Eccentrics – you either love them or you hate them. One thing you have to admit, you sure as hell can’t ignore them. Phil Hellmuth, known for his dramatic antics and his “poker brat” persona, arrived at the World Series of Poker Europe’s Main Event dressed in full Roman Regalia, riding on a chariot drawn by two white horses. Around him were the quintessential Roman guards as well as a bunch of scantily clad girls. As always, he was fashionably late.
The Crowd’s Reaction
“Hail Caesar!” – not quite. The crowd, especially those who were at Leicester Square for reasons other than the WSOPE, had varied reactions. Some were intrigued, some were amused, and some were indifferent. There were those who eagerly watched Hellmuth and his costumed guards as they paraded by. But there were also those who had the question, “who the hell is this guy!?” written all over their faces. The vast majority of the male population in Leicester Square, though, had but one thought in their minds: “Yay, near-naked women!”
For poker fans, though, Phil Hellmuth’s grand entrance was something of a spectacle. Everyone who knows him knows that Phil is much too fond of the spotlight and that he’s a bit of an “attention-addict”. And it was already hinted that he would put on a show at the Main Event’s opening. He said that the theme would be royalty, that it would be “fit for a king”. The fans were expecting the King of Leicester or the Duke of Edinburgh. But that he would dress as a Roman Emperor, though, was something that should have been expected. After all, this isn’t exactly the first time Phil employed a Roman theme.
Still dressed as an emperor and unmindful of his tardiness, Phil then proceeded to pose for the cameras and to sign autographs. Only when he was finished was he escorted to his table where some of the other pros were seated.
Primus Inter Pares
Doyle Brunson, poker royalty himself, one dubbed as the “godfather of poker”, merely shook his head, amused, at Phil’s antics. He was seated across the table from Phil, along with Bruno Fitussi and six others. They were obviously quite used to Hellmuth and his antics as none of them looked too surprised about the fact that a guy dressed as a Roman Emperor had joined them at their table.
For all his aplomb, Phil surely has given himself a lot to prove. Emperor of Poker indeed, he had better live up to his self-imposed title and emerge as “Primus Inter Pares”, or the first among his equals, or rather, the poker pros. Indeed, Phil Hellmuth, with his Roman Regalia and 11 bracelets, is certainly one to watch.
Image: LasVegasVegas.com
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