Entering into the skilled card-playing area is already a large gamble. Doing it with a final identify that carries a file 17
World Collection of Poker (WSOP)
gold bracelets is a wholly completely different degree of stress.
Nicholas Hellmuth is at present discovering out what it takes to outlive that surroundings. The 23-year-old son of poker legend
Phil Hellmuth
is testing his abilities on the
2026 WSOP
. He lately purchased into the huge subject of Occasion #34: $500 COLOSSUS, formally launching his personal journey beneath the most important shadow within the recreation.
Stepping Away From Stanford and Banking
A profession on the felt was by no means the unique plan. Nicholas’s mom, a outstanding Stanford psychiatrist, actively tried to steer her youngsters away from the high-variance way of life of playing as they grew up.
My mother made a really aware effort to push us away from poker, particularly as we turned sufficiently old to start out playing.
Nicholas listened, finally touchdown a conventional company job. Nevertheless, the company world couldn’t maintain him perpetually.
Final 12 months, he left his common employment to see if he might discover success within the recreation. It grew to become a real household affair as soon as his older brother, Phillip III, additionally left a banking profession to play full-time. Whereas their mom was extremely skeptical at first, each mother and father have utterly reversed their stance.
The legendary “Poker Brat” patriarch is extremely thrilled, ceaselessly sharing proud household updates on his social media accounts earlier than main tournaments.
Girls and gentleman; Nick Hellmuth!!
My youngest son Nick has determined to develop into knowledgeable poker participant. He loves the sport, he loves studying the sport, and he loves connecting w his older trouble Phillip round recreation methods. He’s bettering quickly!
Nick is in Reno w me… pic.twitter.com/Ta6ziavkEf
– phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) September 15, 2025
Chilly Logic Beats the Warmth
Whereas Nicholas shares his dad’s strict desire for tournaments over money video games, their habits on the desk couldn’t be extra polarized. Phil Hellmuth is universally well-known for his explosive, curse-filled rants every time a hand goes mistaken.
I’m fairly completely different from him. Folks say that I take after my mother. Even when they don’t know who she is or her temperament, they are saying I have to take after her.
Nicholas utterly missed out on these explosive genes. Opponents and followers word that he carries a remarkably calm, level-headed demeanor that intently mirrors his mom’s psychological background.
Reasonably than feeling secondary embarrassment over his father’s televised mood tantrums, Nicholas has realized to chortle on the theatrical nature of the outbursts, sustaining a totally separate identification on the felt.
Chasing Sensible Milestones
Nicholas is wise sufficient to not measure his early success towards a $31 million mountain of profession earnings. As a substitute, his present method is extremely sensible and centered on small victories.
Proper now, I’m simply making an attempt to succeed in milestones. I solely began within the fall, so each time I money is a celebration for me. My milestone can be to outright win a event.
He secured his first official event money earlier this 12 months on the
Venetian
in
Las Vegas
, taking residence a modest $3,533. After a number of shut calls and runner-up finishes in smaller occasions, his major goal proper now could be to safe an outright win.
Though his first bullet within the COLOSSUS missed the cash on Day 2a, he instantly jumped proper again into the motion on Day 1c. It took his well-known father a long time to construct his huge legacy, however Nicholas is completely content material taking it one step at a time.
All quotes and photographs courtesy of PokerNews.
