It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s just Phil Hellmuth in a faux Superman costume.
Hellmuth made his grand entrance to the World Series of Poker $10,000 buy-in No-limit Hold’em World Championship Main Event on Thursday, arriving at Paris Las Vegas dressed as a black-and-gold Man of Steel.
It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane… No, It’s Phil Hellmuth!@phil_hellmuth has arrived at the WSOP Main Event in the only way he can.
The 17-time bracelet winner and former Main Event champion is back in the building.
Can the Poker Brat win poker’s biggest tournament one more time? pic.twitter.com/2CuEvw4rAa
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) July 3, 2026
The 17-time WSOP champion was joined by his sons Phillip III, who was in an imitation Captain America suit, and Nick, who wore a mock Batman outfit. Professional poker player Dan “Jungleman” Cates and Chris “DJ” Washburn also joined in dressed as Marvel superheroes Angel and Deadpool, respectively, as did 17 ring girls, one for each of his victories at the WSOP.
Hellmuth walked to one of the ESPN feature tables but was told he was at the wrong table. Instead, Nick Hellmuth played at the feature table while cameras followed the elder Hellmuth to one of the outer tables.
Phil Hellmuth, nicknamed the “Poker Brat,” always makes a spectacle of playing the Main Event. Some of his recent cosplay characters included a 1980s rock star, a karate black belt, Darth Vader, “The Greatest Showman,” and Gandalf the White from “Lord of the Rings.”
Phil Hellmuth is the only player to win the WSOP and WSOP Europe Main Events but hasn’t cashed in the tournament in Las Vegas since 2015.
He made a well-publicized side bet with professional poker player Shaun Deeb this year that Phillip III will finish in the money of the Main Event. Should the younger Hellmuth win the tournament, the payoff for the bet could be up to $10 million.
Hellmuth has had a quiet series at the tables, testing positive for COVID last month and cashing in four events. He made one final table and was 14th in the $50,000 buy-in Poker Players Championship.
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on X.
