It’s been a tough few weeks for Phil Hellmuth. First COVID and now Farzad Bonyadi added Hellmuth’s chips to his stack at the WSOP $10k Single Draw.
First, he was unable to enter Event #2: $100K High Roller Bounty after suffering with an upset stomach. Then came a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, leaving him unable to play in the $10K Dealer’s Choice, possibly his best chance for a bracelet, according to him.
Now, during the $10K 2-7 Single Draw Championship, he went on a break and returned to find that another player had swiped all his chips and placed them in his own stack.
With only 21 players remaining and staff breaking down four tables into three, Phil Hellmuth placed all his chips into a rack and went to the bathroom thinking all was well.
Upon returning to the playing hall, Hellmuth discovered all of his chips were missing, apparently now in the possession of Farzad Bonyadi.
Of course, the WSOP staff were now compelled to investigate what had transpired, reviewing the surveillance camera footage to see if they could discern exactly how many chips were in the missing stack.
Twenty minutes later, the WSOP staff returned to Phil Hellmuth’s table and confirmed that his stack was 135,000 chips, agreeing with his estimation of slightly more than 130,000.
Phil Hellmuth explained:
“We went on break and I’m kind of smart, I knew it was going to take them a while, so I went to the bathroom, but I left my chips in a rack and then Scott Seiver said leave Phil’s chips in a rack. And then one of the other players took them and put them in his stack,”
Phil Hellmuth Says Mishap Was an Accident
It’s easy to let emotion get the better of us in such a situation. With only 21 players left in a $10,000 buy-in WSOP event, Phil Hellmuth might have gone on one of his famous tirades.
Fortunately, he handled the issue with understanding and grace, agreeing it was nothing more than an accident.
As of yet, we still have no idea why Phil Hellmuth didn’t take his own chips to his new seat nor why they all ended up in the possession of Bonyadi.
It took Chino Reem to interject for Hellmuth to say that he harboured no ill feeling towards Farzad Bonyadi. To which he replied:
“Yeah, it was a complete accident. He’s a class guy, he would never do it intentionally. Stuff happens.”
Maybe Reem should have been the one expecting a volley of abuse in his direction after he and Hellmuth clashed in a USPO event streamed live on PokerGO back in March.
Phil Hellmuth launched a tirade at his opponent, calling him “the worst fucking player ever.”
3……2…….1…….🚀
(spoiler alert: @phil_hellmuth did not win this hand) pic.twitter.com/YW2dzzDjKZ
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) March 24, 2022
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