Am I the next Phil Hellmuth?

[Return2005]

I am serious saying this. All my poker buds say the same thing and anyone who has played against me.

First off let me say i understand Phil 100%. He is competitive and loves the game with an absolute passion. But when you play in a long touranment and play great for hours and all of a sudden some clown does something like make a freakin' call with a K7s facing a raise and a re-raise, or any of these plays and they get lucky, Phil and I would think the same thing. "Unfair justice". Like Phil i will get into saying stuff and I have been told that I can be really bad at times. If you have ever had Return2005 on PS say something to you before, you aren't the only one.

My plan in this industry is to be a proffessional poker player and my ulitmate goal is to either a) Win a major. b) Do extremly well without winning one considering myself a top ranked player in the circuit. I have everything needed to become this top player in my opinion.

However, Phil Hellmuth is like myself or should i say I am like Phil. (him being the innovator). I'm not on the pro curcuit (yet). And i have read intensly about rules and such about sportsmanship. From what i am seeing you can get away with leaving your chair and mumbling to an extent. "You freakin' called with an ace/7 with a raise and re-raise, nice playing {Insert Word}. In Bluff magazine Phil commeted to an opponenent and called him a donkey in WSOP this year in an Omaha tourney on the final two tables. Well i think Phil gets away with a lot more because of who he is and the personality he has.

Could poker use another one in the curcuit??

[adampad]

I also tend to go crazy when I catch a bad beat by some maniac playing garbage. I really need to chill out. I take it way too serious sometimes. Maybe I should do push ups or something when I lose a big hand.

[card4]

Best of luck in your quest to join the professional ranks. I personally don't care for the way Hellmuth handles himself at times but aspiring to have the success that he has had is certainly a worthwhile goal.

I certainly can understand feeling upset after a bad beat. In Hellmuth's case it probably does seem hugely unfair when someone with a lot less skill makes a bad play and gets lucky against him. Hellmuth is one of the best players in the game at reading his opponents. However, I think just because you are one of the best of all time, doesn't mean you have a right to put down other players. In that reguard, Hellmuth is far from being the worst at doing just that. There are many other players who take table talk a lot further and are even more insulting to other players.

I just think when all is said and done that having class at the table is still important.

[ThePokerScout]

Recently Barry Shulman wrote in his blog at cardplayer.com that these sort of players are great for tv, great for poker on tv, and subsequently great for poker. Having people that are so immature at times is part of what makes poker so interesting to watch, in that you have dynamic characters with all their flaws and talents battling it out. Though it is obvious that Phil makes a fool of himself, as many players do, it should be of little concern how a player conducts himself at the table, so long as it doesn't interrupt the flow of the game. Whenever these players do cross that line is when tournament director usually step in, and should continue to step in. Good Luck on becoming the next Phil, but you should maybe consider a moremature idol of sorts, because acting the way Phil does definitely hurts his game, but apparently not his popularity.

[peyton999]

I also tend to go crazy when I catch a bad beat....Having people that are so immature at times is part of what makes poker so interesting to watch.