Skeptics could not shake Phil Hellmuth's belief in his ambitious goal of winning the gold bracelet.

Despite finishing as runner-up at the 2026 WSOP, Phil Hellmuth remains convinced he will win 24 gold bracelets in his lifetime. Facing skeptics, he recounted his journey and thanked his sons for their support.

Since winning three gold bracelets at the 1993 World Series of Poker, Phil Hellmuth has always believed that he will win 24 gold bracelets in his lifetime.

Thirty years have passed, and after adding more than a dozen gold bracelets, this record holder for the most gold bracelets in history still maintains his unwavering belief in the face of some "skeptics".

“I’ve always said I would have 24 gold bracelets,” Hellmuth said. “I’ve believed that since 1993.”

On the final day of the 2026 WSOP, the goal weighed heavily on Hellmuth's shoulders—he finished as runner-up in Event #99:$5,000 Eight-Max No-Limit Hold'em, missing out on his 18th gold bracelet. The $464,286 prize money was hardly a consolation for Hellmuth. Shortly after his runner-up finish on July 15th, he reflected on his bracelet ambitions in an emotional interview with PokerNews.

"It really hurts. You can see the pain on my face," he said. "There's a world of difference between first and second place. Now I have to spend months thinking about this."

"I just kept making it to the finals."

"Some things in No-Limit Texas Hold'em make sense to me, but not to others. Even today, that's still true. I just keep making it to the finals."

Despite being the most awarded player in WSOP history, Hellmuth is not without critics. Some question whether the player who won the 1989 Main Event at age 24 can still stand at the top level in an era dominated by solvers and theoretically optimal play.

As is widely known, Shaun Deeb, a nine-time WSOP bracelet winner and WSOP Player of the Year, stated at last year's WSOP Paradise that he did not believe Hellmuth would win another bracelet.

Hellmuth wasn't sure if Deeb was serious about his comments—"I think Shaun was basically joking when he said that"—but in any case, he believed his deep run in the penultimate game of the series proved Deeb wrong.

"I had 34 million to 10 million chips (during heads-up play) in No-Limit Texas Hold'em, so I felt like I could win most of the time," Hellmuth said. "Some things in No-Limit Texas Hold'em make sense for me, but not for others. Even today, that's still true. I just keep making it to the finals."

After losing to American professional player Darren Rabinowitz as runner-up, Hellmuth kept thinking about the critics.

"When there are skeptics—whether they're fucking joking or not, whether they know I'll win more bracelets or not—you feel an extra (frustration). Then you see everyone talking about who's going to catch up to Phil (in terms of bracelet count)."

The sons were present

The heads-up match between Hellmuth and Rabinowitz took place in a nearly empty Horseshoe ballroom, with only a group of poker fans huddled around the table—led by Martin Kabrhel and PokerNews Podcast co-host Mike Holtz.

Also present were Hellmuth's sons, Phillip III and Nick, the latter of whom won prize money in the $1,000 Super Turbo event on the other side of the venue while his father was on a deep run (Nick also won prize money in the $10,000 Main Event).

“You’ll need a new hat!” Kabrhel told Hellmuth, who was wearing his signature BetRivers hat with the number “17” embroidered on it.

But Nick was one step ahead, proudly wearing a prepared replacement hat with the number 18 embroidered on the side.

“My sons being here means a lot to me,” Hellmuth said. “My wife and sons are here…it’s wonderful to have them here. My parents were here with me when I had about 11 of my 17 gold bracelets; now it’s my sons’ turn to be here with me. It’s just so beautiful.”

Hellmuth was determined to win 24 gold bracelets, but the family's total could be even higher if his sons followed in his footsteps.

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