Shaun Deeb Says Phil Hellmuth Will Never Win Another WSOP Bracelet
Phil Hellmuth, the record-holder, is done winning World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, so says Shaun Deeb.
Deeb told WSOP reporter Jeff Platt on Monday that not only does he believe the "Poker Brat" won't one day capture his 18th bracelet. He also gave himself a solid chance of eventually surpassing Hellmuth.
PokerNews caught up with Hellmuth on Tuesday at the World Series of Poker Paradise (WSOPP) series in the Bahamas to get his thoughts on Deeb's comments. He took issue what the reigning WSOP Player of the Year had to say, and suggested that "he was trolling me." But he then said "he might not have been."
"He's a little strange sometimes," Hellmuth said of Deeb.
Is Hellmuth Done?
Deeb won his eigth bracelet in October, leaving him nine titles behind Hellmuth, who has six more bracelets than anyone else in history. Phil Ivey is in second place with 11. Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Erik Seidel are the only other players with at least 10.
Despite owning less than half of the Poker Hall of Famer's gold bracelets, Deeb told Platt there's a 60% chance he'll catch up to Hellmuth within a dozen years. He told PokerNews that he wasn't trolling, and explained why he doesn't think the poker legend will win another bracelet.
"I think he doesn't try hard enough to win, he tries too hard to survive," Deeb said of Hellmuth. "He's rich enough, he should be going for the win a lot more. He should be putting in more volume. He should not be maxing everything for one bullet and play some of the smaller field big stuff. But that's Phil. He's a unique individual."
"I would be shocked if he wins one again but, you know, anything can happen with some of the small fields. But, yeah, it's hard for him to win. People kind of know his tricks. He kind of tells his opponents how to play against him. And that's not the best strategy when you're trying to trap people, telling them all day you're going to trap them."
Hellmuth, however, defended his poker game, saying, "I find it interesting, people do not know how good I am. They don't know the knowledge that I have. So, if you're playing poker with me at the Series and I'm tired and I make a mistake, that doesn't quite show the full potential."
Hellmuth holds most meaningful WSOP records, including bracelets (17), cashes (198), and final table appearances (79). He's even tied with Jeremy Ausmus for most final tables in a single series (7), a record he set in 2021.
The BetRivers Poker ambassador is the only player to win at least one bracelet in five separate decades. But Deeb, 39, thinks Hellmuth, 61, is past his prime and done with winning bracelets. Hellmuth won his first WSOP title in 1989 when he beat Chan, the two-time defending champion, heads-up in the Main Event. His most recent bracelet was the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty in 2023.
Deeb, who will become eligible for the Poker Hall of Fame next summer, is a two-time WSOP Player of the Year. He's won eight bracelets in the past 11 years. It certainly isn't out of the question for him to reach 17 bracelets within the next 12 years. But Hellmuth said he has his sights set on achieving his longstanding goal of winning 24 bracelets.
*Lead photo courtesy of WSOP
