Phil Hellmuth took to Reddit to participate in a Reddit AMA (ask me anything) in an Octopi Poker promotion.
Hellmuth was last on Reddit 11 years ago and made his much-anticipated comeback over the weekend. In case you missed it, Hellmuth joined Octopi Poker as both an investor and an ambassador late last month in an exciting new step for the brand.
Octopi Poker is a study tool that describes itself as a “Poker community and educational platform.” Elite poker pros Stephen Chidwick, Thomas Boivin, and Sam Greenwood are all ambassadors and contributors to Octopi Poker, a site founded by Victoria Livschitz and Andrew “Lucky Chewy” Lichtenberger.
Phil Hellmuth’s 2015 AMA
To celebrate his partnership with Octopi Poker, Phil Hellmuth did a Reddit AMA where fans could ask the 17-time WSOP bracelet winner about literally anything.
Back in 2015, Hellmuth told Reddit fans, “Legalized online poker (in the United States) is coming; 100%! It is simply a question of when.” Hellmuth also predicted that another poker boom is coming once the US legalizes online poker again.
Phil Hellmuth, the self-proclaimed ‘Poker Brat’, also conceded that he does lose control of his emotions at the poker table.
“Unfortunately, I DO lose control sometimes! But a lot less than the world thinks or understands…If I lose it, then ESPN is there to play it over and over, but when I’m good, they aren’t using that footage as much.”
Hellmuth also addressed a famous televised cash game hand in which Tony G lied to him, claiming he hadn’t looked at his card.
“I did not respect this move and thought it bad bad form. I forgave Tony G, because I forgive everyone so that I don’t waste any of my time hating anyone. But I still feel like he owes me $16,000!”
Hellmuth also described his ‘one and only’ fistfight at the poker table with the legendary late Sam Grizzle, who was Hellmuth’s nemesis at the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event.
“Sam has always been one of the funniest guys in the poker world: huge personality! One day he asked me to save him a seat in a game while he went to eat.
“After 90 minutes, I made the casino stop taking his $9 every 30 minutes, cause so much time had passed, AND then he shows up and the game is full, DOH!
“So he wants to fight me…I say, well you better do it this week while my back is out, and suddenly I’m in my first and only fist fight ive ever had in the poker world!
“We both land punches, but next day not a mark on either of us (BEST FIGHT EVER cause no one was hurt).”
Phil Hellmuth’s 2026 AMA
Of course, the WSOP‘s all-time bracelets leader Phil Hellmuth was asked about “sandwichgate.” This long-famous clip from a 2022 WSOP final table showcased Hellmuth eating a roast beef sandwich in a way few have ever eaten a sandwich apart, peeling the buns apart and attacking the meat.
This, naturally, led to one of the greatest pieces of poker commentary the world has ever heard.
The entire Reddit community wanted to know why he ate the sandwich like that, and Hellmuth delivered.
“It started in the pandemic. I took my mask off, but didn’t want to leave the mask off for long. So I took a huge bite!! I was shocked later. When I watched the show back and they made a big deal out of my huge bite.
“Then, it felt like they filmed me every single time I ate. And, those videos went viral. Sometimes I did eat the meat out of the sandwich and that became a thing!
“Later I found out there are channels on YouTube that feature folks that eat food. I guess I should start my own channel.”
An ESPN clip from 2005 has long been a topic of conversation, where it showed Hellmuth doing shirtless yoga and meditation. It appears we won’t be getting a rerun of that anytime soon.
“Please! No more pictures of shirtless!! ESPN did that, but in 2005 I didn’t mind. At age 61, no more shirtless photos!”
Hellmuth then attacked the Highroll Poker ratings, which show him having lost nearly $1 million on live-streamed cash games.
“Online tracking is WAY off! How insulting!!
I won 22-out-of-23 sessions of filming from 2013 to 2020. Including biggest winner in “Rob’s Game” for like $400,000! I did have some losses the mast few years, but more wins than losses.”
Phil Hellmuth conceded that Huck Seed was the one who got him the best in side bet action.
“I have had some great side bets!! Huck Seed and I bet on a bunch of random stuff. Like would Bobby Hurley last 3 years in the NBA! He would have, except for a motorcycle accident!
“Huck bet me on golf, pool, his weight! The worst is when I bet him $15,000 a month that he would weigh less than 180 pounds! He collected for 3-5 years! I finally bought him out for $70,000. How does a 6’ 6’’ man maintain that weight?”
Finally, Phil Hellmuth answered a real poker-related question, which asked what mistakes most poker pros make in tournaments that he doesn’t.
“I do try to avoid flips as often as I can. I do try to fold JJ or QQ pre-flop for 25 big blinds. Or fold JJ QQ when I “Feel I am beat” white magic! Reading ability separates me from the crowd. Each generation if learning is different. I felt it was awful in 2004-2010, awful in 2010-2015, really bad 2015 to 2018. I think GTO was really bad!
“Solvers are the first thing that make sense to me.”
