Hail Hellmuth
Sunday, July 5, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
There’s a legend that when Julius Caesar was at the pinnacle of his power and popularity someone told him, “Remember, Caesar, thou art mortal”. It was a reminder to guard against hubris, because we all die in the end, no matter how exalted we are during our time on Earth. I know that’s some heavy stuff to lay on you but when you’re at the World Series of Poker you’re constantly reminded of how brief life can be, especially when you flop set under set. And I couldn’t help but think of Imperial times this afternoon as I watched Phil Hellmuth make his majestic entrance to the Main Event.
Perhaps only one poker player could actually pull off dressing as Julius Caesar and striding into the Rio escorted by 11 female gladiators and 100 Muses, and that’s Phil Hellmuth. That’s what he did today, as he eschewed his normal limosuine for human-powered transport to the Rio:
Carried along in a sedan chair Phil alighted onto the blazing-hot asphalt to the delight of his devotees:
And then it was time for Emperor Phil to make his way to the Amazon Room, escorted by 111 young women and a trumpetor to announce his arrival. Rose petals were cast at his feet as he walked, hundreds of admirers strained to catch a glimpse of his noble form. Fairly low-key stuff.
The walk down the hall to the Amazon Room reminded me of something from Roman times, a vast unruly mob shoving and jostling in tight quarters trying to follow Phil. I punched a few people in the face and kicked out someone’s crutches to get a few shots of the procession:
And then Phil reached the Amazon Room and it was time to alight from his exalted perch and take his seat with we mere mortals. Of course only after favoring the masses with a dignified wave:
Quite a few people remarked today that Caesar ended up being assassinated by his colleagues in the Senate. And in a manner of speaking (I hope not literally) that’s exactly what the eight players at Phil table will try to do today–whack Phil and send him out of the Main Event. That may be easier said that done–today isn’t the Ides of March, I didn’t see anyone at the secondary Feature Table brandishing swords, and I haven’t seen a Brutus or Cassius listed in the chip counts. Still, today will be filled with treachery and conspiracy–all that remains to be seen is if Caesar…I mean Phil Hellmuth…is able to outmaneuver his enemies.
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Tags: 2009 world series of poker, 2009 wsop, hellmuth caesar, hellmuth main event entrance, hellmuth wsop entrance, Phil Hellmuth, phil hellmuth caesar, phil hellmuth entrance, phil hellmuth wsop entrance, world series of poker, WSOP
July 7th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
[...] Right here on the Ultimate Bet Blog, our chief blogger Gene Bromberg was one of the first to report on Phil’s now legendary WSOP entrance. In the usual Bromberg fashion, this post is complete with many exclusive photos of Phil’s eye-opening arrival. You can view Gene’s post here. [...]