WPT Bellagio Hellmuth Blog

[kemystery]

typical Hellmuth spews, scroll down about halfway for e-tirade

entitled 'Phil Hellmuth Train Wreck'

In the $25,000 buy-in Tour Championship event that I'm playing in this week, I feel like near perfect play will carry you for three days, regardless of the hands you pick up. Of course, picking up A-A and getting most of your money in pre-flop against someone who then hits a set; that you cannot help getting eliminated to. After playing perfect poker for three days, I woke up on day four feeling miserably tired. So what, I woke up super tired day one as well. I should have been able to push through it rather easily, but for some reason I didn't.

Phil Hellmuth admittedly not 100%[/i]

I had a bad feeling when I got up (probably because I was so tired), even though I was chip leader with $1,827,000 in chips. After cresting $2 million, I raised on the button with Kc-Qc, and David Levi made it $160,000 more from the small blind. I knew that Levi over plays medium pairs, but still, why get involved with this hand? Why not lay it down? I didn't, and the flop came down K-6-5, and he moved all-in for $400,000, and I called. He showed me A-K, and I had to ask myself, "Why did you get involved with K-Q? You were at a super safe $2 million in chips, winning all kinds of small pots, and now you get involved here?" So take away $600,000 from my stack!

<font color="red"> &lt;snip&gt; </font>

Twenty minutes later I raised it up after only seeing only one of my hole cards; the ace of spades. One internet player called me from the small blind, the flop came down Ac-9s-4d, and the Internet guy bet $60,000. I looked at my six kicker, and called. The next card was the Ad, and now the internet player bet out $180,000. Right here, right now, I should have laid the hand down, even though I had three aces. It wasn't even a hard lay down for me to make under normal circumstances. I mean, what could he have that I could beat? He played this hand way too aggressively (he is young), and gave me an easy fold. I mean, he should have tried to win about $100,000 on the turn and another $150,000 on the river. Although his play of the hand gave me the opportunity to fold, I didn't take it.

A jack hit on the river, and now he moved all-in for $300,000 or so. Again, I should have folded, although now folding was not an easy option. I called, he showed me pocket nines, for a full house, and I was now down to less than one million in chips. Bad play on my part, pure and simple. Was I super unlucky that I had three aces this hand? Yes, but so what. This is where the great players make the big bucks, by laying down strong hands at the right time. From there, I stayed pretty aggressive, and was a bit unlucky to lose about $250,000 more.

Hellmuth Knows how you're supposed to play 9's

Then it was announced that play was finished for the day, over three hours early. Probably good for me, but I'm not so sure. I had Levi pay me off in a big pot with his 8-8, and a board of Q-Q-J-5-4. I had pocket sevens. I know that the table was ready to give me way too much action, so I wanted to keep playing. I was going to get internet boy, who beat me another pot when he played the 8h-5h from first position vs. my K-Q. Internet boy believes in "Pot odds," and raising a lot of pots pre-flop. So Levi was going to pay me, and internet boy was going to pay me that much I knew, it was just a matter of time…

<font color="red">&lt;snip&gt; </font>

In any case, I can now catch a nap. Last week I found out that I have mild sleep apnea, and this explains a lot. The 12 hour sleeps that I took throughout my twenties, constantly being tired, etc…It is a good thing I discovered this mild sleep apnea now, because it is easily treatable. I haven't been to the doctor since I discovered it from my "Sleep study" results. How much could it have affected my play all of my life? Maybe it was a good thing! After all, I did have a great WSOP in 2006…And now I have "Pro Player" endurance formula to help me out!!!

**CLIFF NOTES**: Phil Hellmuth loses poker hand and in not so many words essentially blames Al Gore for the creation of the internet + covers deep stacked button play with KcQc

FYI internet guy as described above is Imper1um from p5's (zangbezan24 on stars)

his comments on the hand below are from this thread

"The hand with 9's didn't exactly play out as Cardplayer or p5's described. Phil had actually raised from early position to 55k and I called from the small blind with 9's. The flop came A94 and I lead out for 90k, phil called. The turn was an ace and I bet 180k he called again saying that he needed a Jack to beat me. The river was a Jack (Thump thump, goes the heart). Not gonna lie, the Jack scared me, especially because I've seen Phil H. on TV and he doesnt usually lie about his hand. Nevertheless, I went all in for my remainining 350k knowing that I could not get off the hand either way. As soon as he didn't make his infamous "beat-you-in-da-pot" call, I knew I was good. He waited 3 seconds and called and showed an ace. " [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[aejones]

Phil is not too good.

He's an okay player from mid stages on, with less than 50 bbs. He plays pretty loose and aggro preflop, and he really does "talk" the table into doing what he wants them to do. However, he stands no chance against the majority of strong young players today. I don't know anything about zang, and I don't like his lead at all on this flop or turn, but he's still got to have a big edge over Phil.

The fact is, Phil plays his hand face up every single time. He plays his hand like he's got what he's got. It works against really bad players, and it doesn't work against competent players.

A good friend of mine had position on him in Monte Carlo... he three bet Phil every open. Phil folded religiously, and kept snipping about how this "young over aggressive internet player was going to spew off his chips." There was no real end to the confrontation, but my buddy got moved tables on day two and Phil apologized for his tirades.

[kemystery]

my one and only Hellmuth experience; the 2001 Orleans Open 1kNL Phil runs the table getting walks over and over in the BB talking people out of even completing the SB etc. then Men comes to the table to Hellmuths direct right and played him out of every pot - Phil went on tilt big time - during the break I overheard him telling TJ hes gonna 'get that little son of a bitch' then like 5 minutes into the new level he gets AIPF w AQ vs. Men's Kings and he gets up trademark knocked over chair an all - storms out without saying Anything, after going back and forth with Men for the last like 2 hours

I have to admit his crazy antics are fairly entertaining for me tho. As an aside I think Hellmuths best trait is his live read, when he does commentaries etc. he seems to come of off as intelligent and concise. I agree however, that in this day and age his edge over the fields not what it used to be.

[FyteOn]

PH

[SEABEAST]

I love it, he raises after only looking at one of his hole cards and then has the audacity to mock 'internet guy' raising non premiums...

[Victor]

I clicked the "auto post blind" button off, and took my free hand. It was Q-Q. Uh, oh. I raised it up and received one caller in the big blind. I noticed that I had $19,300 in front of me, and decided that I would play the hand so that I lost it; I would have $18,100 left. The flop was Jd-8d-2d, and I didn't have a diamond. Player A checked, and I checked reasoning that if I called two $600 bets on the next two streets and lost, I would still have $18,100 in front of me and I could quit for the day. The turn card was the 7s, and Player A bet. Normally I would have raised it up, but I called. The last card was the 8s, for Jd-8d-2d-7s-8s, and Player A bet. I called, and Player A showed me K-J. I'm sure that Player A "knew" that he had the best hand, how could he not feel that way, given the way the hand played? I mean I checked the flop, called the turn, and called the river. In fact, I really did win the minimum, but I didn't care. I played the hand the way I did for money management reasons. In any case, my queens held up, and I quit the game winning $14,000 for the day. Taking a win felt great to me, and I played less than one hour.

[Todd Brunson]

Lol..exactly

[KentuckyWildcats]

lol..ToddBrunsonaments

[breitling996]

aejones is dead on with his take on phil...