The Greatest Show: Hellmuth and Jungleman Make Grand Entrance into 2023 WSOP Main Event
Table Of Contents
What would the World Series of Poker Main Event be without a grand entrance from Phil Hellmuth?
The "Poker Brat" showed up for the Day 1b session as P. T. Barnum from The Greatest Showman and was accompanied by his pet lion and aptly nicknamed Dan "Jungleman" Cates.
The reception to Hellmuth's arrival was warmer this summer, a stark contrast from the chorus of boos that greeted him last year.
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"Just a Showman"
Hellmuth and Cates went the extra mile this time around, similar to 2021, where the duo were decked out in Lord of the Rings.
Hellmuth and a caged Cates were followed into the Horseshoe Events Centre by 17 models, all holding up a card with a number from 1 to 17, marking the number of bracelets that Hellmuth has won.
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As they entered the tournament room, Katy Perry's Roar blasted over the speakers while VP of WSOP Jack Effel introduced the two icons.
Late Surge of Player of the Year?
It's taken until week six of the WSOP for Hellmuth to crack the top ten in the Player of the Year Standings and could be in the running for getting his first POY banner following a strong end to the series.
He recently extended his bracelet record after taking down Event #72: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty for $803,818, which saw him crack the upper echelons of the leaderboard as well as breaching the top twenty on the all-time money list.
It would take an incredibly deep run from Hellmuth in the Main Event to boost his chances for POY, something that he hasn't done for quite some time. His last in-the-money finish in poker's most famous event was in 2015, where he finished in 417th for $21,786.
WSOP POY Leaderboard
| Place | Name | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ian Matakis | United States | 4,041.33 |
| 2 | Christopher Brewer | United States | 3,600.53 |
| 3 | Shaun Deeb | United States | 3,517.00 |
| 4 | Michael Rodrigues | Portugal | 3,340.63 |
| 5 | Jesse Lonis | United States | 3,015.07 |
| 6 | Chad Eveslage | United States | 2,848.76 |
| 7 | David "ODB" Baker | United States | 2,710.92 |
| 8 | Chance Kornuth | United States | 2,689.44 |
| 9 | Jeremy Ausmus | United States | 2,675.24 |
| 10 | Phil Hellmuth | United States | 2,540.54 |
Which is Your Favorite Hellmuth Entrance?
Hellmuth has been rocking up to the Main Event in some form of costume for the best part of the last twenty years, with some still entrenched in our brains.
Hellmuth as Gandalf and Julius Caesar are some of the more memorable appearances. However the most notable has to be when Hellmuth rocked up to the Rio as a NASCAR driver. The original plan was for him to arrive in a stock car. However, Hellmuth lost control of the vehicle and had it written off after crashing into a bollard.
Follow Hellmuth's Main Event Journey on PokerNews
Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum's proudest poker achievement is winning the only tournament he has ever played in Las Vegas, the prestigious $60 Flamingo evening event.
In this Series
- 1 The 2023 WSOP Main Event is Underway: Jamie Gold Ready for Record to Be Broken
- 2 Agony of Defeat: Poker Player Runs Kings into Aces Twice Vs. Same Opponent, Busts Main Event Day 1
- 3 Espen Jorstad in Action, Ready to Defend World Championship
- 4 July 5, 2019: Reliving the Craziest Day in WSOP Main Event History
- 5 Poker Boom 2.0: 2023 WSOP Main Event Officially the Largest Ever
- 6 Two Players Bust on the First Hand of 2023 WSOP Main Event Day 1D
- 7 The Greatest Show: Hellmuth and Jungleman Make Grand Entrance into 2023 WSOP Main Event
- 8 Ex-Manchester City Striker Sergio Aguero Makes Surprise Entry into 2023 WSOP Main Event
- 9 Would You Fold Kings Preflop on Day 1 of the WSOP Main Event in This Spot?
- 10 Alexandra Botez & 888poker Ambassadors Make Day 2 of Main Event
- 11 Rapper Hoodie Allen Abandons Chips in Poker World Championship for Friend's Wedding
- 12 Online Poker Pioneer Isai Scheinberg Plays WSOP Main Event for the First Time
- 13 Phil Hellmuth Coolered Out of WSOP Main Event by Nicholas "Dirty Diaper" Rigby
- 14 2023 WSOP Main Event Registration Closes w/ 10,043 Entries & $12.1M to Winner
- 15 Tom Dwan Busts WSOP Main Event; What Would You Do Here?
- 16 Popular Rapper Returns in Time for Poker World Championship...And Gets Aces Cracked
- 17 The Muck: Was the WSOP Main Event Payout Structure Absurd?
- 18 Queen on the River Dashes Nicholas Rigby's WSOP Main Event Title Dreams
- 19 Pollster Nate Silver's Chances of Winning 2023 WSOP Main Event are Now 0%
- 20 Nicholas Rigby Busts Chance Kornuth in a 200 Big Blind Pot on Day 5
- 21 Moneymaker, Hachem Bust Day 5; All Past WSOP Main Event Champs Out
- 22 Nicholas Rigby Talks "Dirty Diaper" Strategy in the 2023 WSOP Main Event
- 23 Nightmare Runout Knocks Alexandra Botez Out of the WSOP Main Event
- 24 Father & Daughter Make the Money of the 2023 WSOP Main Event
- 25 Kings Lose to Aces on the Bubble of the 2023 WSOP Main Event
- 26 Do You Know Which Poker Player Just Set the Record of Cashing Seven Consecutive Live WSOP Main Events?
- 27 2023 WSOP Main Event Hands of the Week: Royal Flush Twice in 4 Hands; Miracle Running Kings
- 28 Would You Rather Get a WSOP Main Event Seat for Life or $200,000?
- 29 Alexandra Botez Wants the WSOP Main Event Stream to Be Free; Do You Agree?
- 30 Can Some Fool's Gold Help Adam Walton Capture the 2023 WSOP Main Event Bracelet?
- 31 Jones, Weinman and Walton to Battle for 2023 WSOP Main Event Title
- 32 Pros vs. Jones: One of These 3 Players is Hours Away From Poker Immortality
- 33 Adam Walton Jams 80 Big Blind Stack Into Pocket Aces, Busts WSOP Main Event
- 34 Daniel Weinman Wins Record-Breaking 2023 WSOP Main Event for $12,100,000
- 35 How Much Money Players at 2023 WSOP Main Event Final Table Really Made
