‘Doubters’ Aren’t Deterring Phil Hellmuth From His Lofty Bracelet Goal

Ever since winning three bracelets at the 1993 World Series of Poker, Phil Hellmuth has firmly believed that he will win 24 bracelets in his lifetime.

Three decades and a dozen bracelets later, and in the face of some “doubters,” the all-time bracelet leader still holds that unwavering belief.

“I’ve always said that I’m going to have 24 bracelets,” Hellmuth said. “I’ve believed that since 1993.”

The goal weighed heavily on Hellmuth on the final day of the 2026 WSOP as he finished second in Event #99: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em to be denied his 18th bracelet. The $464,286 payout was no consolation for Hellmuth, who reflected on his bracelet ambitions in an emotional interview with PokerNews shortly after his runner-up finish on July 15.

“It really does hurt. You can see the pain on my face,” he said. “There’s such a difference between a first and a second. Now I have to think about this for months.”

“I Just Keep Getting There”

“There’s something about no-limit Hold’em that makes sense to me that doesn’t make sense to everybody else. Even to this day. I just keep getting there.”

Though he’s the most decorated player in WSOP history, Hellmuth isn’t without his critics. Some have questioned whether the player who won the 1989 Main Event at age 24 can compete at the highest levels of no-limit Hold’em in an era defined by solvers and theoretically optimal play.

Infamously, nine-time bracelet winner and WSOP Player of the Year frontrunner Shaun Deeb said at last year’s WSOP Paradise he doesn’t think Hellmuth will win another bracelet.

Hellmuth isn’t sure Deeb was serious in his remarks — “I think Shaun was basically kidding when he said that” — but, regardless, he believes he proved Deeb wrong with his deep run in the penultimate event of the series.

“I had 34 million to 10 million (in chips during heads-up play) playing no-limit Hold’em, so I feel like I’m going to win that a lot of the time,” Hellmuth said. “There’s something about no-limit Hold’em that makes sense to me that doesn’t make sense to everybody else. Even to this day. I just keep getting there.”

Hellmuth had his critics in the back of his mind after the runner-up finish to American pro Darren Rabinowitz.

“You feel an extra level (of frustration) when there are people that are doubters, whether they’re f***ing around (or not), whether they know I’m going to win more bracelets or they don’t. And then you see everybody talking about how everyone’s going to catch Phil (in bracelets).”

Having His Sons There

The heads-up match between Hellmuth and Rabinowitz took place in a nearly empty Horseshoe ballroom, save for a crowded rail of poker fans — headlined by Martin Kabrhel and PokerNews Podcast co-host Mike Holtz — huddled around the table.

Also present were Hellmuth’s sons Phillip III and Nick, the latter of whom cashed in the $1,000 Super Turbo across the room at the same time his dad was running deep (Nick also cashed in the $10,000 Main Event).

“You’re going to need a new hat!” Kabrhel told Hellmuth, who was wearing his trademark BetRivers cap with “17” embroidered on it.

But Nick was one step ahead, proudly sporting a ready-to-go replacement cap with the number 18 stitched on its side.

“Having my sons here means the world to me,” Hellmuth said. “My wife and my sons are here … just having them here is wonderful for me. My parents were here for probably 11 of my 17 bracelets; now my sons were here for me. And so it’s so wonderful.”

Hellmuth is determined to win 24 bracelets, but the family tally could be even higher if his sons follow in his footsteps.

Connor Richards is a Senior Editor U.S. for PokerNews and host of the Life Outside Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for three Global Poker Awards for his writing.