It’s not the WSOP Main Event without a Phil Hellmuth entrance, and the Poker Brat went full-on rock star this year with his Highway to Hellmuth band and entourage.
Hellmuth swept into the Horseshoe at the end of a break in the Main Event on Thursday, accompanied by his son, Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates, and 17 models — one for each bracelet. In a recent interview with PokerOrg, he said, “It's been a tradition to have the models. Some people want to cancel us for the models, not most people, but a few people... It's just a fun spectacle."
And it was a fun spectacle. There are always players who moan about the disruption, and it wouldn’t be fair to ignore what they say — they’ve paid $10,000 to take part in the biggest poker tournament of their lives, and why wouldn’t they grumble at having to wait for this to play out?
Hellmuth: The greatest showman
In the packed crowd, one big-name pro who will go unnamed swept past, saying, “Jesus, we’re trying to pay f*****g poker here.” Others in the Horseshoe puffed their cheeks out and rolled their eyes.
But it wouldn’t be a Main Event without it. Hellmuth wrote the headlines earlier this year when he threatened a Main Event boycott. No one believed he’d go through with it — especially not his new sponsors, BetRivers Poker — and here we are.
After a brief parade around the feature table, Hellmuth took his seat and got ready to play a tournament he’s said he has no chance of winning. Another bluff? Only time will tell.
PokerGO is streaming the Main Event and will feature Hellmuth from the start when the broadcast airs at 7pm. If you’ve ever wanted to see him play in a wig, here's your opportunity.
