Phil Hellmuth has a new gaming sponsor. The 17-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and well-known 'Poker Brat' joins BetRivers as their newest brand ambassador. Hellmuth will take on an expanded role in the BetRivers Network which also includes an uptick in appearances on Poker Night in America. He will also be pitching their new online poker platform, which is currently live in Pennsylvania, and has plans to expand to other states. Hellmuth will attend Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans as one of his first major public appearances for BetRivers.
BetRivers and Phil Hellmuth joined forces. Rush Street Interactive is the parent company of BetRivers and they wanted a high-profile name to be the one behind their brand just in time to promote their new online poker platform. Love him or hate him, but Hellmuth has plenty of visibility. He's one of the tallest players in the poker room and he's easily among the loudest when an "idiot" issues a bad beat on him. In an era where many of the top pros seem like emotionless robots and others lack gravitas, Hellmuth has a larger-than-life personality and never has any qualms about basking under the warm glow of a televised table.
BetRivers operates online casinos and sportsbooks in multiple US states. They recently launched their first online poker platform in Pennsylvania on Halloween 2024. They have intentions of expanding to other states like New Jersey, Michigan, and Nevada.
"Phil Hellmuth is a living legend whose influence extends far beyond the poker table to all gamblers," said Richard Schwartz, the CEO of Rush Street Interactive. "We are excited to welcome him to the BetRivers family. Phil's unmatched passion, dynamic personality, and flair for entertainment make him the perfect ambassador as we continue to expand our offerings and elevate player experiences across our platforms."
"Partnering with Rush Street Interactive and BetRivers is an exciting new chapter for me," said Hellmuth. “Ever since meeting the Rush Street Interactive executive team in 2012, I have been a fan. I have been impressed with RSI's moxie, will, and determination to build a beautiful product, and an online gaming experience that people love to use and play on."
"Phil's expanded role in the BetRivers Network, including increased appearances on Poker Night in America, and his contributions to promoting our new online poker platform, will bring unparalleled excitement to our players," added Schwartz. "Additionally, his involvement with our best-in-class mobile casino and sportsbook promotional games will create unforgettable moments for players and fans alike."
"I'm proud to announce that we will elevate our collaboration to share my experience and love of poker, gambling, and entertainment with BetRivers players and fans, both online and in person," added Hellmuth. "First up, I will attend the Super Bowl in New Orleans with BetRivers VIP players!"
Get ready to see the Poker Brat in the Big Easy in a couple of weeks. Wonder if he'll be slinging promos for same-game parlays on the Big Game?
Hellmuth turned 60 last summer and it's crazy to think that the brash and self-absorbed Poker Brat has been turning heads since he shipped the 1989 WSOP Main Event. He was only 24 years old when he won the Main Event in downtown Las Vegas at Binion's during a bygone era when the poker world was dominated by a much older and more reserved crowd. During the 1990s, Hellmuth established himself as an integral member of the next wave of Gen X poker pros when he snagged five bracelets in a five-year span.
Hellmuth won his second bracelet in 1992 to prove he wasn't a fluke. He established himself as a bona fide pro with three more bracelet wins in 1993. He added #6 in 1997 which put him in special group of elite pros. With online poker's popularity rising at the turn of the century, Hellmuth added three more bracelets between 2001 and 2003 during the beginning of the glorious online poker boom. He had become a fixture on televised poker programs, especially the WSOP coverage on ESPN, where he was exposed to a much wider audience. He was an instant villain and leaned into his role as the Poker Brat. He added a tenth bracelet in 2006 to tie the record and secured sole possession of the record with victory #11 in 2007.
During the height of the online poker boom, Hellmuth was a true outcast. The older generation of pros loathed his outlandish antics and incessant whining at the tables. The neo-generation on online whiz kids thought he was a joke (ho hum "jopke"). The late 2000s were an inflection point when many old-school pros and his peers from Generation X were getting left behind the new-school approach of global pros from Gen Y who crushed both live and online tables. Yet, Hellmuth avoided getting lapped by the pack and hustled hard to keep up with the millennials who cut their teeth grinding online. He added two more bracelets in 2012 including the WSOP Europe Main Event in France. By the time he turned 50, Hellmuth won 13 bracelets and many of his peers were stuck or had not won a bracelet in several years.
Even though Hellmuth played a heavy det of bracelet events in Vegas and overseas, he could only scratch the bracelet itch every three years over the next decade. He waited three years to win a $10K Razz bracelet in 2015. Another three years passed before he shipped a $5K NL bracelet, before he finally won #16 with a Deuce to Seven Lowball victory in 2021.
Hellmuth only waited two years before adding #17 to his collection as the last player standing in the 2023 $10K Super Turbo Bounty NLH. He was about to turn 59, and it was over 34 years since he won the 1989 Main Event. At that pace, he was winning one bracelet every two years.
Hellmuth won $30.4 million in tournament earnings according to Hendon Mob. He's #27 on the all-time money list, ranked #16 among Americans, and the Big Cheese as the #1 player from his home state of Wisconsin. Hellmuth won millions more playing cash games, mostly private, in an around Silicon Valley and in Hollywood.
Hellmuth continues his mission to pad his bracelet lead especially with Phil Ivey (second with #11) playing more tournaments and Erik Seidel finally off the schneid after winning #10. He also has a couple of his peers making strides like Johnny World, Daniel Negreanu, and Josh Arieh. Then there's the handful of much younger players closing the gap including Scott Seiver who binked three events last summer and is now tied with Billy Baxter, Negreanu, and Johnny World with seven each. Other players like Arieh, Shaun Deeb, Jeremy Ausmus, Nick Schulman, Brian Hastings, and Brian Rast are in the six-timers club.
If Hellmuth wins WSOP bracelet #18 any time soon, expect to see him with a patch or hat featuring a BetRivers logo.
