The name of Phil Hellmuth will be synonymous with poker in 50 years’ time. From being known as the youngest-ever World Champion to his ‘Poker Brat’ phase to becoming the record-holding WSOP bracelet winner, Phil Hellmuth Junior is a living poker legend. But how did the man who currently lives in Las Vegas but hails from Madison, Wisconsin become the man he is today?

Today we look at the Poker Idol that is Phil Hellmuth.

The Origins of a Record Breaker

Hellmuth might one day become a World Champion, but he began life as a self-confessed ‘ugly duckling’ of his family, struggling for grades and a place in the world. That all changed during further education, however, when his prodigious mathematical knowledge would lead to him eventually leaving the University of Wisconsin to become a poker player.