A high profile professional poker player that makes money via US friendly poker sites would be Phil Hellmuth, a UB representative that has gained and kept fame due to his World Series of Poker accomplishments and outbursts at the tables. Born July 16, 1964 in Wisconsin, Hellmuth was the first of five children and went to school at the University of Wisconsin. Hellmuth married his wife, Kathy, and they moved to California where they have two sons.
The fact that Hellmuth holds some incredible tournament poker records helps the site attract players to take advantage of Ultimate Bet for Mac. The most impressive record is that he has won 1st place in a whopping 11 WSOP tournaments, winning the first one back in 1989 when he was just 24 years old. His most recent bracelet was won in 2007. He created the record for cashing the WSOP (75) and the most final tables with 41. He ranks in the top ten for total WSOP winnings with $6.1 million won so far in his career. It’s interesting to note that Hellmuth has never won a World Poker Tour (WPT) event in casinos For USA players even though he’s made the final table 3 times. In WPT tournaments he’s cashed 11 times and his total winnings is $691k. All these accomplishments caused him to be elected to the Poker Hall of Fame in 2007.
It’s Hellmuth’s tournament success that caused him to become famous, but especially to those new to the game, he is most well known for throwing huge temper tantrums while playing at the tables. The success he’s had over the years has caused him to believe he is the best online poker player in the world, and nothing upsets him more than a couple bad beats. He frequently berates players when they get lucky versus him, insulting them with childish names and calling them stupid. He even received a penalty from the floor in the 2008 WSOP for verbally abusing a player that showed a big bluff he made against Hellmuth. His multiple tantrums and overreactions over the years have earned him the nickname of “The Poker Brat”.
Leave it to Hellmuth to make money off his nickname, though. He started a clothing line using the name Poker Brat, and if you want to get into his head, you can read his thoughts in the book titled Poker Brat. It is to be expected that he has made a poker video or two, but you might be surprised to find out that he also helped make a mobile phone poker game. He’s written several newspaper columns called “Hand of the Week” where he details interesting hands that he’s encountered during his career, and he blogs for both CardPlayer and UB. Add all his TV appearances and coaching opportunities, and it’s clear that Hellmuth is cashing in at more than just playing cards.
You hear so much about Full Tilt and PokerStars, but it’s worth your time to also try out some of UB’s poker tables. Join Hellmuth at the tables and earn a deposit bonus if you haven’t already done so. Players everywhere dream of accomplishing as much as Hellmuth has accomplished in his career, but you cannot do it without plenty of practice in online poker rooms. If you would like to see what else UB has to offer, be sure to go back to my previous entries.
12/14/2010
