Hellmuth in the House

Chad Holloway

We saw a tall man donned in black wandering the tournament floor greeting the players and shaking hands. It didn't take us long to realize it was none other than 12-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth.

After shaking hands with everyone at Table 457, Hellmuth occupied the seat left by the recently departed David Singer. The "Poker Brat" is no doubt looking to improve upon last year's runner-up finish in this event, though it won't be easy going as he's seated with the likes of Barry Greenstein, Michael Mizrachi and Allen Cunningham.

Bruno Fitoussi is also seated at that table, so at least Hellmuth has someone to reminisce with on what it's like to come up just shy of a Poker Player's Championship title (Fitoussi finished runner-up to Freddy Deeb in 2007).