17-Bracelet Winner Phil Hellmuth Answers ?s in Reddit AMA

“The Poker Brat” Phil Hellmuth is never shy about speaking up and expressing himself. This holds true on the internet as well as live, and so it was with great anticipation that his fans headed to Reddit on Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9 for Phil’s Ask Me Anything (AMA) thread on Reddit. His previous AMA was from September 2015, so there was a lot of new ground to cover.

AMA General Information

The AMA thread was in the /r/poker subreddit where Phil answered questions under the username “Octopi_Poker”: a nod toward his recent signing as an ambassador for poker training site Octopi Poker. Phil’s previous username on Reddit was “PhilHellmuthJr,” but this account seems to have been long abandoned. Curiously, the “Octopi_Poker” handle was previously used on Reddit by Victoria “Trekker” Livschitz and Stephen Chidwick, both co-founders of Octopi Poker. This implies either that Octopi is letting multiple representatives for the company use this same account or that Phil’s fame and popularity have resulted in the account being reassigned to him permanently.

Though the AMA is stated to have ended Saturday, May 9, Phil was unable to answer questions on the dates originally specified. Therefore, the timeframe for the AMA was extended, and Phil began to post his responses on Monday, May 11.

Phil Hellmuth

Funny Incidents

Given Phil’s penchant for larger-than-life theatrics, ill-thought-out outbursts at the tables, and relentless self-promotion, it’s no surprise that Redditors questioned him about some of his more colorful feats.

User “sumbozo1” asked, “What was your coolest/funniest side bet?” Hellmuth answered:

I have had some great side bets!! Huck Seed and I bet on a bunch of random stuff. Like would Bobby Hurley last 3 years in the NBA! He would have, except for a motorcycle accident!

Huck bet me on golf, pool, his weight! The worst is when I bet him $15,000 a month that he would weigh less than 180 pounds! He collected for 3-5 years! I finally bought him out for $70,000. How does a 6’ 6’’ man maintain that weight? Sigh…

Asked about the origin of his “Poker Brat” nickname by commentor “BreakRulesRun,” Phil responded:

I gave it to myself. Andy Glazer, poker author, rest in peace, agreed that it was a great name…

Referring to the outlandish costumes Phil sometimes wears when arriving at major poker tournaments, Redditor “humblearugula8” inquired: “Have you thought about your next entrance costume?” Phil answered:

Superman! July 3rd. Son Nick as BatMan, JungleMan and son Phillip TBD. Chris Washburn as Deadpool

Regarding Hellmuth’s abrasive table persona, “NotYourTypicalMoth” wanted to know: “Are your reactions genuine, played up for the cameras, or are your ‘tantrums’ to get some kind of advantage over opponents? Genuine question, and I’m guessing it’s a bit of all three, but I couldn’t figure out how to word it without sounding vaguely shitty.” Phil replied:

100% genuine. It does, sometimes, give me an edge. But mostly I just look stupid!

Poker Advice

Another large set of questions pertained to poker strategy and advice. As we could have predicted, the 17-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner had a lot to say about this topic. Here are a few of the best interactions:

User “292ll” wanted to know, “With better modeling, resources, analysis in 2026, what are some ‘poker rules’ that you employ now that you would have disagreed with or were not even on your radar in 1989?” Phil explained:

I’m not sure I have any rules! Other than I try not to bluff it all off. Also, if my table is aggro, then I play super tight!

“PiPPol” wanted to know, “Would you recommend a young guy going for the poker pro path now? It’s easier than ever to learn, but the field’s average level is also higher.” Phil responded:

It does seem like players are playing better. But I still see tons of mistakes! If you are great at poker you will find a way to make it

Commentor “Pandamonn” asked for more specific advice regarding, “What is the biggest of poker skill to have, to become a better Poker Player in MTT?” to which Hellmuth answered:

Reading ability and patience! Patience patience patience

Money Matters

Phil Hellmuth has been in the game for about four decades, playing against top-level competitors, with stellar results over most of that time. Therefore, it only makes sense that people on Reddit were curious about the financial side of being such a big poker star.

Redditor “flygoose44” got right to the point, asking, “How much money have you made playing poker this year and how much money have you made playing poker in your lifetime?” Phil stated:

This year, unclear. Maybe $200,000? I did make 150 times that in business this year! $30M, my best year ever!

User “Gangy1” inquired, “Is the loss to Ivey in Chinese still one of the biggest losses?” This is a reference to Hellmuth’s losing $536,000 to Phil Ivey during a heads-up game of Chinese Poker in Monte Carlo. Phil confessed:

It is still my biggest loss in a single day! I just had been paid $5M, and learned a lesson. Digest the money before you play high stakes poker!!”

Regarding a broader take on the tournament poker scene, “Quick_Increase6718” asked, “What would you guess a good pro, say #10-20 on POY leaderboards (Kempe, Elias, Foxen, Peters, etc…) makes in net profit in a year from purely poker tournaments after accounting for selling pieces?” Phil gave the disappointing info:

Much less than you think! They trade pieces w each other, sell pieces to poker players and businessman, and it is expensive to travel the world playing tourneys.”

