Phil Hellmuth Reveals All On Doug Polk Podcast [Poker Profits]

The record-breaking, 15-time WSOP bracelet winner shared his thoughts on his victories over rival PokerGo star, Daniel Negreanu - explaining how Negreanu attempted to get under his skin and why he feels this strategy ultimately backfired.

Phil Hellmuth would also respond to the fact he was branded a 3/2 underdog against Negreanu and got a little heated debating his success, or lack thereof, in high-roller cash games with Doug Polk.

A confident, commanding Hellmuth explained how he felt his Canadian adversary was a touch over-confident coming into their recent High Stakes Duel II clash.

“He (Negreanu) attacked my legacy” asserts Hellmuth. “The first match, he was like, condescending, like he was gonna pick me apart” he continues.

“Ooh, I’m ahead of schedule, ooh I’m right on schedule”- Hellmuth impersonates Negreanu’s taunts.

He suggests that Negreanu, the player who typically employs a more GTO play style, felt a win over the seasoned poker vet was a forgone conclusion. Also mentioning how Negreanu has criticised his plays in previous games- he takes aim at modern, purely statistically-based poker playing:

“Listen… just because your mathematical bible says I’m playing poorly- does not mean I’m playing poorly”

It would seem Hellmuth’s willingness to stray from the commands bestowed upon him by the “mathematical bible” has proved a successful strategy. He explained that he had invested $200k personally in the High Stakes Duel games- which he then proceeded to double and double once more for good measure.

Reflecting on his multiple victories, Hellmuth said he thought Negreanu’s attitude brought out the best in him and nudged a lot of people in the community towards rooting for the American- many of whom he believes would not normally have supported him.

He named the host, Polk, as one of the people who normally would not favor him in his high-stakes endeavors. The pair began to debate Hellmuth’s ability to perform outside of big field tournaments.

Polk concedes that Hellmuth has an untouchable record when examining his performances in tournaments like WSOP- however, he says he believes it is a different story when it comes to his ROI in high-roller cash games. The host goes on to say that people in the high-roller scene view Hellmuth as a spot.

As one might expect, Hellmuth heavily disputed these claims. He points to the fact he is $1.8 million in profit as a high-roller player and says that it was only a couple of questionable, half-hearted, live performances on PokerCentral that gained him this reputation.

He went on to say that he has played in some high-roller games recently- and that he came across some younger players he feels have disrespected him at certain points.

“I saw one guy who’s been super disrespectful to me. Complete jerks. Some of these young guys are just complete assholes”

It seems the cocky approach much of the younger generation takes rubs Hellmuth up the wrong way. He expresses annoyance at the fact he always gave credit where it was due when he was on the rise in poker- but does not seem to receive the same recognition and respect from today’s up-and-comers.

There certainly appears to be a lot on the horizon for Phil Hellmuth. Another huge upcoming wager against Daniel Negreanu- who has bet him 2/1 he can not break even over 50 high-rollers. On top of this, he has taken a partner position at a venture capital firm- a move that he says could set him on the road to making a billion dollars.

Hear more of Hellmuth’s thoughts and future plans on the Doug Polk Podcast- where you can hear the endlessly entertaining player discuss everything from his upcoming match against Tom Dwan to his Bitcoin investment ventures.