Poker Brat in Forbes!

(Photo: Forbes.com)

Phil Hellmuth, the Poker Brat, has hardly been out of the spotlight this past several weeks, with his King of the Hill appearances pleasing his many fans (and critics also I’m sure) but this week he appeared in a slightly unusual place – Forbes magazine.

Dan Schawbel, the New York Times bestselling author of Promote Yourself and Me 2.0 - books which sound like they could just as easily been penned by the poker maestro Hellmuth himself – caught up with the 14-times WSOP bracelet winner to quiz him on various aspects of his career.

When he asks how Hellmuth prepares and feels during the huge buy-ins event (King of the Hill is a $50K buy-in winner-takes-all event, the Super High Roller Bowl, for example, $300K to buy into) big Phil explains that he’s:

“Not nervous, but I def notice a big buy in like a $100,000 and I am heightened: my senses, my sense of urgency, and my resolve seem to activate!”

He adds, interestingly as such information isn’t always given out, though kind of assumed for the majority of the big players:

“Most times I choose to get 'Staked' by my friends in these big events, and that helps me focus harder: who likes losing money for their friends!!”

One of the big questions in the short-ish interview comes when Schawbel asks:

“How have you changed or modified your poker game to stay relevant over time?”

This, of course, is a bone of contention in the poker community, with Hellmuth coming in for a lot of stick recently when he called himself the favourite against the new generation such as Fedor Holz, Daniel Negreanu stating:

"These guys have worked real hard on their game the past couple years where I haven’t, and Phil thinks he’s the one seed – it’s delusional. It’s not real life.”

Hellmuth, naturally, doesn’t go into details but still gives Forbes readers the impression he’s out in front of the younger players.

“One thing that stays the same is this: if you can read people well, then you have a big edge. I call this 'White magic' (simply because I didn't want to call it black magic, as this can sound negative). It's important to know exactly what the 'Kids' (the next generation) are thinking and doing, then find a way to exploit it!"

As for Hellmuth’s top 3 pieces of career advice, he tells Schawbel:

“I have a new book coming out in March called '#POSITIVITY' and I preach 'Hate hurts you.' So I give a three-step process for getting rid of hate in your life.”

That’s career advice number one, apparently – buy his latest book! His autobiography ‘Poker Brat’ out earlier this year is already selling like hotcakes among the poker fraternity

His 2nd piece of advice:

“Write down your 'Yearly goals' and tape them to your bathroom mirror,” and thirdly: “Write down your list of 'Blessings' and tape them to your bathroom mirror. In the mornings you will leave happier and more focused...”