Hellmuth Trending Down to Start

Mickey Doft

Level 1 : 600/1,200, 200 ante

Phil Hellmuth hasn't gotten off to the best start, tangling in three consecutive pots and folding in each of them.

Tom Marchese raised to 3,500 from the hijack, Jason Les called from the button, and Phil Hellmuth three-bet to 12,500 from the small blind. Only Marchese called.

They checked to the turn of a board where Hellmuth bet 7,000. Marchese called, the river completed the board, and Hellmuth checked. Marchese bet 34,000 and after a few moments, Hellmuth folded.

The following hand, with about 86,000 in the pot and the board reading , Justin Bonomo checked from the small blind and Hellmuth bet 12,000 from the button. Bonomo check-raised to 85,000, Hellmuth tanked again (using one of his time-extension plaques) and ultimately folded.

In the next hand, Hellmuth limped in from the cutoff. Isaac Haxton tanked for a bit in the small blind, prompting Hellmuth to chime in.

"You're going to study for 40 seconds and just call 600?" quipped Hellmuth.

Haxton raised to 6,500, Hellmuth called, and the flop fell . Haxton continued for 5,500, Hellmuth raised to 15,000, and Haxton called. Both players checked the turn, landing the river. Haxton bet 15,000 and Hellmuth immediately folded his hand.