After winning a 2007 WSOP $1,500 NLHE tournament, Phil Hellmuth officially moved ahead of Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan for the all-time lead in gold bracelets. But over the past few years, it seems as if the Poker Brat’s 11 WSOP bracelets have been frozen in time since he’s been unable to add a twelfth.
Sure there were some very close calls, such as when Hellmuth finished second in three different 2011 WSOP tournaments; however, he was still unable to put more cushion between himself and other bracelet-hungry players. But all of that changed in the 2012 WSOP Event #18 Seven Card Razz event as Hellmuth grabbed the chip lead in Day 2 and looked destined to collect his 12th bracelet.
The last roadblock in the quest for further WSOP glory – Hellmuth’s heads-up opponent Don Zewin – didn’t make things too climatic since he was never able to wrestle the chip lead away. 23 years after bowing out in third place during Hellmuth’s winning 1989 Main Event run, Zewin served as a final test to the Poker Brat’s WSOP history yet again.
All about the WSOP Bracelet
Phil Hellmuth earned $182,793 for topping this 309-player field, but he didn’t even realize it after the final card was dealt. He explained this by saying, “This is the first tournament in my life (where) I have no idea what the prize money is. But it’s all about the bracelet. It’s unbelievable! I’ve been waiting for this since ’07. I’ve been knocking, knocking, knocking on the door.”
An elated Hellmuth also expressed gratitude to everybody who showed up to witness his record-extending 12th WSOP gold bracelet. He said, “I appreciate everyone for being here. I want you to know that I’m going to take every picture and sign every autograph.” Before we continue on further, here’s a quick look at the final table of this $2,500 Seven Card Razz event:
1. Phil Hellmuth – $182,793
2. Don Zewin – $113,024
3. Brandon Cantu – $74,269
4. Scott Fischman – $54,248
5. Brendan Taylor – $40,167
6. Barry Greenstein – $30,150
7. Michael Chow – $22,945
8. Jeffrey Mitseff – $17,693
9. David Rosenau – $13,827
A Very Impressive Poker Resume
What began over two decades ago with the aforementioned 1989 Main Event victory is still going strong today after Hellmuth’s latest bracelet win. And it wouldn’t be surprising to see him add a 13th bracelet some time in the near future. But even if that doesn’t happen any time soon, Hellmuth still has the following WSOP wins to be proud of:
1989 WSOP $10,000 Main Event – $755,000
1992 WSOP $5,000 Limit Hold’em – $168,000
1993 WSOP $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em – $161,400
1993 WSOP $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em – $173,000
1993 WSOP $5,000 Limit Hold’em – $138,000
1997 WSOP $3,000 Hold’em Pot Limit – $204,000
2001 WSOP $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em – $316,550
2003 WSOP $2,500 Limit Hold’em – $171,400
2003 WSOP $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em – $410,860
2006 WSOP $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em – $631,863
2007 WSOP $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em – $637,254
2012 WSOP $2,500 Seven Card Razz – $182,793
You could be one of this fantastic poker players someday, and like many of them nowadays, all you have to do is start playing some poker mac online and get in the game!