Andrew Neeme Vs. Phil Hellmuth in $2/$5 Game

With a new book to plug aptly entitled "Poker Brat,"  Phil Hellmuth is putting the word out every possible way that he can, including stepping down in stakes to join Andrew Neeme in a $2/$5 cash game at the Rio.

Hellmuth uses Neeme's vlog to reach Andrew's 64,000 subscribers, calling his autobiography a "labor of love" and promises upcoming appearances on the morning talk show circuit. Never one to choose modesty over braggadocio, Phil reminds viewers that his resume already includes one New York Time Bestseller in "Play Poker Like the Pros" and is hoping that "Poker Brat" will match the success of that publication.

L.A., Vegas, or East Coast?

After providing a tip to newbie poker players as to where he would begin a quest to become a millionaire poker pro in this day and age if he was just starting out with a $20,000 bankroll, Phil gets into the low stakes cash game with Neeme. Andrew dutifully begins recapping poker hands, which is likely what most of his subscribers tune in for.

Neeme sits down with $1,000 in the $200 minimum and no max game where his $10 straddle is met with calls from Phil and two other limpers. Andrew scares off the two players with a $65 bet pre-flop, resulting in a heads-up versus the 14-time WSOP gold bracelet winner.

Gifted

Neither pro hit a pair throughout the length of the board, nor did either player bet, allowing Neeme to take down the $145 pot and receive a warning from Phil, who considered his passivity to be a donation.

"There's your gift from me," said the Poker Brat. "That's it. No more gifts."

It's common knowledge that Hellmuth hasn't fared very well in televised cash games. We're also not sure how his day went at the $2/$5 cash tables at the Rio during this meetup with Andrew before he had to bounce and tend to other business. However, Neeme ended the short session ahead over $600 thanks to a favorable flopped straight and two accommodating opponents.

"Poker Brat" is sitting on my nightstand, next in line on my reading list after I finish "Brutal: The Untold Story Of My Life Inside Whitey Bulger's Irish Mob." Time will tell if the dozens of crimes and murders detailed in the South Boston mob memoir will be any less brutal than Phil's boasts in his new autobiography.