Last spring, Phil Hellmuth declared that he would not be participating in the 2025 WSOP Main Event because it had turned into an endurance test.
He left it until the end of May to row back on this and confirm he would actually play it. This year, he's not leaving us in suspense.
“Yes, I’m going to play the WSOP Main Event this year,” he tells us in an exclusive interview, in which he revealed some other big news – about the WSOPE.
Hellmuth eyes WSOPE as series shifts to Prague
“I love what they've done with the WSOP Europe," he adds, "and I'm in negotiations to play that. I think it's a really nice schedule."
That’s big news for the WSOP, which has moved the WSOPE from Rozvadov to Prague, launched the Player of the Year race there, and is repositioning it as the first in a trilogy of flagship festivals, with WSOP Paradise closing out the year.
Having major stars such as Hellmuth in Prague will only help this.
“You know, the World Series has been very good to me," he says. "They want me at these events, so they'll cover a few things for me that they won't for the other guys.
“They know it's a little bit harder for me to go over there. And a first-class flight is nice because you can actually sleep in a bed. I need the rest.”
Hellmuth reacts to 2026 WSOP schedule
Hellmuth has also seen the 2026 WSOP schedule – something the rest of the poker world is waiting for with bated breath.
The good news?
"I think they've done a great job with the WSOP schedule as well," Hellmuth reveals.
He's still pushing for a change to the Main Event structure, but it seems he's willing to try and effect this from the inside, after last year's threatened boycott didn't deliver.
“Give us an extra day off,” says Hellmuth. “You can play a Day One and take a couple of days off. You can play a Day 2 and take a day off.
“How about giving us Day 6 off? There are about 200 players left at that point. It's not going to cost them much to do that and it's better for the skill of the game. Last year, we saw some of the greatest players in the world get tired.”
Is the next poker boom upon us?
Behind the scenes, there are rumors of a new WSOP broadcast deal for this year’s Main Event and the series. Hellmuth would neither confirm nor deny, offering only, “We'll see what's going to happen.”
What he is clear about is the game’s current momentum. Hellmuth believes poker is entering another massive growth spurt, one that feels familiar to the early 2000s.
“The exciting thing is that poker just continues to grow," he says. "Some people say the game's popularity went down a bit, and then the pandemic hit. And boom, everybody is stuck at home.
“All of these players who had played for many years and quit poker came back during the pandemic. Guess what? They were better now. They were more mature. They understood how to manage money better.”
Hellmuth also believes the idle youth, now with a plethora of time on their hands, fell in love with the game during a shutdown of classes and sports activities during the pandemic.
“The youth started playing poker during that time," he says. "I can tell because I have been getting stopped in the airport over the last five years, and people are screaming, ‘Phil, Phil, Phil, we're huge fans!’ They tell me they’re 19 and 20.
“Once again, the youth have infiltrated poker. And it’s very hot for the youth to be a little degenerate, in the best possible way. They love the beauty of the game. If you're going to degen, the best way to degen is in a game of skill – poker.”
