it gives his proponents more reason to argue that he is one of the best to have ever played the game.
While Hellmuth did end up on top, his tournament had its ups and downs. At one point, he was down to just 60,000 at the 15,000/30,000 blind level. “I just needed to make it to the break” he told PokerNews afterwards. The break allowed him to refocus and come back with renewed vigor on his way to mounting an improbable comeback.
Late in the day, he picked up pocket jacks three times, won several key flips, and found aces at an opportune moment to eliminate Phil Ivey in 6th place.
“I had jacks hold up against ace-king for three million each” Hellmuth said, describing the fortunate run of cards in the latter stages of the day. “Any potential luck that I was complaining about I received more than [enough].”
Event #72: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold’em Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Hellmuth | United States | $803,818 |
| 2 | Justin Zaki | United States | $496,801 |
| 3 | Tom Kunze | Germany | $349,737 |
| 4 | Kelvin Kerber | Brazil | $249,876 |
| 5 | Chris Savage | United States | $181,230 |
| 6 | Phil Ivey | United States | $133,461 |
| 7 | Brandon Steven | United States | $99,817 |
| 8 | Marc Foggin | United Kingdom | $75,837 |
Later in the summer, Hellmuth was a guest on The Chad & Jesse Poker Show where he further elaborated on his record-extending 17th gold bracelet and his tradition of giving it away to a close friend, this time to billionaire entrepreneur, author, and internet tech investor David Sacks.
Winner’s Reaction
“I’m feeling pretty good. I must have a smile just fixed to my face,” Hellmuth said. “I tried not to complain. Oh, I’ve been unlucky in key spots. F*** all that bulls*** you know, because things happen for a reason”.
He would go on to explain that part of the reason he was even in the tournament was due to an early exit in Event: #71 $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller at the hands of Jeremy Ausmus.
“You know maybe part of the reason I busted the Pot-Limit Omaha was to come and win this. You know, maybe part of the reason I busted the deuce to seven was so I could get rest”.
Hellmuth highlighted the importance of the three full days rest he got, saying “coming in fresh was enormously helpful”. The clear mindset that came with the rest helped him to manage some of the rougher spans in the tournament.
“I came back from one of those breaks, I had sixty thousand left. The blinds were fifteen and thirty. I just knew I needed to make it to that break.” From that point, everything seemed to break in his favor on his way to the win.
While his 17th bracelet does extend his record, even before the win Hellmuth felt he was finally getting the respect he thinks he deserves. “This is the first year of my career that all the great players called me great or the greatest. Shaun Deeb is one of the greatest players in the world. He finally understands and was giving me compliments like ‘you’re the best player in the tournament.'”
There was no time to rest for Hellmuth, who stayed awake in order to speak at Doyle Brunson‘s celebration of life at the Horseshoe.
Phil Hellmuth Wins Record-Extending 17th World Series of Poker Bracelet
Phil Hellmuth’s WSOP Bracelet Wins
| Year | Event | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | $10,000 WSOP Main Event | $755,000 |
| 1992 | Event #8: $5,000 Limit Hold’em | $188,000 |
| 1993 | Event #7: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em | $173,000 |
| 1993 | Event #8: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em | $161,400 |
| 1993 | Event #9: $5,000 Limit Hold’em | $138,000 |
| 1997 | Event #15: $3,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em | $204,000 |
| 2001 | Event #3: $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em | $316,550 |
| 2003 | Event #12: $2,500 Limit Hold’em | $171,400 |
| 2003 | Event #32: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em | $410,860 |
| 2006 | Event #34: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em | $631,863 |
| 2007 | Event #15: $1,500 No Limit Hold’em | $637,250 |
| 2012 | Event #18: $2,500 Seven Card Razz | $182,793 |
| 2012 | WSOPE €10,000 Main Event | €1,022,376 ($1,333,841) |
| 2015 | Event #17: $10,000 Razz Championship | $271,105 |
| 2018 | Event #71: $5,000 No Limit Hold’em | $485,082 |
| 2021 | Event #31: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw | $84,851 |
| 2023 | Event #72: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty | $803,818 |
Executive Editor U.S.
Executive Editor US, PokerNews Podcast co-host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.