Octopi Poker Deal

Phil Hellmuth is the latest investor in and ambassador for Octopi Poker as he explained in his post announcing the AMA. However, some participants were puzzled that a player like Phil, who notched his biggest successes before solvers were even a blip on the horizon, would be a good fit for Octopi Poker.

Commentator “BaconStriips” came out firing with, “Have you ever actually used Octopi? Or is this just a brand deal? You don’t seem like the type to be studying solvers.” Phil countered:

I did look at octopi w my sons, and will continue to look at octopi w my sons. Mainly to tell them I if agree w the solver tools. Which I have so far…

User “T1MEHUNT” posted, “since this is posted on behalf of octopi, i asume you have dabelled in some solvers, how has your opinion on them canged in recent years?” Phil’s response:

I feel like octopi solver tools and help almost anyone play poker better. I have my own sons studying them

It looks like Phil is indeed using Octopi Poker’s products. His sons are working with him, and since they’re of a younger generation than their father, they’re probably in a position to walk him through any of the technical aspects that Phil’s not familiar with.

Opponents

Given the amount of complaining and whining Phil has engaged in, much of it broadcast to the world, one might think he has a low opinion of his opponents. However, he had nice things to say about many of the more prominent of his peers. There were exceptions however. Here’s a shortlist of Phil’s comments on his fellow poker pros:

• Chris Moneymaker: “Moneymaker contributed in a huge way to the poker boom. Which lead to me become famous, and eventually wealthy…The poker boom has been very very good to me!”
• Alex Botez: “Botez and I have a great relationship. I called her ‘Chess Girl’ then she called me ‘Poker Boy.’ I treat women at the poker tables the exact same way I treat men. I believe every woman I play w has a lot of love for me”
• Antanas “Tony G” Guoga: “He can be way out of line at the tables. Not sure how he is away from the tables, and cannot comment beyond that”
• Johnny Chan: “I have a great relationship w Johnny Chan. We only talk once a year, but there is a mutual repect…”
• Layne Flack: “Drunk Layne Flack (RIP) was a great one in No Limit Hold’em tourneys!! He has zero fear and great reads: was impossible to bluff!!”
• Doyle Brunson: “He was a special guy. Folks congregated around him!”
• Shaun Deeb: “Shaun will do what Shaun does. Great player. He has great heart as well, underneath that rough and mean exterior!”
• Doug Polk: “I like Doug, I call him ‘Fake News Doug,’ but he knows this and we still like each other. He is great for poker, but could be much bigger if he always told the whole truth. If he did that, everyone would like him!”
• Stu Ungar: “I played w Stu Ungar. He was an unbelievable talent. I found I could hold my own, and win, playing against Stu in no limit Hold’em cash games and tourney’s. He and I both had a knack for NLH…However, Stu was world class at backgammon, the best Gin Player of all-time and world class at NLH. Strong!!”
• Daniel Negreanu: “I love Negreanu!!”

General Life

Of course, Phil isn’t just a poker player but also an investor, father, husband, and man. There were a lot of questions directed to him that weren’t necessarily related to poker.

Keeping his tone lighthearted, “notafanofwasps” inquired, “Favorite thing to eat at the poker table?” Phil responded:

Lately a cheeseburger!

User “elbarbuosa” asked about Phil and matrimony: “Hey Phil, would be interested to hear about the significant ways your wife’s helped improve your mental game + information gathering and live tells (if any!).” Hellmuth confided:

She made me into a better man!! She called me out and demanded that I improved as a person. I put significant time And effort into improving myself through couples therapy

Redditor “JareBear805” took the time to acknowledge some of Phil’s wisdom regarding family life: “Just wanted to say recently saw you in something an and like what you said about picking up your kids from school and how it was the only time they would tell you about their day. It was helpful info. Thanks.” Phil replied:

And very true! Best time to learn what your kids are really doing; pick them up from school w their friend and just listen

Future Plans

As a 61-year-old, Phil probably has lived a lot more already than he will do in the future. Still, he has no intention of leaving us anytime soon and so was not reticent about revealing some of his intentions going forward.

“stoic9999” wished to find out, “In seriousness, would you ever do another book? Read both your poker and non poker ones.” Hellmuth answered:

Yes. One or two more books are coming. Not sure the topics, but something along the lines of ‘How to finish the work everyday’ or ‘How to be a great “Advisor” to a company.’

Look toward the future of poker, “Temporary_Existence” inquired, “Where do you see the game going in 5-10 years? do you think other games will displace nlh?” Phil expounded:

No limit Hold’em will still be king! But, Pot Limit Omaha is catching up. Should be 20,000 players in WSOP Main Event in 10 years…NLH will still be king in tourneys!

On a more personal note, commentor “EquityValues” wanted to know, “When is the retirement? Or are you going to basically pull a Doyle?” Phil stated:”

I’ll never retire!! I live [love] the game too much

Practice Your Game Online

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May 15, 2026 – by Max Golden, Editor-in-Chief