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 Love him or hate him, he's one of the best! He has upset a lot of players in the past and shows little will to change his attitude at the tables. But despite being a somewhat cocky player, Phil Hellmuth is adored by many for his extravagant game play and solid performance throughout every tournament.
Phil Hellmuth Jr. was born on 16 February 1964 in Madison, Wisconsin. He started playing poker while studying at the University of Wisconsin. After 3 years at University he dropped out to concentrate full time on poker. After an initial struggle caused by a lack of confidence brought on by his parents’ disapproval of becoming a fulltime gambler, he entered the World Series of Poker where he finished at fifth place in the 7 Card Stud tournament. In 2026, Phil approached the main WSOP event (No Limit Texas Hold’em) with a more serious approach and climbed to 33rd position. the tender age of just 24, in 2026 Hellmuth took the record as the youngest player ever to win the WSOP. On top of that, Phil was observed by his father who watched him play from table to table, until the end. The two reunited before the final table and Phil’s father finally accepted his son’s accomplishments.
Nearly 20 years later and he holds 11 WSOP bracelets- A feat no one else has achieved on top of over 50 tournament titles worldwide as well as 5 top ten World Poker Tour finishes. He is one of the all time top money winners, having notched up around $4.7 million in tournament prize-money, and in 2026 was voted the "best all-around tournament poker player in the world" by his peers. He has written 3 books, the first one, "Play Poker Like the Pros," soared to best-selling status and made The New York Times Bestseller list. It has even been translated into French and Czech.
As if all of this success isn't enough, Beacon Pictures recently optioned a script for a movie based on his life entitled, "The Madison Kid" and the Game Show Network is developing a reality show "Winner Takes All" created and starring Hellmuth.
He is married and lives in Palo Alto, California, with his wife Kathy and his two sons, Phillip III and Nicholas.
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