Poker’s credibility on tilt
Phil Hellmuth has become one of the most recognizable poker players in the world as much for his tirades at the card table as for his considerable skill at the game. So there’s no surprise that the self-described “Poker Brat” instigated the most discussed controversy of the recent World Series of Poker main event when, at the end of play Saturday, he called another player an “idiot” - after that player showed a successful bluff - and drew an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty that would have forced him to sit out one round.
At the time, the main event field had been reduced to just 79 players from 6,844 starters, and if enforced, the penalty would have meant Hellmuth would have forfeited about 80,000 chips, or more than 10percent of his stack. After appealing to the WSOP hierarchy, the penalty was reversed and Hellmuth was let off with a stern warning. (He busted out in 45th place Sunday).
Posted in Poker Articles