Poker Tournament Results

34th Annual World Series of Poker

Phil Hellmuth

Tournament Report

A Poker Symphony: Hellmuth's Ninth I'm just honored to be mentioned in the same breath as Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson. -- Phil Hellmuth, Jr. (after winning gold bracelet number nine) If the highs and lows of tournament poker were set to music, Phil Hellmuth would be a symphony orchestra all by himself. Over the years, Hellmuth has hit the highest notes achievable by a poker player -- including winning the world championship in 1989, and three gold bracelets all won in a single year (1993). He has also hit a few sour notes along the way, going through dry spells that made some observers question whether or not he still has what it takes to win. Any doubters still questioning Hellmuth's abilities or commitment to winning were silenced at this year's World Series of Poker, as the self-described "Poker Brat" has now won two titles -- which now brings his career World Series of Poker wins up to nine, equal to two other poker legends, Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson. Although Hellmuth started off with a sizable chip lead at the final table, he was "all-in" midway through the finale and perilously close to the felt at one point. He won his one single flirtation with elimination, in a key hand heads-up with Erik Seidel. He went on from there to draw back to even in chips and ultimately would go on to win his record-ninth Texas hold'em title. Day Two of the tournament began with 17 players, as the finalists gathered from the previous day to play down to the final table. After Tony Ma and Mark Seif went out 10th and 9th respectively, Phil Hellmuth and Erik Seidel shared the chip lead with about $300K each (out of $1.1 million chips in play). Then, Alan Brodsky tried to make a steal from middle position with A-2 -- but his large raise was faded by Erik Seidel with 8-8. Brodsky went "all-in" and failed to make a pair -- going out in 8th place, collecting $22,200 for the two-day event. A few hands later, Curt Kohlberg ran into a speeding freight train when the flop came K-9-x and he moved over the top of Phil Hellmuth on an inside straight draw, holding Q-J. Hellmuth initially bet $14K into a $30K pot, and was delighted to see Kohlberg raise back "all-in" on the straight draw. Hellmuth nearly beat opponent into the pot with his chips, holding K-K in his hand for top set (three kings). The board paired on the turn, making Kohlberg's straight draw irrelevant. Kohlberg received $27,760 for 7th place, as Hellmuth raced into the chip lead, slightly ahead of Seidel. He wouldn't hold the lead for long. Seidel made jacks full of eights a few hands later, against Hellmuth who flopped three eights. That pot put Seidel up over $400K for the first time, while Hellmuth dipped slightly below $300K. With the remaining players holding their positions at $100K or less, Jay Hemowtiz went out next as he made a pair of fives on the flop and moved "all-in" with his last $40K. Problem was, Mike Lesle also had a pair of fives, with a better kicker (an ace), which eliminated Heimowitz, the six-time gold bracelet winner in 6th place -- good for $38,860. Twenty minutes later, Al Stonum went out when he took 8-8 up against Daniel Negreanu's J-J. Stonum failed to spike an 8, which meant $49,960 for 5th place. Down to four players, Erik Seidel held the chip lead with over $400K. Former race car driver Mike Lesle went out next when his A-Q crashed against Negreanu's A-K Neither player made a pair, but Negreanu's A-K played which meant a 3rd place finish for Lesle. He collected $66,720. With three players remaining, Seidel had about $500K to Negreanu's $350K and Hellmuth's $250K. Hellmuth went through a horrific next hour, losing many of his chips to the point he was under $100K at one point. He moved "all-in" on Erik Seidel who had top pair on one hand, but Hellmuth had flopped two pair, which held up. That hand jolted Hellmuth out of his shell and over the next 20 minutes Hellmuth was playing aggressively and was back up over $300K, neck-a-neck with Negreanu. Hellmuth then stunned the gallery a few hands later by taking down a big pot with four queens versus Erik Seidel. Seidel (his hand was not shown) called Hellmuth's final bet into a $300K pot, as the board showed Q-Q-10-10-x. Hellmuth's four queens put Hellmuth very close to Seidel for the chip lead. Seidel lost another big pot when Negreanu made two pair (Ks and 6s) -- which effectively put Seidel into third place for the first time at the final table. However, he recovered nicely when he took J-J up against Negreanu (with A-Q) and doubled-up when the pocket jacks stood up. The three finalists entered the ninth hour of play on Day Two with Hellmuth holding a 2 to 1 chip led over both opponents -- Negreanu and Seidel. But Seidel's misery continued as he slowly lost stack by stack until he was down to just $100K. Seidel moved "all-in" with 9-9, which was called by Hellmuth, with A-6. An ace flopped, which put Seidel -- the winner of five bracelets in his illustrious poker career -- out in 3rd place with $105,480. As the clock struck midnight, Hellmuth had the chip lead -- about 3 to 1 over Negreanu. The two finalists battled for an hour before Hellmuth put the finishing touches on his masterful poker performance. The final hand came when Hellmuth was dealt 3-4 of hearts. Negreanu was dealt Q-8. When the flop came Q-8-2 with two hearts, the betting escalated. ON the turn, another heart fell, giving Hellmuth a heart flush. All of Negreanu's chips went into the pot after Hellmuth raised, which meant Hellmuth was in the lead. Negreanu desperately needed to catch a queen or an eight to survive, which did not come. Daniel Negreanu, the winner of two gold bracelets (including one this year) received a consolation prize of $210,980. Meanwhile, Phil Hellmuth -- cheered on by his wife, sister, and mother sitting in the audience -- gave his supporters something to be happy about, a record-tying ninth gold bracelet and $410,860 for first-place. As the room stood and applauded, it was music to Phil Hellmuth's ears. -- by Nolan Dalla