Poker Masters Champion Dumps on White Magic
Steffen Sontheimer says Phil Hellmuth late-registration strategy “reduces negative edge.”
German poker pro and 2017 Poker Masters winner Steffen Sontheimer joined Poker Life Podcast host Joey Ingram recently for a two-hour show that included an epic response to televised and social media rants initiated by 14-time WSOP bracelet winner and King of The Hill title-holder Phil Hellmuth.
I asked @RunGo0seRun his thoughts on Hellmuth on our podcast yesterday and… well…. I learned about reducing negative edges #BangBang pic.twitter.com/S8a9dlYfaW
— gN PapiGTO 🚀🚀 (@Joeingram1) October 3, 2017
Sontheimer — who stormed through the recent five-event Poker Masters series to win its prized Purple Jacket — had his poker skill and potential longevity in the game brought into question while competing alongside the former WSOP Main Event champion late last month.
“[Phil Hellmuth] does one thing right… he is late registering for the tournaments. This increases variance and reduces negative edge,” offered the $6 million USD live poker tournament cash prize winner known on Twitter as @RunGo0seRun.
“I’m not really sure what White Magic is exactly,” continued Sontheimer. “If it’s like talking a lot when you face a bet — and then fold the best hand — this works out perfectly. It’s something [Hellmuth] does super well.”
Sry for that, I will get you a new drink next time we meet
— Steffen Sontheimer (@RunGo0seRun) October 4, 2017
The 2017 Poker Master is part of a growing contingent of young pros who are rapidly moving up the all-time money list. This thanks in part to super high roller events that have spread in popularity in recent years — which in turn have threatened Hellmuth’s coveted Top 10 status as a career live event money leader in his own right.
Phil Hellmuth Surge in Popularity?
Hellmuth — who used his “White Magic” live poker reading skills to defeat highly touted pros Doug Polk and ‘Jungleman’ Daniel Cates during the inaugural Poker Night in America KOTH telecast — has experienced a surge in popularity among his colleagues and fans in 2017.
Despite frequent barbs at opponents that have persisted throughout his career, the 53-year old Wisconsin native has displayed a renewed vigor in growing the game of poker this year, openly communicating with fans of all skills levels on a wide range of topics. The outreach has been in-line with that of fellow high profile pros who have granted unprecedented access to the high roller lifestyle and real money poker competition.
The Poker Brat‘s heads-up victory has also given confidence to a fair deal of vociferous “recreational” poker players who have enjoyed watching the controversial personality compete against top-notch talent in all-new televised poker formats.
Furthermore, the $22 million USD live tournament cash prize winner’s personal website currently shows up when visiting the RealKidPoker.com domain.
Here's something fun: Go to RealKidPoker .com.
— Lance Bradley (@Lance_Bradley) September 27, 2017
The world’s career live event money leader Daniel Negreanu (known on Twitter as @RealKidPoker) has publicly disagreed with many of the Poker Brat‘s beliefs related to poker skill level — culminating in a Twitter spat that was documented in detail by PokerNews on September 20th.
Hellmuth to Defend KOTH Title This Weekend
This Fri meet @phil_hellmuth FREE from 6-7pm! PLUS stay for the @PokerNightTV #KingOfTheHill tournament! https://t.co/s4x247LCSa @MattGlantz pic.twitter.com/Y5t55CY9Ab
— Rivers Casino (@WinBigRivers) October 5, 2017
Fans around the world can watch Phil Hellmuth in action this weekend as he defends his King of The Hill title-belt at Rivers Casino Pittsburgh. The $50,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em contest will award $200,000 USD to the eventual winner.
The Poker Night in America live stream will begin Friday around 6:00pm Eastern Time with two semi-final matches including Hellmuth, Upswing Poker Lab Coach Parker Talbot, Olivier Busquet and Shaun Deeb.
Hey @phil_hellmuth congrats on winning the first #koth on @PokerNightTV. Great job and well done. But know this….I'm coming for that belt
— Olivier Busquet (@olivierbusquet) August 25, 2017
Our very own Doug Polk will be commentating the action both Friday and Saturday, which can be viewed directly on the @PokerNightTV Twitch channel for free. Read more Upswing Poker content from David Huber:
- Phil Hellmuth Defies Odds, Becomes King of The Hill Champion (Aug 24, 2017)
- Televised Poker Gains Momentum in 2017 (Aug 15, 2017)
- Poker Life Podcast Year in Review (Dec 21, 2016)
