15 Sep 2025 17-time WSOP bracelet winner Phill Helmuth, also known as the "Poker Brat," has challenged anyone criticizing his cash games record. Hellmuth took to social media in a daring post and challenged anyone who doubts his cash game skill to challenge him head-on. There will be a $1 million pot, and the winner will get all of it. Phil Hellmuth is popular for his outbursts, but he is undoubtedly one of the greatest poker players of all time. He has won over $30 million in live tournaments and a record-setting 17 World Series of Poker titles. Still, many younger players say that his style, which they call "White Magic," cannot be successful in current high-stakes cash games, where Game Theory Optimal (GTO) techniques are more common. Hellmuth, on the other hand, says his strategy is still effective. With tax records to back him up, he even says he's made $3 million in cash games since 2014. Talk is cheap If someone actually believes that I am a losing player in cash games (I have won over $3M since 2014 in cash games and have tax records to prove it), then will they put their money where their mouth is? My critic and I will post $500,000 each, and that critic can… — phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) September 13, 2025 The Challenge: $500K on the Line Marc Goone, a poker pundit, recently said that the Hall of Famer plays "scared" in cash games, which led to Hellmuth's public challenge. Instead of ignoring it, Hellmuth went even further with proof. He claims that from 2013 to 2019, he had a 23-1 record in live televised cash games. He said his new YouTube/CBS Sports series, Hellmuth's Home Game, has made him $110,000 in just six sessions. It is worth noting that offers have already come in. Ossi "Monarch" Ketola: yapyapyap hu4rollz — Monarch (@Monarch) September 13, 2025 Monarch just lost $15 million to Dan "Jungleman" Cates, also put his name in the hat. Brian Okin, host of Venetian Poker Live, said he was also interested. Hey Phil — I don’t allow many pros into my games, I try to keep it mostly business people and non pros. However, I’d love to have you in https://t.co/PnYVusjsvd sometime. I run it multiple times per week including the once per week Venetian Poker LIVE stream game. Hit me up, and… — Brian Okin (@BrianOkin) September 13, 2025 He’s open to letting any critic challenge him in the games they say he has difficulty with. Can Hellmuth Silence the GTO Generation? The big question is whether Hellmuth's old-school strategies will work against today's players, who are very good at math. There's no doubt about his tournament success, but cash games are another animal. The elite generation of GTO-driven pros may find his leaks and stop him from exploiting weaker opponents. Hellmuth clearly disagrees. Even though he is 61 years old, he is still confident and sees himself as a winner from the past and a competitor in the present. Poker Community Reaction The poker world had a lot to say about Hellmuth as usual: Repost King: Then play @Monarch or @junglemandan — Repost King (@callmebendover1) September 14, 2025 cript0caballero: So impressive to win a few million off billionaires in private cash games. — cript0caballero (@Cript0Caballero) September 13, 2025 Jason: So you are sitting down with players like Ivey, Koon, etc? Or are we playing people off the street? — Jason (@jrain401) September 13, 2025 Vintendo: Any decent Pro knows your not that good at poker Phil in this day in age. Maybe in 90s and early 2000s you were the best but these days your middle of the road at best. You couldnt beat the players in my local casino if I hand picked the regs 0 chance — Vintendo🍳 (@WonkyVin) September 13, 2025 Of course, not everyone was negative. Supporters praised the Poker Brat for backing up his words with real stakes. Joe Mauro: Your true fans NEVER doubted you. — Joe Mauro (@mauro4902) September 13, 2025 What’s Next for the Poker Brat? He's never been afraid of being in the spotlight, and this new task will keep him at the center of poker discussions. If a high-profile critic takes him up on the $500k prop bet, that will be intriguing to see. One thing is for sure, though: the debate about his place in the cash game hierarchy is far from over.
