Phil Hellmuth — The Ace and the King
Phil Hellmuth Jr. Is the greatest poker player alive. There, I said it.
Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey. The Poker Brat, Kid Poker and… Phil Ivey. Arguably, the three most popular names in professional poker. Ivey and Negreanu began playing and being successful as professionals just as the advent of social media began to stretch its reach across the world and certainly when the “Poker Boom,” was at critical mass. Then there’s Phil Hellmuth. He won the Main Event almost two decades before ESPN made Poker as popular a sport as any in the mainstream. Hellmuth’s singular style, physical presence and undeniable star power has made him a unique entity, in the poker world, for over 30 years. The question that always comes up is, who is the best? Just as a task can be simple, but not easy — my position is: regardless of who one believes is the best poker player, Phil Hellmuth is the greatest.
Daniel Negreanu — Kid Poker
Daniel Negreanu has been a fan favorite for a long time. Daniel is articulate, funny and with a preternatural ability to guess his opponent’s hole cards. Dozens of compilations of him performing this talent, successfully, are all over YouTube. In the past few years, though, he has become very vocal online. With a new hairline and new physique, which, hey, fair play to him, has made him a bit smug in the last few years and certainly more than we are used to. With the World Series continuing to be the most accessible and recognizable organization in professional poker, Negreanu hasn’t won a bracelet in over 10 years. His legacy as one of the most successful and popular players is undeniable, but as to whether he is the greatest — that title may have come and gone. As far as challenging Phil Hellmuth, specifically, for the title, I’ll remind whoever is reading this, that Phil defeated Daniel in a head’s up match, three out of three tries, on PokerGO’S High Stakes Duel.
Phil Ivey
Phil Ivey. The ghost. The specter. Ivey staring widely, with dead eyes, must have been unnerving for the players at his table before anyone knew who he was. He doesn’t break character. He takes beats well. All these qualities give him a machine-like aura, which makes attempting to get a read on him highly improbably except for maybe a small handful of pros. In a market that was his for the taking, Ivey took on a more private persona. He’s won championships in many promotions. He was famously the ringer in the “Corporations’ High-Limit heads up series against Andy Beal; not to mention he carries himself with grace and a coolness that many young players should and do emulate. But just as some appreciate a professional wrestler like Bret Heart whose signature style was “excellence of execution” — being entertained while also watching mastery, requires someone like Ric Flair…
Phil Hellmuth — The Poker Brat
Phil Hellmuth, the legend. He won his first bracelet, The Main Event, in 1989. He has added an additional sixteen, including his latest, just this past series. His seventeen bracelets put him seven ahead of the next closest players. With record breaking fields in 2023 — anyone catching up to Phil would require a herculean effort and an Elon Musk-sized bankroll.
He is well behind Negreanu and Ivey on the all-time money list, for sure. Why do I place him 1st? For the totality of his game. As an ambassador he takes on the role, naturally. He, like Daniel, is well spoken and has a great sense of humor, even about himself. Most importantly: he keeps winning. Even with the influx of new styles of play. Even with the sheer number of younger and younger players who are fearless, because they do not know any better — Phil keeps winning. In fact, Phil has a claim to a demographic of players that no player in history can claim they share: the players that specifically target Phil in hopes of tilting him. Phil Ivey and Daniel have fans at the poker table. Happy to lose their money, “Just to say they played with a world champion.” In Hellmuth’s case he must dodge, not only bullets, but reckless players, getting it in bad, just to see if it will be enough to get Phil to get up from the table and start cursing the cards and the player who turned them over.
Ultimately, I love that Phil has maintained his Poker Brat persona. He has nothing to apologize for. His table talk is tantamount to what was apparently one of Michael Jordan’s lesser-known weapons, his trash talk. Phil has been married to a psychiatrist from Stanford (“Honey!”) for 30 years and has two children who, by all accounts, keep themselves out of trouble. Nike should sponsor him. He has a self-made brand that he keeps relevant by winning bracelets and other tournaments as consistently as could be expected in a game with such high variance.
Hellmuth is an American Poker Icon
He is an American treasure that does not get enough mainstream credit. He has already outlasted at least a dozen peers that had the same opportunity to make an impact on the game once Moneymaker turned over 54off and everyone started paying attention.
Poker, one may argue, is gambling; I’ve heard it referred to as an ‘honest trade.’ By that measure, Phil should get a medal of freedom. Excellence is in short order these days. One doesn’t stay at the top of the game, like Phil has, without genuine merit. And here’s the other thing about Phil — I have no idea what politics is are. Ivey shares that attribute, as well. Negreanu, less so. Phil is known for one thing and that is his unique approach to the game and the celebrity that comes with it. Does he name drop? Sure. Are his costumes at the World Series ridiculous? Obviously. Who cares? After all these years, it would be noticeably clear if he used such opportunities simply for clout, but it’s obvious he is just having fun and he loves the game of Poker.
Phil Hellmuth is the greatest poker player alive. If you are not convinced yet, just ask Phil.
