Hellmuth denied Dnegs another bracelet before suffering a defeat against a weak hand
Phil Hellmuth’s run in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship at the 2025 World Series of Poker came to a dramatic and frustrating end on Day 3, thanks to a series of tough hands and an outburst that had everyone at the table — and watching online — talking.
Hellmuth had been navigating the mixed-game format well, even eliminating defending champion Daniel Negreanu earlier in the day. But things began to unravel during a round of Limit Hold’em when he lost a sizable pot to Justin Liberto.
Hellmuth raised pre-flop with a strong hand, only to face a check-raise and multiple calls from Liberto on a low board. By the river, Liberto revealed two pair with ten-five, prompting Hellmuth to launch into a signature rant filled with expletives and accusations about poor play.
“You win all these weird pots against me,” Hellmuth said after seeing Liberto’s cards. “You’re just going to blow it all so quickly.”
The situation didn’t improve. Shortly after, in a hand of no-limit 2-7 single draw, Hellmuth called a three-bet from Albert Daher with jack-ten. Daher stood pat, while Hellmuth broke his hand and drew one. He bricked and checked behind, then exploded again when Daher tabled a winning hand. “180,000 with jack-ten,” he repeated in disbelief.
Though he briefly recovered and doubled up, Hellmuth eventually busted just ahead of the money. His final hand came during a round of seven-card stud. He got his last chips in with a solid draw but couldn’t improve, losing to Chris Vitch’s ten-eight low.
Despite the heated moments, Hellmuth eventually offered Daher a fist bump, showing signs of reconciliation before quietly exiting the feature table. The tournament progressed with 18 players remaining, and Hellmuth was left with another emotional chapter in his long history at the WSOP.
