PHIL HELLMUTH has confessed ‘I can’t do it anymore’ and will miss the World Series of Poker Main Event for the first time since 1988.
It comes after WSOP announced their mammoth 2025 schedule – their 56th annual event and first under GGPoker’s ownership.
Hellmuth addressed his decision on social media[/caption]
Hellmuth stunned the poker community by announcing he wouldn’t be taking part in the summer’s Main Event, saying the schedule is ‘too rough’.
The $10,000 WSOP Main Event gets underway with day 1A on July 2nd and wraps up on July 16.
The all-time bracelet holder turned 60 last year and reckons the WSOP event is now an ‘endurance test’.
That despite the fact he’s not gone the distance and cashed in the tournament since 2015.
Hellmuth, taking to X, posted a video saying: “It’s just too tough.
“People always tell me, ‘Phil, you could play seven days in a row.’ Yeah? Try it. Try getting up and playing from noon to midnight for seven days straight. It’s exhausting.
“It’s turned into an endurance test.
“I don’t think the WSOP Main Event is measuring skill. If you go out there and poll the players on whether or not they should have days off in the Main Event, 80% are going to say yes.
“The 20% who don’t? They’re the guys who are 20, 25, 26, 27 years old, they’re ‘yeah yeah, people get tired, they blow all their chips, of course, we want it to be ten days straight.’
“I hope that in 2026, there are some changes made so that we can restore more skill and less endurance.”
“I love the WSOP. It’s very important to me. But I just can’t play the Main Event anymore.”
It remains to be seen if Hellmuth sticks to his guns with this announcement when the time comes but his public call for change is sure to be a talking point amongst players.
The highly-anticipated schedule was announced this week with Horseshoe and Paris in Las Vegas hosting and the play underway from May 27.
It all gets going with the $1,000 Mystery Millions, with a stunning $1,000,000 mystery bounty prize up for grabs.
The schedule concludes with the Main Event final table on July 16.
Players can win their seats at the tables via international satellites, with 1,100 winning a spot in the Main Event through these qualifiers last year.
It’s the first WSOP tournament since GGPoker’s parent company, NSUS Group acquired the company from Caesars Entertainment for $500 million last year.
Some new games have been added to the schedule as a result of the new ownership though no drastic changes have taken place.
GGPoker global ambassador and long-time table rival of Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu said: “GGPoker’s Road To Vegas allows poker enthusiasts all over the world to make their way to Las Vegas and follow in the footsteps of their poker heroes by taking aim at WSOP gold. Join us in 2025!”
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- GambleAware – www.gambleaware.org
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
