Hellmuth-Watch WSOP Paradise edition is underway, with an early trip to the payout window, but no epic Day 2 spin-up to bracelet #18 for the Poker Brat.
Phil Hellmuth arrived on Paradise Island yesterday afternoon and immediately late-regged the $10,000 Super PLOssus event. A lover of short-stack play, Hellmuth hopped in with just 16 big blinds but managed to turn them into the latest WSOP cash in his legendary career.
Along the way, Hellmuth filled his social media feeds with plenty of content, including photos with friends on the felt, like eight-time bracelet winner Shaun Deeb.
Deeb later stirred the pot with his thoughts on Hellmuth and his quest for 24 bracelets. Deeb doesn't think he'll get there. In fact, he doesn't think Hellmuth will win another one, claiming, "The game has passed him by." He also said that he had a 60% shot at overtaking Hellmuth on the all-time bracelet list within the next 12 years.
Hellmuth would give himself a chance at bracelet number 18 in this tournament, bagging among the final 23 players to return on Tuesday for a final race to the title.
A steep climb for bracelet #18
Unfortunately for Hellmuth, coming into Day 2 with under ten big blinds and the second-shortest stack of the returnees meant that more short-stack wizardry with a side of #POSITIVITY would be needed if he was to extend his bracelet lead over Deeb.
While he waited patiently for a hand to go with, and despite his stack dwindling, the Hall of Famer engaged fans who were sweating his action, stepping away from the table to take pictures. He also found some WSOP dignitaries to share a photo with.
Hellmuth gets it in
The Day 2 field thinned to its final two tables, with Hellmuth making a pay jump to $26,000 when, on the first hand of the final 16, he got his chips into the middle from the cutoff.
Facing Tom-Aksel Bedell in the big blind, it was the Norwegian who had Hellmuth pipped all-in.
- Hellmuth:
- Bedell:
Already holding kings versus Hellmuth's queens, Bedell improved to a pair of aces on the 
flop, leaving Hellmuth needing a queen for trips, a ten for Broadway, or running spades to survive.
The 
turn brought no help, nor did the 
river. Hellmuth stood up, wished his now former tablemates well, and quietly left the arena.
In our time watching him, there were no signs of the 'Poker Brat’ – just one of the most well-known players in the world enjoying his first tournament of the series, taking time with fans, and chatting with friends and colleagues on the felt.
We guess it’s ‘Island Time Hellmuth' here in The Bahamas, as he continues the quest to add to his legacy.
Viktor Blom misses out on first bracelet
Post-Hellmuth, the event still had plenty of star power. Top billing went to Viktor Blom, who was on his own bracelet quest – for his first.
Coming into this event, Blom had four fifth-place finishes, two fourths, two thirds, and a second.
He had to settle for another runner-up finish in the PLOssus, after Tom Vogelsang pipped him to the gold and $609,800 first prize.
Blom flopped a set of aces but was behind Vogelsang, who'd flopped the wheel – and he stayed behind through the turn and river. It was Vogelsang's first WSOP bracelet win.
$10K WSOP Super PLOssus results
| Place | Player | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Vogelsang | $609,800 |
| 2 | Viktor Blom | $406,000 |
| 3 | Thomas Eychenne | $281,000 |
| 4 | Xixiang Luo | $199,000 |
| 5 | Yuri Dzivielevski | $143,000 |
| 6 | Sean Rafael | $105,000 |
| 7 | Andreas Torbergsen | $79,000 |
| 8 | Tom-Aksel Bedell | $61,000 |
| 9 | Dongwuk Moon | $48,000 |
