Hand 23: Hellmuth Cripples Himself
![Phil Hellmuth](https://s.pnimg.net/wKkHVI6a-0zJFhAJqAHcMFfFcBtOz2_PsYa6yWWmqck/pr:reporting-leading-desktop/aHR0cHM6Ly9wbmlt/Zy5uZXQvbHJlcC80/LzcwL3g3MDE0MjMz/YWViLmpwZw.webp)
![{8-Diamonds}](/img/cards/8d.gif)
![{8-Spades}](/img/cards/8s.gif)
![{K-Diamonds}](/img/cards/kd.gif)
![{Q-Diamonds}](/img/cards/qd.gif)
![{A-Clubs}](/img/cards/ac.gif)
![{4-Clubs}](/img/cards/4c.gif)
![{A-Hearts}](/img/cards/ah.gif)
![{2-Spades}](/img/cards/2s.gif)
A four-way flop came
![{9-Hearts}](/img/cards/9h.gif)
![{Q-Spades}](/img/cards/qs.gif)
![{2-Diamonds}](/img/cards/2d.gif)
Hellmuth bet 7,000 and Helppi and Scharf both called.
Turn:
![{A-Diamonds}](/img/cards/da.gif)
Hellmuth fired again, 27,000 this time. Helppi thought for a while before calling with his flush draw and second pair, but Scharf with two pair - the best hand by some way - laid it down.
River:
![{J-Hearts}](/img/cards/jh.gif)
With 91,000 in the pot and a stack of 29,000, Hellmuth's third bullet was going to price in any reasonable hand to call. He actually bet 24,000.
Helppi tanked for a couple of minutes before Hellmuth opened his mouth. "Do you have queen-jack of diamonds?" he asked, and Helppi replied, "If I had that, I'd have called you already."
It took him just a few seconds longer to actually make the call.
"You got it," said Hellmuth in disgust.
"If you hadn't said anything I might have laid it down."
Hellmuth has 5,000 remaining.