Poker Brat Bites the Bubble: Phil Hellmuth Out of WSOP Paradise $50M Super Main Event

Hellmuth Folds, Then Falls

With the money tantalizingly close, Hellmuth hovered near elimination as the bubble approached. Four players shy of the payouts, Hellmuth made a rare fold with ace-high in the big blind — an attempt to survive another orbit. His patience paid off briefly as a few eliminations pushed the field closer to bursting the bubble.

However, when his stack dropped to a desperate 200,000 — just 2.5 big blinds — Hellmuth decided to move all-in with Ace-King from under the gun. The hand unfolded as a three-way all-in, with Alex Keating calling from the big blind and Paulius Vaitiekunas joining in from the small blind.

The board ran out dry for Hellmuth, with Keating’s pocket 7s improving to a winning pair on the river. To compound Hellmuth’s misery, three other players at risk on the bubble managed to double up at their respective tables, ensuring he was the lone casualty.

Bubble watch 🫧 👀

We're officially In The Money in the First Ever Record-Breaking $50M GTD WSOP SUPER MAIN EVENT!💰🥳 🎉 #wsopPARADISE

🇺🇸 Phil Hellmuth eliminated on the STONE BUBBLE! #gg pic.twitter.com/OJ4UWG1zgh

— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) December 17, 2024

Scott Seiver, 2023’s Player of the Year, added a bit of spice to the drama. Cheering for Hellmuth’s elimination, Seiver got his wish as Hellmuth departed as the “stone bubble boy” — the player finishing one spot outside the money.

“This hurts a little,” Hellmuth admitted, speaking to PokerNews’ Jeff Platt. “I went to the bathroom an hour ago and said Alex [Keating] is going to get in bad against me and outdraw me… I talked myself out of it.”

Questionable Moves

Earlier in the day, Hellmuth made headlines for another questionable decision, reminiscent of his viral queen-four moment against Alex Foxen in 2022. Sitting with 26 big blinds, Hellmuth called off a large shove preflop with Queen-Deuce offsuit after a four-bet all-in from Corey Kempson.

Kempson’s pocket Jacks dominated, and despite a glimmer of hope on an open-ended straight draw, Hellmuth hit the rail — only to later re-enter the tournament. The call, and its outcome, drew inevitable comparisons to his past antics.

Star-Studded Day 3 Awaits

While Hellmuth’s departure grabbed headlines, the tournament rolls on. Lithuania’s Gytis Lazauninkas bagged the Day 2 chip lead with 15,430,000, good for 386 big blinds. Close behind are Brazil’s Marcelo Aziz, Germany’s Sirzat Hissou, and Spain’s Juan Pardo, each positioned for a deep run.

Liv Boeree’s rare tournament appearance also paid off as she finished the day in the top 10 with 8,275,000 chips. Other notables advancing include Daniel Negreanu, Chris Brewer, David Peters, Chris Hunichen, and Alexandra Botez, who has already locked up the biggest tournament cash of her career.

The remaining 297 players — 207 from the live field and 90 qualifiers from online — will battle it out for the lion’s share of the record $50 million prize pool. Despite falling just short of the guarantee, with a $550,000 overlay, the tournament will still award $6 million to the eventual winner on Thursday.

For Hellmuth, this bubble will sting. But for the rest of the field, it’s now a race to paradise’s biggest prize.

Super Main Event Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts

Place	Player	Country	Chip Count
1	Gytis Lazauninkas		15,430,000
2	Matthew Belcher		11,640,000
3	Marcelo Aziz		11,295,000
4	Sirzat Hissou		11,225,000
5	Juan Pardo		10,740,000
6	Ermo Kosk		10,280,000
7	Gediminas Dirmantas		9,515,000
8	Chris Klodnicki		9,450,000
9	Dmitrii Prusov		8,310,000
10	Liv Boeree		8,275,000