Phil Hellmuth has reached a final table at WSOP Paradise as the all-time bracelet leader looks to extend his lead with an 18th bracelet.
Hellmuth is one of nine players remaining in Event #12: $10,000 GGMillion$ NLH Championship, an event being live reported by PokerNews.
Hellmuth is seated in the one-seat and toward the bottom of the counts, but he was front and center in the final table photo alongside the likes of Johannes Straver, Rui Neves and Arthur Conan. There are a total of 17 bracelets between the table, and they all belong to the Poker Brat.
Hellmuth ended up finishing seventh for $130,830. Here's the bustout hand as captured by PokerNewslive reporter David Salituro:
Fabian Niederreiter raised to 400,000 in the hijack and was called by Jon Vallinas in the cutoff. Phil Hellmuth also came along from the big blind and checked in the dark heading to the 9♥8♥2♠flop.
Niederreiter and Vallinas also checked and the 9♣fell on the turn. Hellmuth then led out for 800,000 and only Vallinas called.
The river was the A♥and Hellmuth moved all in for 2,500,000, sending Vallinas deep into the tank.
"I'll take this one, you take the next one," Hellmuth told him as Vallinas ripped off his sunglasses to study the board.
"Tens? Sevens? Eight? Ace on the river? I'll take this one, you take the next one. It's that simple," Hellmuth repeated as Vallinas continued to tank.
Vallinas eventually called to put Hellmuth at risk. "Good call," Hellmuth said, showing J♦10♦for a missed straight draw. Vallinas turned over A♦J♣for two pair.
"Wow, called 800 with ace-high. Played really well. What the f**k just happened?" Hellmuth lamented as his quest for bracelet No. 18 came to an end.
The final table appearance came at the tail-end of a WSOP Paradise stop that has been far from kind to Hellmuth. He busted the $50 million guaranteed Super Main Event after calling off a 25-plus big blind stack with queen-deuce offsuit and later stone bubbled the same event.
But Mr. Positivity isn't one to give up. While many top pros have already left the island, Hellmuth stuck around to the end and now finds himself eyeing an 18th bracelet. He also finished 14th in the $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship for $107,130.
Hellmuth earned his most recent bracelet at the 2023 WSOP with a victory in $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty for $803,818. Two years earlier, took down a $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw event for $84,851 and a 16th bracelet.
