Can Celebrity Poker and TikTok Fuel the Next Poker Boom? Hellmuth Thinks So
He's a 17-time bracelet winner, but Phil Hellmuth has told PokerNews he's more than just a poker legend.
In addition to being a serial entrepreneur — Hellmuth says he's an advisor to 35 companies — he says he's got his finger on the pulse of the next poker boom, as well as the growth of women in poker and related initiatives.
And he's pointing out the Celebrity Poker Tour for "catching lightning in a bottle" as a key part of poker's success in 2026 and beyond.
Advisor to the Superfounders
"It's kind of crazy," he admitted, when we asked him about the variety of companies he advises. "But at the same time, it's fun for me to kind of be involved in this stuff. I give my founders ten hours a year, so it's not a time thing.
"But I'll speak with the CEOs and change a company by maybe 10% or 20%. You know, introduce them to a celebrity, introduce them to a billionaire. And then all of a sudden I've earned it, so I feel good."
Hellmuth says he's a tinkerer, even coming up with ideas the night before meetings with these "superfounders".
"One of my founders called me two days ago, and he said, 'I would not have made it without you'. And now he's come to me and asked me to serve as an advisor to his next company. So we negotiated, and now I'll have a bunch of points, and he's gonna do it again, and I'm gonna make a lot of money!
Hellmuth Commits $25,000 to Support Women in Poker
And it's that money Hellmuth says he's putting to good use, revealing plans to invest heavily in a ladies tournament in Texas.
"About two years ago, I decided it was gonna be my mission to get more women into poker," he said. "So I'm gonna put up $25,000 of my own money for a ladies tournament at one of my casinos in Houston."
Hellmuth said that this number was going to be matched by "two or three" other people.
He is also a vocal supporter of Poker Power, the organization founded by self-made billionaire Jenny Just and her daughter Juliette Hulsizer, which aims to teach 200,000 women strategic life skills through poker.
"I try to support [Jenny] and everything she's done for poker. A lot of girls start to play, and they start out nervous and laughing. But by the second time they played the game, they start to take the game more seriously.
"Jenny didn't play any poker, but one day she decided, 'Women don't take enough risks'. So she learned how to play and launched this organisation."
The New Boom
Hellmuth is also of the opinion that a new poker boom is on the cards as a result of a foundation laid during the pandemic. As former players returned to the game as more mature, better players, they in turn drew in the current wave of younger 21-25 year olds.
"Every airport I'm in, kids come up to me telling me 'I'm your biggest fan!'"
"All these people who had quit poker and given up, they came back! They were all 10-15 years older and they were all better players, because they were more mature. So they started having better results. So then what are the youth gonna do? They started playing massively.
"Every airport I'm in, kids come up to me telling me 'I'm your biggest fan!' And I'm like 'Well, how do you know me?' And it's TikTok. I don't even have a TikTok account. But it's great."
One of the projects targeting this younger demographic is the Celebrity Poker Tour, and Hellmuth says he sees a kindred spirit in the young CPT founder, Blake Wynn.
"Blake Wynn, he's cut from the same cloth as all these superfounders that I deal with," said Hellmuth. "Steve Wynn did all this great stuff, and he listened to the smartest people. Bobby Baldwin insisted that Steve had poker at his casinos, and Steve didn't listen to Bobby all the times.
"And if you're a superfounder, you want to listen to the really smart people that you surround yourself with, just like Steve did. Blake is a 25-year-old superstar founder, you know? It's great for poker what he's doing. It's amazing. All these big numbers, all these people coming into the game, and I think poker should 100% support this."
Hellmuth sees the CPT as a vital force in the game's resurgence, especially among younger demographics, noting that the true "superpower" of celebrity poker lies in its relatability.
"[Wynn] has caught lightning in a bottle too, because young people are really starting to love their poker."
"The power of the Celebrity Poker Tour is that the average person at home who's not good at poker is watching it and can relate! Many of them are watching it, saying, 'I'm better than these celebrities!'"
