Doh, I gave away the secret in the title!
It seems that all one needs to do is be Phil Hellmuth, and no penalty will be given to you during a World Series of Poker tournament. And if the staff mistakenly decides to hold you to the same rules as they do every other player on the planet, if you argue that you are Phil Hellmuth, they will rescind it.
It seems that the WSOP and Harrah\’s staff has learned that lesson. At the summer WSOP in Las Vegas, they attempted to give Hellmuth a penalty for berating a player, but when play resumed the next day, they took it back. It was noted that penalties are intended to correct inappropriate behavior, and WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack said at the time, “Phil has now been warned and put on notice in a way that he never has been.â€
Oh, really? Following the coverage of the second day of the WSOPE HORSE event in London tonight, it seems that a certain organization has forgotten about said notice. According to official reports, Hellmuth continuously berated opponents and the dealer (making one of them cry), and threw his cards at the dealer. Reports described him as “furious†and “livid,†even going so far as to get a warning from the tournament director. *Oooooh*
Since rules don’t apply to Hellmuth, it seems that karma does. He was eliminated in 12th place.
Click below to see the live reports chronicling the final two hours of Hellmuth tirades.
From WSOP.com:
Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:15:57
Hellmuth Loses Pot, Loses His RagSherkhan Farnood has set Phill Hellmuth a-ranting. He won a monster stud pot from him, resulting in Farnood now shifting up to the heady heights of 120,000, while Hellmuth is down to around 70,000. \”Split sevens against my rolled up eights?\” cries Hellmuth. \”You\’re the worst player I\’ve ever seen. It doesn\’t matter though, I\’m going to get all those chips back off you.\” Said a very jovial Farnood, \”I would be glad to give these chips back to you.\”
Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:58:05
Hellmuth AgainOmaha 8: I catch the very end of the hand, as a very pleased-looking Sherkhan Farnood is raking in the chips while simultaneously enjoying a massage, his hand face up in front of him reading and the board reading . Phil Hellmuth is once again declaring him, \”The worst player in the history of the world,\” and reluctantly throws his cards down; they are . Now thoroughly furious, Hellmuth is demanding that TD Steve Frezer order the dealers to be more thorough with shuffling the cards. \”It\’s just that he was dealing me some weird cards. I just want procedure to be followed.\”
Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:20:59
…And Again For GregorichRazz: The very next hand, Hellmuth doubled up Gregorich again, putting him up to around 50,000. Hellmuth to the TD: \”Can you make the dealer release the deck every hand?\”
Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:37:54
The Mouth On HellmuthStud: Showing up, Hellmuth bet out. Mark Gregorich, showing , raised. Hellmuth, clearly furious, ripped out his iPod headphones and cursed most offensively and personally in a manner not reportable on Pokernews. \”I might have to take you out for this,\” he warned, and threw his cards back to the dealer. Gregorich couldn\’t quite hide a little smirk as he raked the chips in.
Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:55:45
Correct ProcedureAfter a series of disastrous hands, during which he has become increasingly worked up, Phil Hellmuth is down to 50,000 and it looks as though it might be approaching his bedtime. He has once again demanded that Steve Frezer instruct the dealers in how to do their job according to, \”Correct procedure,\” and has now wandered across to the other table to share his woe with Howard Lederer. \”Might not make it 19 minutes, bud,\” he laments.
Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:11:00
Hellmuth Threatened With PenaltyContinuing the late-night disastrous run, Phil Hellmuth is down to just 25,000 and has made the dealer cry. The TD has come over and attempted to smooth things over, explaining that the dealer has been working for 14 hours and that it isn\’t her fault, but the dealer is quite upset and Hellmuth is being threatened with a penalty for attacking the dealer if he doesn\’t cool off soon. The dealer is now receiving a soothing massage from the TD, and with just three minutes left on the clock, it looks like things are going to be ok.
Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:18:54
Phil Helllmuth Eliminated In 12th Place (£6,188)Hold\’em: With 30 seconds left on the clock, Sherkhan Farnood raised, and a now thoroughly angry Hellmuth, forgetting that they were playing limit, announced that he was all in and threw all his chips in the middle. Farnood agreed to raise to cover Hellmuth, and it was a coinflip. Farnood: Hellmuth: Board: Thus our day three will most likely be quieter than it might otherwise have been, as a livid Hellmuth leaves the table to complain about Farnood and the dealer to a gentleman holding a video camera.
