Hellmuth on 'HighRoller Rampage'

It was a tough night for Phil Hellmuth in the Super HighRoller Bowl, but his decision to ‘go on the rampage’ proved effective enough to take the old master of the game to the final table, assuring himself of at least a $600,000 payday – with a chance to take down the $5million first prize!

The $300k buy-in event had attracted almost every big name in the game, but it was Hellmuth who proved that to keep up with the young guns you have to change up your game, telling the table “I’m on the rampage” countless times.

After losing a small pot with AJ to the 88 of Fedor Holz – who is many people’s choice to take down the top prize tonight at the Aria Casino in Vegas - big Phil decided enough was enough.

"You wanna play poker Fedor? Hi I'm Phill Hellmuth, nice to meet you," he said, shaking hands with the younger man – and the show was most definitely on!

"Ok Fedor, let’s go" he announced about five times, his young opponent looking more bemused than anything else as Hellmuth proceeded to play and raise almost every hand – a shocked Erik Seidel folding pocket 5’s having just joined the table and completely unaware of Phil’s new-found aggression.

“Its rampage time! Now is when I bust you and win about a milly...OK Fedor?" he continued, and it was the first time the event had burst into life. Not everyone was impressed by Hellmuth’s ranting and incessant chat, however, with Dan Smith finally complaining, “You’re annoying me!”

Not only Smith had a hard time dealing with Hellmuth’s ‘Pokerbrat’ approach – Smith’s friend and fellow poker pro Olivier Busquet taking to Twitter with a sharp dig at Hellmuth:

A long successful career in poker doesn't earn u the right to be a dick. At least Erik_Seidel the paragon of dignity is there to contrast

— Olivier Busquet (@olivierbusquet) 1 June 2016

In the end it wasn’t tilt that did for Dan Smith and gave us a Hellmuth-full final table – it was a horrific set-over-set debacle which sent the quiet Smith from 2nd in chips to last, and he bubbled shortly afterwards.

Hellmuth had somehow ‘rampaged’ his way to the final table and the money against a 49-player field containing the biggest and best of the poker high-rollers.

Hellmuth tweeted afterwards:

Didn't play my "A game" in #SuperHighRollerBowl today, but managed to make Final Table, which is LIVE Weds @CBSSportsNet $5 Million for 1st!

— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) 1 June 2016

… only to be met with the reply “admire your passion for the game but next time bring your A game in respecting people and your overall manners” from Matthew Lo.

Jjnid posting on the 2+2 forum wasn’t impressed either, stating:

Isaac ‘Ike’ Haxton, who had bust out early, added his view, tweeting:

Tune in to PokerCentral tomorrow to watch six of the best poker players in the world and a blubbering manchild compete for $15m!

— Isaac Haxton (@ikepoker) June 1, 2016

The final table looks set to be a battle between the old guard of Hellmuth, Seidel and Dan Shak taking on the new generation of Fedor Holz, Matt Berkey, Rainer Kempe and Bryn Kenney.

Big Phil is looking forward to the challenge, tweeting:

Whether he resorts to the ‘rampaging’ success of last night or not, one thing is for sure – Hellmuth makes for compelling viewing!