Is Phil Helmuth even THAT good?

[theBruiser500]

At first I thought Helmuth had just complained once and was getting a bad reptuation because of it but apparently Helmuth deserves that bad reputation. I watched him play for a few minutes at the $25/$50 Nl table on UB once and he lost all his chips within 20 minutes.

[joedot]

I think Phil is mentally insane. I am basing this on the interviews I've seen of him on several poker commentary shows, and wsop coverage, and what i've read from him online. That said, the problem I see with the way he plays, is that every time he folds a big hand, he folds it face up. WTF man. If you're doing that, you are showing your opponents that you fold big hands, and are encouraging them to bluff you. That is fine, and that is what they do the next time. Except, the problem is, he folds again the next time, and shows his cards again. I can only concur that he is showing his hands for egotistical reasons, so that the rare time that he makes the laydown and they had the hand beat, everyone can say "wow Phil, what a great laydown you just made. You are an amazing poker player." So he is obviously making moves based on egotistical reasons rather than practical reasons. Great poker players don't play like that imo.

[jwvdcw]

Everyones saying how bad he plays online and how terrible he is...the man gets results, bottom line.

[Toro]

Helmuth, sounds like Hell Mouth, very appropriate.

[Rooster71]

Regarding Phil Hellmuth's poker skills, I think he is still a very good player. I would not say he is a "great" player because I just don't see him as being in the same category as Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan or any of the other long time greats. He seems to have some strange views on some situations, almost like he has a self-defeating attitude. As far as Phil Hellmuth the person, I think he is the whiniest most childish loser I have ever seen. Everybody loses at some time and it's never a pleasant experience, so I hate hearing that crap about how he gets so irate because he "takes SO many beat beats." Good God, why can't he just be a man about it? The times I have seem him get irate, it seems like he somehow thinks he is "entitled" to win the pot just because he is Phil Hellmuth and if there is a showdown, then it is because his opponent is just being disrespectful.

I thought is was ridiculous how Card Player Magazine put him on the cover a few months back with the heading "Phil Hellmuth: The Bad Boy of Poker" or something very similar. The heading should have read "Phil Hellmuth: The Big Crybaby of Poker who Can't Control His Temper."

[Aceshigh7]

I like Phil because he acts almost exactly like me at the poker table. Not saying that's admirable, and it is something I'm trying to change by the way, but I can understand where the anger and indignity comes from when you get bad beat.

Hellmuth gives me inspiration that one can be a great player and still be a whiner.

[MMMMMM]

[ QUOTE ]

Fischer can't beat top chess pros anymore



are you kidding?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's true. He is not at all a strong GM by today's standards.

[theriverwild]

Fisher doesn't play in tourneys or anything he went into hiding 4 the 2nd time. And Phil is a good tourney player but poor attitude and ring game player

[joker122]

Is your Party Poker name AcesHigh1?

[Kenshin]

If by chance you are AcesHigh1. PLEASE, stop berating fish at the table. It makes you look like a total jackass (possibly an accurate characterization). More importantly, it damages MY win rate.