It’s been over a month since the curtain fell on the 2026 WSOP, yet Phil Hellmuth is still haunted by the bracelet he believes got away.
The 17-time bracelet winner had a chance to make it 18 late in the series, when he found himself heads-up against Darren Rabinowitz in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em (Event #99). He lost, but believes he should have won it. In fact, he says he knows he should have won it.
“Every single sleep I've had, whether it's a nap or going to bed at night, I think about July 15th,” says Hellmuth. “I was heads-up for a bracelet.”
On that night, a crowd gathered around the table, with his sons Phillip III and Nicholas cheering their father on, even as the rest of the WSOP was being packed away around them.
“All the cameras had left; it’s after midnight. They had just torn down all the rooms, and everything is gone. There we were. These massive, massive rooms with 500 to 800 tables, all consolidated to one room.”
The final three events of the summer were playing down to champions: the $25K High Roller H.O.R.S.E., the one-day $1K Super Turbo, and Hellmuth’s table – the $5,000 NLH Eight-Handed event.
Bracelet #18 within touching distance
At four-handed play, just three opponents stood between Hellmuth and bracelet #18.
“We were down to four, three, then two; now we are heads-up against Darren Rabinowitz. And for a moment, I finally catch my break; I make a straight with 
. The board came 
. We get it all in. He had 
for two pair.”
By this time, the crowd had swelled with Martin Kabrhel on the raucous rail cheering the Poker Brat on. The hand gave Hellmuth a commanding 33,000,000-to-10,000,000 chip lead over Rabinowitz.
'I had a dead read on him'
“I'm supposed to win. I am supposed to win there now. Darren played great. It's not about him. I had a dead read on him. I knew when he was weak; I knew when he was strong. I didn't use that information enough. I didn't get aggressive enough.”
With the bracelet within reach, Hellmuth fell back on a trapping style that had served him well in past heads-up matches.
“I recalled the heads-up matches where I played Daniel (Negreanu) and Antonio (Esfandiari). I beat them both, three times each. I went back to that style of trapping in this match, and Darren played well against that style.”
But Hellmuth had also been burned by that same approach before.
“I did the same thing the last heads-up match that I didn't win in 2022 versus David Jackson in the $3K Freezeout. I didn't take advantage of all of the moves that I have.”
Then the hand was dealt that Hellmuth can’t stop replaying.
“There was a hand that I probably should have won that haunts me. It came 
. I had 
. He had 
. And if I had just moved in as everybody else would there, I would have won the tournament. But I didn’t."
Hellmuth had check-called a bet of 1,000,000 on the flop from Rabinowitz. The 
on the turn changed everything. But Hellmuth checked.
“The flop was K-J-6 with two hearts. And when the fell on the turn, he checked behind me for safety. It was a great check on Darren’s part.”
And that trapping style was still dictating Hellmuth's decisions.
“I should have just bet the turn, and he has to move in. Then the river came another heart, which was also unlucky. Yes. I was very lucky to hit the five on the turn, but the 
on the river made four hearts on board.”
For Hellmuth, the mistake has become increasingly clear.
“I should have at least bet 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 on the turn. I felt like I should have won the tournament on that hand, but I should have played it differently.”
‘I should have won my 18th bracelet’
More than a month later, Hellmuth’s frustration isn’t about the cards. It’s about how many options he had.
“The difference is when you're playing for a limit bracelet, there's only so much you can do, right? We all know you're locked in, you have to do this, you have to do that; but this was a no-limit event.
“There is such a rich tapestry of moves you can make in no-limit play. So, every night now, I can't help but think about how I should have won my 18th bracelet. It would have been a global story.”
Instead, bracelet #18 remains the one Hellmuth believes got away – and the hand he still can't stop replaying.
