Phil Hellmuth Already Has Two Final Table Appearances and Three Cashes in 2026

Phil Hellmuth is off to a scorching scorching begin to 2026, and he is doing it within the PokerGO Studio towards high excessive rollers.

The “Poker Brat” continues to show he can grasp with the youthful professionals, because the 61-year-old Poker Corridor of Famer has already racked up two ultimate desk appearances and three cashes this 12 months. And we’re barely every week faraway from 2025, Hellmuth’s worst 12 months of event poker since 2009.

Poker Legend Cruising Early in 2026

Hellmuth, who holds the document with 17 World Sequence of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, solely cashed for $289,960 final 12 months, based on The Hendon Mob database. That included a pedestrian WSOP efficiency with no bracelets and only one ultimate desk look.

The BetRivers On line casino ambassador has already practically matched his 2025 event earnings simply 9 days into 2026. He reached two ultimate tables — ninth place and fourth place — within the PGT Final Likelihood Sequence by the primary three occasions, all $10,100 buy-in no-limit maintain’em tournaments.

In Occasion #5: $10,100 No-Restrict Maintain’em on Friday, he secured his third money, and he can thank Nick Seward for the help. Hellmuth was down to only over eight large blinds on the bubble with 18 gamers remaining. Seward, holding pocket jacks, went all in towards Stephen Tune‘s king-queen, and the pocket pair held up, leaving Tune with only one large blind.

He’d be eradicated moments later, making certain Hellmuth would earn one other money. The poker legend took fourth place for $98,100 in Occasion #1 and fifth place for $70,200 in Occasion #3. A min-cash in Occasion #5 is value $17,550. He would exit in seventeenth place simply after the bubble burst in a three-way pot with 6♠6♥ to Kristen Foxen, who had 7♥7♣. Sergio Aido, holding A♠Q♠, was additionally eradicated within the hand, a Sixteenth-place end for $23,400, because the board ran out J♦J♣2♣3♥8♥.

Landon Tice rapidly adopted to the exits in fifteenth place ($23,400). Connor Rash held the chip lead on the time of publishing with 14 gamers left. The event will play all the way down to a winner on Saturday.

Hellmuth’s son, Phillip Hellmuth III, additionally reached a ultimate desk prior to now week with a tenth place end for $3,600 in a $600 Monster Stack World Sequence of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) occasion at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. The youthful Hellmuth’s father reached a ultimate desk on the identical day, proper throughout the road.

Hellmuth’s early-2026 heater comes only a few weeks after Shaun Deeb predicted the 1989 world champion would by no means once more win one other WSOP bracelet. Three deep runs to begin the 12 months in non-WSOP occasions do not show Deeb incorrect. However they do show the “Poker Brat” is much from washed up.

The PGT Final Likelihood Sequence wraps on Sunday with the ultimate desk of Occasion #6: $10,100 No-Restrict Maintain’em Turbo. The PGT Championship $1 million freeroll kicks off on Monday on the PokerGO Studio.