On October 17 Sunday, at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Phil Hellmuth has done it again.
Together with his wife, friends and dozens of fans watching at the PokerGO WSOP main stage, Phil Hellmuth finally captured his 16th WSOP gold bracelet.
Having won Event #31: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw, Hellmuth snagged a gold bracelet for this one, saying he had been chasing it since the 1980s. He defeated Jake Schwartz in a heads-up match, and was the last man standing in a 272-entry field to take home $84,951.
The start of heads-up had Schwartz in the lead, but Hellmuth swiftly turned it around. He then extended his lead a bit further. After taking a 45-minute break to get some food, they returned and Hellmuth ultimately finished off his opponent. On the final hand, Hellmuth made a ninety-eight and Schwartz paired up.
Hellmuth said, "I've wanted a deuce-to-seven bracelet ever since the 1980s because it was the coolest bracelet to win. It was the one tournament that Chip [Reese] and Doyle [Brunson] showed up for. All of the big-name poker players, such as Billy Baxter - all the champions showed up for that one tournament. It was a $10K with rebuys, so they would be in for $50,000. I wanted this bracelet so badly."
With 16 WSOP bracelets now to his name, the 57-year-old Wisconsin native's lead extends to six. Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan and Phil Ivey each have 10 WSOP bracelets. The WSOP awards a gold bracelet to each tournament winner.
Known as the "Poker Brat" for his table outbursts, Hellmuth decided to take a softer approach during the 2-7 Lowball final table. He said, "I told myself no swearing tirades and no threats. I swore a little bit. I am sure the cameras caught it, but I was a lot more mellow, probably because I went too far the other day."
Hellmuth's total live cash earnings are now at the $25.2 million mark.
Hellmuth admits he is immediately thinking about winning his 17th gold bracelet, which could likely happen in this series. In 1993, Hellmuth won three WSOP gold bracelets. In 2003, he won two.
Hellmuth said he thinks he is going to win a total of 24 WSOP gold bracelets in his career.
Source: https://www.pokergonews.com/articles/phil-hellmuth-wins-unprecedented-16th-wsop-gold-bracelet/
