Phil Hellmuth’s Poker Story and How Much Money He’s Won

08:03
21 Jan

Phil “The Poker Brat” Hellmuth’s legendary poker career needs no introduction. The Poker Hall of Famer is first on the all-time bracelet list, and has earned a little over $26 million during his poker career. Most recently, Phil had a stellar WSOP performance this year. Here’s an in-depth look at Hellmuth’s poker earnings dating back to his first recorded cashes in the 1980s.

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The Birth of a Star

The late 1980s are where it all started for Hellmuth’s career. His first ever recorded live cash was in 1987 in a $1,000 tournament in Reno where he took fifth for $1,980 at the young age of 22.. The next year, Phil had another minor cash for $1,775 and won his first recorded tournament, a $200 tournament in Reno, for $17,550.

Later in 1988, Hellmuth would cash his first WSOP events, the $1,500 Seven Card Stud event for $15,450 and the Main Event for $7,500. In August of that year, Hellmuth recorded his first six-figure score when he won a $10,000 event in Los Angeles for $125,000.

The next year Hellmuth started to heat up. He won three tournaments for a total of $86,511 before playing the legendary 1989 Main Event. He would beat fellow poker legend Johnny Chan heads up at just 24 years old to claim his first bracelet, a sweet $755,000 and a reputation as “the new kid on the block.”

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Continued Success

The 90s saw Hellmuth continue his dominance in the game of poker. In the first part of the decade, Hellmuth had consistent success cashing in numerous tournaments for multiple five-figure scores. In 1991 he won the Hall of Fame Poker Classic for $80,400.

The following year, Hellmuth won his second bracelet when he took down the $5,000 Limit Hold’Em event for $188,000 after finishing second in the $2,500 Limit Hold’em event just four days earlier.

The following year was a record-setting one for Hellmuth. In 1993, Hellmuth won three bracelets on three consecutive days. He took down the $2,500 No Limit Hold’em event for $173,000 to claim his first bracelet of the year. The next day he won a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event for $161,400 and the following day he won a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event for $138,000.

Despite not winning any more bracelets over the next four years, he showed continued success. In 1997, Hellmuth won his fourth bracelet in the $3,000 Pot Limit Hold’em for $204,000.

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No Slowing Down

There was another lull in bracelets over the next four years, but again, he showcased his consistency by constantly cashing or winning other tournaments such as the $250 Limit 7 Card Stud event he won for $106,250 in 2000.

The next year, Hellmuth won his seventh bracelet in the $2,100 No Limt Hold’em event he took down for $316,550. Throughout the next 15 years, Hellmuth showcased continuous success and won seven more bracelets, taking us to this year. With his win in the 2012 WSOP Europe Main Event, Hellmuth became the first player to win both the WSOP and WSOPE Main Events.

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Tried And True

Hellmuth shows no signs of slowing down. This year he had a remarkable WSOP performance. He made it to the final table of five tournaments and took down the $1,500 No Limit 2-7 for $84,951 and his sixteenth bracelet.

Towards the end of the series, he had a chance for another bracelet but took second in the $50,000 Pot Limit Omaha High Roller for $734,807.

Whether you like his bratty antics or not, Phil Hellmuth is owed respect in the poker world based solely on his impressive body of work.