Is Phil Hellmuth Still the World’s Best Poker Player?

Phil Hellmuth, one of the most famous poker players in the world, hasn’t been able to win any live tournament since 2007, which is a rather uncomfortable experience for someone who already owns 11 WSOP bracelets. Phil’s self-esteem is still in the skies, though, as a recent interview proves this. Michael Kaplan visited Phil Hellmuth in his Palo Alto home, and this is where the poker pro paraphrased his rather self-conscious statement. He said he is still the best Hold'em player in the world, and, despite his series of failures, he is catching up with the ever-improving modern poker. (Experts say that the reason for Phil's lack of success might be that he cannot keep pace with the 'new generation' of hyperaggressive players that are willing to take all the risks needed to win.)

Kaplan couldn't resist asking Phil Hellmuth the question that is probably on everyone's mind when hearing these bigheaded statements: If he is really so good, why doesn't he ever play online, up against people like Antonius and durrrr?

The answer that the poker legend gave was rather surprising: "Why should I? What do I have to gain? I’ll have nothing to gain but money. Being the greatest Hold’em player is winning 11 WSOP bracelets. Besides, I beat all of the greatest players in the 1990s, every single one. I played tons of poker back then. I put in 50, 60, 70, 80 hours a week. So now I don’t have a desire to play in high stakes side games."

Well, I think everyone would still be quite excited to see how he performs against the most hardcore players of our time. If he really played durrrr, Antonius or Ziigmund, I don't think the odds would be in his favor in the betting offices.

Let's not forget, of course, that this guy is not fully unauthorized to be bigheaded, as it is a fact that nobody had won more than 11 WSOP bracelets in poker history.