Hellmuth Sr. and Jr. Closer by Betting

Fathers and sons do not always manage to see eye to eye, especially when the son drops out of University to become a full time poker player. Some stories end with the father and son never speaking again, but others, such as in the Hellmuth family end with an embrace and an improved relationship.

Now a retired associate dean in the Wisonsin-Madison College of Arts and Letters, Phil Helmuth Sr. was very unhappy at his son’s decision to drop out of the University of Wisconsin and become a pro poker player. In 1989, the father and son made peace with an embrace when Hellmuth Jr. won the World Series of Poker’s Main Event. Hellmuth became a millionaire from his winnings at World Series events, and started his own publishing company in Las Vegas. Phil’s House Publishing recently released a new book called Deal Me In by Marvin Karlins and Stephen John. Deal Me In tells the stories of 20 of the top poker players.

Hellmuth’s mother supported him more than his father felt able to when he began his poker career, and when Hellmuth’s parents saw his focus and dedication to becoming a poker pro, they began to give him more support than before. Hellmuth explained “So me being the oldest of five (children) and a guy, the amount of pressure he exerted on me was incredible.” He continued “I was supposed to set an example for all the other kids, and I went a different direction, and it was real tough on him and I for a couple of years.”

Hellmuth had offered to take his father on a vacation anywhere he wanted to go, and his father chose to go to Las Vegas and watch Hellmuth play in the World Series in 1989. He could not talk his father out of making this his chosen trip, and eventually gave in although he had some misgivings about having family members watching him play. When Hellmuth Jr. won the Main Event, his father who had purposely stayed in the background ran forward and embraced his son.

Deal Me In describes the moment when Hellmuth fully supported his son saying “Son, I was wrong. This poker thing is pretty cool and you are incredible at it.” Hellmuth Jr. had promised his dad that he would buy him a new car if he won the 1989 World Series, the first event at which his father came to watch him play. It is not everyday that a son buys his father a new Mercedes!