Hellmuth ties Brunson, Chan with 10th World Series of Poker win

June 26, 2006 - Poker News,LAS VEGAS (AP) - Phil Hellmuth Jr. returned to an elite club early Wednesday, besting 1,690 players and tying poker legends Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan by winning his 10th World Series of Poker bracelet.

"I'm on cloud nine," Hellmuth said after celebrating with Dom Perignon champagne at about 4 a.m. "To not win a bracelet would have been pretty tough. I still am stunned."

At the end of the $1,000 buy-in no-limit event, Hellmuth called an all-in bet by Finnish poker star Juha Helppi and revealed an ace and jack to Helppi's ace and nine.

A board of queen, eight, two, king and six helped neither player, and Hellmuth won with high cards.

Hellmuth spoke with Chan later and renewed a friendly rivalry, a relationship he said was on par with golf greats Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

"I said, 'Johnny, I hope you win number 11. Let's just race to 20.'"

"I'm sure he was 75 percent happy, 25 percent 'I'd like to have 10 with just Doyle,'" Hellmuth said. "Chan is a competitor."

Hellmuth's 10th bracelet brought him even with Brunson and Chan, who both won their 10th World Series events last year. In earlier events at the world's largest poker marathon, which began June 25, Hellmuth finished second, sixth and 13th.

He said the win for $631,863 gave him confidence he could win the $10,000 buy-in main event, which begins Friday with an expected 8,000 players aiming for what many hope is a $10 million final prize.

"I'm not saying I will win the World Series, but I'm just saying that I know that I can. I feel like I can win it no matter how many players there are."