Poker superstar Phil Hellmuth is diving into a new side venture, serving up his self-claimed expertise of picking NFL games in a pair of new shows on international sports-content site Playmaker's online platform. Hellmuth, who has invested in Playmaker, has agreed to collaborate and host two new sports-themed shows -- “The Good, The Bad and The Hellmuth," and “NFL Bad Beat."
“The Good, The Bad and The Hellmuth” will feature the Poker Brat and a lineup of special guests making their weekly NFL picks. “NFL Bad Beat” will showcase Hellmuth pointing out bad beats that have occurred the previous week on various NFL wagers and lines. The latter is a riff on a popular "bad beats" featurette often aired during episodes of ESPN's "SportsCenter."
Playmaker is headquartered in Toronto and offers a wide variety of sports and sports commentary to an international audience through multiple channels. The deal with Hellmuth includes video content, podcasting, streaming, events, and merchandise, all to be rolled out in the coming months.
“We're thrilled to have Phil join us as an investor," said Playmaker's CCO, David Wooley, "and are looking forward to creating several series and programs around him and his brand which helps Playmaker continue to bring a unique spin to the sports betting category for our 20 million+ followers."
"I am truly excited to join Playmaker as an investor, an advisor, and as a content creator," noted Hellmuth. "I have agreed to shoot two weekly shows: 'The Good, The Bad, and the Hellmuth NFL Picks' and an 'NFL Bad Beat' show.” Hellmuth announced via Twitter that he's also recorded some poker-themed content. "Quest for 16" is about Hellmuth's chase for a record 16th WSOP bracelet. That show will air on Playmaker in a few weeks, once the WSOP is underway.
Deal explains some recent Hellmuth NFL tweets
Hellmuth's Twitter feed has been stuffed full of NFL and Playmaker mentions for the past few days, showing his enthusiasm for the new projects. How well his tout picks perform, of course, remains to be seen.
Just last week, Hellmuth responded to another poker.org feature about his claimed success at picking NFL winners. "Proof!" he replied. He then claimed a gaudy 11-1-2 mark in NFL totals since 2015, and picked a couple of his favorite win-total picks for 2021, the Green Bay Packers to top 10 wins, and the Atlanta Falcons to top seven wins.
Alas, the NFL's opening weekend didn't go so well for the poker world's newest pigskin tout. The Packers were drubbed 38-3 by the New Orleans Saints in perhaps the worst Week 1 performance by any NFL team. The Falcons were the Packers' closest challengers in the "worst Week 1 performance" category, losing at home to a mediocre Philadelphia Eagles team, 32-6.
Oh, well, there's always Week 2.
Featured image source: Twitter/phil_hellmuth
