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So Close, and Yet So Far


2007-06-20 13:38:20
By: Gene Bromberg

No, Phil Hellmuth did not win his 12th bracelet yesterday. He went out in sixth-place when, after a flop of Qs-10d-6h, Beth Shak moved all-in. Phil called with Ac-10c, but Shak outflopped him with Kh-Qh and Phil didn't catch the rest of the way and was knocked out. He took home $76,464 for finishing sixth.

Except, um, he didn't. See, during the final poker table he kept going over to Phil Ivey and paying for "insurance" on some of his hands. For example, on one hand he was all-in with Aces against 7-4 offsuit. A good spot to be in...but not infallible. So Ivey and Hellmuth made a deal (right before the flop was dealt) that if the Aces got cracked, Ivey would owe Hellmuth $90,000. It turns out Phil's Aces did hold up, and so Hellmuth paid Ivey $20,000. This sort of deal-making happens all the time in cash games, but Hellmuth apparently wanted a little extra protection against suckouts. Reportedly Phil had to finish in fourth place or better to break even for the poker tournament. He finished sixth. And so Phil becomes that rarity--the WSOP final tabler who takes home LESS money than he started out with.

Of course, Phil is used to being a WSOP rarity. If you look at the history of the World Series, one name greets you at the top of every list. Most World Series cashes? Phil Hellmuth, 60. Most World Series Final Tables? Phil Hellmuth and T.J. Cloutier, 39. Most World Series of Poker Bracelets? Phil Hellmuth, 11. Not that Phil ever lets anyone else speak for him, but in this case the numbers speak for themselves.


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