Phil Hellmuth’s Grand Entrance into the Main Event has People Talking
1989 world champion and 11-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth made another grand entrance into the Main Event.
Last year, Hellmuth came adorned as WW2 General George S. Patton. He rolled into the Rio parking lot atop an army tank. This year, the media-shy “Poker Brat” was carted into the Rio while sprawled out across a special platform carried by several centurions.
Hellmuth, decked out in full regalia as Roman Emperor Julius Caesar, made his way into the Rio as flocks of scantily-clad “servants” threw rose petals on the ground, in preparation for “Caesar’s” grand entrance. Hellmuth graced the hallways, waving to hundreds of star-crazed worshipers and bewildered bystanders in a media-orchestrated event more reminiscent of a Howard Stern stunt, than a championship poker tournament. When Hellmuth finally assumed his throne on the ESPN stage, hundreds of poker fans completely engulfed the area in what was unquestionably the most bizarre and entertaining entrance ever in WSOP history.
Click here to see the video of the entrance from wickedchipspoker.com
What follows is a short interview with Hellmuth, conducted about 30 minutes after his grand arrival:
Question: Last year it was Patton. This year, it’s Caesar. Why Caesar?
Hellmuth: We are just having as much fun as we can have. Caesar was one of the ideas on our list. We actually talked about me being a gladiator or Caesar, and even Uncle Sam was an idea we wanted to do. We just decided on Caesar. You know that Caesar is going to be the main theme at WSOP-Europe. When you do Caesar, you want to do him big and you want to do him right.
Question: How did you think things went today – with your grand entrance on the red carpet? And how many girls were with you?
Hellmuth: I thought it went great. They hired a hundred models is what I heard. And, having the girls with the body paint is just really fun. I mean, c’mon, how often do you see girls with just body paint on?
Question: What do you think about when you see hundreds of fans, with cameras and lights following your every move?
Hellmuth: Part of it is adoration. Part of it is curiosity. And some people still don’t like me. So, there is surely a mixture of people that are out there. If you are too into the fans and adoration and the world thinking you are the greatest, then you do not perform well. So, being in character as Caesar is just fun. When I shot a television commercial and dressed up in this, I got so into character, I really thought I was Caesar. They have me lying there, with girls all over me and rose petals and food all over the table. Caesar is just such a unique individual. Here we are talking about him over 2,000 years later.
Question: Are they going to be talking about Phil Hellmuth 2,000 years from now?
Hellmuth: I don’t think so. Maybe a hundred years from now, yes. I need to put some more records up. The more records you put up, the longer they talk about you.
Question: Do you think this entrance was about fame or infamy?
Hellmuth: Both. It’s both. I think the majority of the world thinks this is pretty cool and fun. But there are some that say that it’s not right, the Phil Hellmuth is too self-promoting. But I think this is great for the sport of poker. It’s great for the World Series of Poker. And, it’s great for me.
Question: Phil, you played extraordinarily well last year. But you busted out in disappointing fashion. What are your expectations for this year?
Hellmuth: I happen to be playing the best poker of my life. Right now. Today. I might make the final table. I don’t care what the mathematicians say. The field is too big, or whatever. I might make the final table. When I make this entrance, it really gets to me. But when I sit down, it’s a different game. I have to be Phil Hellmuth and I have to win.
Question: So, will Phil Hellmuth’s grand entrance at the WSOP be a recurring spectacle every year from now on?
Hellmuth: Absolutely. Next year, my plan is to be Gambit (a fictional character from X-Men). If not Gambit, we will come up with something else. Maybe it will be Uncle Sam. We’ll see.
