Not Your Average Home Game

Phil Hellmuth may have the most WSOP titles, but it doesn't faze his fellow players at a monthly home game in Palo Alto, California.

Many of the Poker Brat's home game tablemates are billionaires who made their fortunes as technology moguls in California's Silicon Valley. Jason Calacanis of news app Inside.com; David Goldberg, the CEO of online survey company SurveyMonkey; David Sacks, founder of the social networking service known as Yammer; and Chamath Palihapitiya (pictured) of AOL and Facebook fame are but a few of Hellmuth's opponents.

Palihapitiya hosts the home game and told Business Insider that "it's super fun" to get together with friends and colleagues who are very competitive both in the world of business and on the poker table. Business acumen often can be transferred to the game of poker and Hellmuth confirmed that by admitting he had a hard time beating the home game the first few years he played.

If the Silicon Valley stars hadn't made their fortunes in technology and sound investment strategies, there's a good chance that professional poker might have been an option for some. Palihapitiya has lifetime earnings over $175,000, with his best score coming at the WSOP in 2012 in $5,000 No Limit Hold'em when he just missed the final table and finished 11th, taking home $53,728.

He and his tech buddies make the level of play at the Palo Alto home game well above that of amateur status. And while the stakes may be somewhat low in comparison to their bank accounts, the amounts wagered are likely among the highest of any home games - anywhere.

But the money is mostly inconsequential, taking a back seat to the thrill and fun of playing. Winning against others who are like-minded and posess similar competitive spirits is what drives these billionaires at the poker table.