Will Phil Hellmuth Compete in the Million Dollar Game?
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Hustler Casino Live will host its annual Million Dollar Game in a few months, and there could be a new but familiar face that will bring in some extra eyeballs to poker's most expensive ring cash game livestream.
Phil Hellmuth has floated the idea of entering the $1 million buy-in game, and PokerNews has learned the odds are good he will in fact show up at Hustler Casino to compete. When is the Million Dollar Game returning? That's all being ironed out right now, but it will either take place around the start of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in May or in April.
The lineups haven't yet been confirmed, but Million Dollar Game regulars such as Nik Airball and Alan Keating are expected to play at least one session, and it appears the game will have some mainstream poker star power.
Will Hellmuth Prove He Can Play Nosebleed-Stakes Poker?
Hellmuth, owner of a record 17 WSOP bracelets, is known as arguably the greatest tournament player ever. He holds virtually every meaningful WSOP record and has nearly $31 million in The Hendon Mob cashes.
Despite the tournament prowess, there are some critics out there who question the "Poker Brat's" cash game skills, especially at the highest stakes. He's competed on numerous livestream and televised cash game poker shows over the years, such as High Stakes Poker and, yes, Hustler Casino Live.
But he's never played on stream in a game as big as the Million Dollar Game, and it could be an opportunity for the BetRivers Poker ambassador to prove the haters wrong.
Hustler Casino Live Million Dollar Game History
Ryan Feldman, co-owner of the most popular livestream in poker history, launched the Million Dollar Game in May 2023. There were some big name pros such as Ethan "Rampage" Yau, Tom Dwan, and Doug Polk among the competitors. The pots were massive, but none larger than a world-record $3.1 million pot won by Dwan against Wesley Fei.
The 2024 MDG saw players win and lose fortunes across the four sessions in May. Peter Wang, now an HCL regular but new to the show at the time, went home with nearly $5 million in profits.
Tom Goldstein, the embattled attorney currently on trial for tax-related charges, was the mystery player named "Thomas" in the game, PokerNews later uncovered. The high-stakes lawyer lost $2.7 million playing two sessions, a chunk of that coming in a $540,000 pot he folded with the winning hand at showdown, one of the wildest hands in Hustler Casino Live history.
Last year's Million Dollar Game took place in April for the first time. Keating, Airball, and Haralabos Voulgaris were the stars of the show, not only in terms of the action they brought, but also keeping the table talk lively. Hustler Casino Live added a pseudo-Million Dollar Game in December 2025, which featured $500,000 minimum buy-ins and players required to bring at least $1 million.
Hellmuth has appeared on Hustler Casino Live a handful of times in the past, the most notable one being the "MrBeast Game" in May 2022, arguably the most entertainig livestreamed poker game ever. The Poker Brat, competing mostly against amateur streamers who barely knew how to play, was heavily criticized by the poker community for playing like a "nit" during that game.
The stakes in the Million Dollar Game will be much larger, and the competition stronger. If Hellmuth shows up to play, it will be the biggest cash game the public has ever seen him play, and that alone should bring plenty of viewers to one of the most anticipated annual livestreams.
