Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/14045
Phil Helmuth- Known the world over as Poker's big mouthed brat, Phil Helmuth was born in 1964 in Madison, Wisconsin. The young Phil, at age 25, defeated two-time defending champion, Johnny Chan, in the World Series of Poker main event and became the youngest World Champion of Poker ever. Despite being known as the "poker brat", referring to his ego and attitude towards other players at the table, he is highly appreciated in the poker community and he is considered one of the world's best living Texas Hold'em players. Helmuth currently holds ten WSOP bracelets, is the Season Three champion of Late Night Poker and also has won the inaugural National Heads-Up Poker Championship. The controversial Helmuth is perceived in the poker community as unable to lose graciously. He has many fans, but also, many who have a negative opinion about him. Perhaps that's why Helmuth has multiple endorsement deals, books, and merchandise, making him perhaps the best-known face in poker. Johnny Chan- If you've seen the movie "Rounders" then you already know the name-- Johnny Chan. Chan was born in China in 1962 and later moved with his family to Arizona and finally to Texas, where his family owned restaurants. Chan, at the young age of 16, entered the world of gambling when he went on a junket to Las Vegas. He dropped out of college a few years later in order to move to Vegas and become a professional poker player. As a pro, Chan was very successful, winning game after game, which he had credited to the fact that at the time, most players did not have experience playing against an Asian poker player and therefore could not "read him". Chan's peak performance came in the late 1980's, winning two consecutive championship events of the World Series of Poker in 1987 and 1988, a feat that has not been repeated since, and probably never will be-- due to the ever growing fields. He failed to achieve a third consecutive win (which would have been an amazing achievement) when he was defeated in 1989 by a very young and unknown poker player by the name of Phil Helmuth. In 2005, Chan won his tenth World Series of Poker title and he is now tied with Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth for the record of 10 World Series of Poker gold bracelets. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2002. 10 LIVEMAGS.NET AUGUST>>10