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PTPros React As Hellmuth Decides To Skip 2025 WSOP ME
Summary:
- Citing the WSOP Main Event’s grueling format, Phil Hellmuth announced he won’t compete in 2025.
- While some pros agree with him, others, like Daniel Negreanu and Scott Seiver, argued endurance was part of the game.
- Fans speculate Hellmuth may change his mind, but his agent insists he is serious about skipping the event.
Phil Hellmuth, the all-time leader in WSOP bracelets, sent shockwaves through the poker community on Tuesday when he revealed he will be skipping the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.
Fellow poker pros have voiced out their own take on Hellmuth’s opinions.
“It’s Turned Into an Endurance Test”
The 60-year-old poker icon referred to the tournament’s exhausting current format as the reason for his decision.
“It’s turned into an endurance test” Hellmuth said in a video posted on X, expressing his frustration with the event’s demanding schedule.
I don’t think the WSOP Main Event is measuring skill. If you go out there and poll the players on whether or not they should have days off in the Main Event, 80% are going to say yes.
Having competed in every Main Event since 1988, the 1989 world champion has built a legendary poker career, but he acknowledges the physical toll of playing deep into the tournament.
By the time the 2025 event reaches its conclusion, Hellmuth will have turned 61, making the 10-day marathon, with just a single day off after Day 2, an increasingly daunting challenge.
Endurance is a key factor in the Main Event, and Hellmuth believes the structure disproportionately favors younger players.
He is not the only one who feels this way, though opinions on the topic vary among the game’s elite.
Mixed Reactions from Poker Pros
Scott Seiver, 39, didn’t dispute Hellmuth’s point about age playing a role but argued that it’s a natural part of any competitive endeavor.
Obviously the event supposedly showing the best should have an advantage for younger people. We get older we get worse, that’s life we all have to accept that.
Daniel Negreanu, who finally ended an 11-year bracelet drought last summer, echoed Seiver’s perspective, disagreeing with Hellmuth’s assessment.
However, not all pros shared that sentiment. Nadya Magnus voiced her support for Hellmuth’s concerns and suggested that WSOP should take a closer look at the impact of long playing hours on various demographics.
Hellmuth’s Agent Brian Balsbaugh: “He’s Not Bluffing.”
With Hellmuth’s history of dramatic statements, some skeptics suspect he might change his mind as the tournament approaches. Many fans believe the BetRivers Casino ambassador won’t be able to resist the allure of the Main Event.
However, Hellmuth’s longtime agent, Brian Balsbaugh, insists this is no publicity stunt.
He’s not bluffing. He’s not grandstanding. He’s sad about it. It’s authentic. Nobody loves it more. The man has dedicated his life to the pursuit of gold bracelets
Balsbaugh, who also represented the late Doyle Brunson, pointed out that even the legendary “Texas Dolly” struggled with the Main Event’s grueling format in his later years.
Brunson, a two-time world champion, largely avoided the tournament in his late 70s and early 80s eventually deciding to retire after the WSOP 2018 but then made a brief return in 2021, proving he could still compete before bowing out on Day 3.
Should Hellmuth stand firm on his position, the 2025 Main Event will certainly miss one of its most iconic figures.
With the poker software available today it would be simple for the players to play from their rooms if they do not desire to (or can not) play in person at the table. In the marathon tournaments all players would be required to play at the tables on day 1 and at the final table. All other days the players would be required to play at the tables for a minimum of 2 (2 hour) sessions each day (players choice of when each day). When poker was online in the USA, I was happier playing at home and not at the casinos with the rude, unwashed, confrontational masses.