Phil Hellmuth told Ike Haxton this week to take his face mask off to keep poker tournaments fair and described him as a potential “tell box”.
Isaac Haxton is instantly recognizable in the poker world for a couple of reasons, his ever-present mask perhaps now being the main one.
The pro known as “Hollywood Ike” not seen in public without one since the Covid pandemic of 2020 began.
For Phil Hellmuth, however, this choice to wear a mask gives Haxton an advantage and claims it is not good for poker.
“That’s just a tactic and a strategy… that’s not good for poker,” the 16-time WSOP bracelet winner told Craig Tapscott this week.
“He has to take that white mask off!”
“He’s one of the best in the world right now… I have a lot of respect for him… but he has to take that white mask off!”
Isaac Haxton, who had seven 7-figure cashes in 2023 and currently sits at number 8 all-time in the moneywinners list (Hellmuth is 22nd), is clearly doing something right, but Hellmuth thinks the mask is unfair.
“He’s using it to give himself an advantage”
“He’s using it to give himself an advantage because people don’t read him as well when he’s got his face covered,” claims Hellmuth.
“When there’s six people left in a tournament, you don’t have any real concerns for Covid,” says Hellmuth, adding: “We want to see his face and he’s taking away one of the elements we can use to beat him.”
Haxton, however, has made his views very clear on numerous occasions – he will continue to wear his mask until he feels it is safe to discard it, and that may still be years away.
“Hard to put a time-frame on it. I’ve answered this question a lot and I say I’m planning to wear it until something changes. Most probably a lot less COVID going around and/or better vaccines. I’m optimistic those things could happen within a year or two,” he wrote on X/Twitter last year.
The best part of winning poker tournaments is definitely the money. But the second best part is how mad the biggest dipshits on twitter get when they see a mask in a winner photo. pic.twitter.com/CtHEVZvOGO
— Isaac Haxton (@ikepoker) April 2, 2023
Though admitting he also enjoyed wearing his mask after defeating Antonio Esfandiari in their heads-up match, the Poker Brat reveals one of the possible reasons behind Haxton’s mask-wearing.
“There are people that are just tell-boxes…and maybe Ike Haxton is a tell-box. I don’t know because I haven’t seen him without his mask on!” says Phil Hellmuth, hinting that it may “taint” Haxton’s recent sun-run.
Ike has yet to comment on his old foe Hellmuth’s mask-wearing take, but in the meantime let us know what you think of the debate – is Phil Hellmuth right? Or should Ike be left alone to do as he pleases?
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