I am so tired of Hellmuth's constant whining how some " idiot " beat him in a hand or knocked him out of a tournament. He reminds me of my girlfriend who continually whines or complains about something & I have to TRY to verbally bring her back to Earth by using logic and not emotion as she does.
I admire Hellmuth for his accomplishments in poker, but his internal arrogance makes him reckless at times and makes him lose hands he should have folded.
Of course, seeing him on tv may not give an accurate portrayal of how he actually plays in the real world. I don't think he is the best player in the world on a one to one basis as he only wins at hold em and there are more serious players who would intimidate me without saying a word, like Phil Ivey, the other black player who won a WSOP tourney while having the flu...David...I can't remember his name and Marcel Lusk, as an example.
His public persona as " poker brat " is also his worst enemy. The younger non -pros and internet players now gun for him like gunfighters trying to make a name for himself by trying to take out John Wayne. And even other pros go out of their way to either take him out or get him to lose his temper.
It would be fun to see someone make a satirical video of a typical Hellmuth rant, like if I'd only had more mayonnaise on my chicken sandwich for lunch, I 'd have made the final table, or Phil ordering dinner or getting service at a store and calling everyone idiots, even the chicken.
I've read his books and have his videos but Phil is unique but unique does not always mean good.
Of course, being a relative newbie, I could be wrong. However, I equate the skill portion of poker to what I do when I play a wargame or Civilization. I analyse MY position, see what I can do to take out the enemy player and then move on to destroy that player. Sun Tsu's commentaries could well be used to help one win poker as he sought out weaknesses in his own armies and made them strengths.
Even so, if I ever did face him heads up and beat him, I'd invite him out for dinner or a beer, but he doesn't take defeat well. Unless his whining is some kind of really weird strategy. IF so, it isn't working because it makes him a figure of ridicule.
IMHO
George
