(Photo: Pokernight.com)
About a week ago, we brought you some rather rare footage of Phil Hellmuth coming out ahead during a cash game of Poker Night in America.
The Poker Brat aimed to keep his winning streak going against his PNIA opponents that included Rep Porter, Alan Richardson, Maria Ho, Bart Hanson, Mike Ross, Mark Kroon, Lorrie Corvin and Scott Ball. The venue was the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, CA, about 550 miles from the bright lights of Las Vegas where Hellmuth has won 13 of his 14 WSOP gold bracelets.
Ah, but that excellence in winning more WSOP titles than any other man (or woman) is tournament poker, a breed apart from the high stakes ring games where Phil cannot stake the same claim to glory. Winning in consecutive poker sessions would perhaps be glory enough in the short term, but even that milestone proved unattainable for the 52-year-old.
A Toast to Poker
The game was not without celebrations of another sort as the players drank champagne while competing, with lively repartee the order of the day. The banter included a champagne toast by Ho, who counts herself fortunate to be a successful poker pro.
Ho said, while raising her glass:
"I want to make a toast to, win or lose, I think we're all very lucky to be able to sit here and play this game for this kind of money."
That sentiment was seconded by others at the table, and the action continued. Or lack of action, as far as Hellmuth was concerned, with regard to the deck being favorable to him.
Why Me?
The Poker Brat bemoaned his fate, as he is often want to do when the cards don't fall his way. His scorn this time was directed at running into pocket bullets and paying off his opponent, Rex Porter, who took down a pot of more than $13K in the process.
"It feels so unfair," Hellmuth stated, as he looked up to the heavens, perhaps seeking divine intervention. He repeated the phrase again, as if nobody heard him the first time.
Meanwhile, Porter was asking for another bottle of champagne to be brought to the table, suddenly flush with cash at Hellmuth's expense.
There would be no sentimental toasts offered by the Poker Brat during this PNIA episode, especially after his $2,500bluff with a busted straight draw on the river was dutifully called and won by Hanson. Another cash game, another loss, and another day of bitching about how unfair it all is.