Hellmuth Controversy: Poker Brat's Chips Swiped on Break
Controversy struck the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event #38: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw Championship when Phil Hellmuth went on break only to discover his chips had been swiped by defending champion Farzad Bonyadi, who wasn't at-fault in the incident.
On break, as the tournament dwindled down to 21 players, the staff broke the fourth table, leaving just three remaining tables. When the "Poker Brat" returned, he noticed his chips were gone and that they had somehow ended up in Bonyadi's possession.
Immediately after the situation arose, the WSOP staff approached the table to investigate. There was no doubt that Hellmuth had a stack in play before leaving the table, but it wasn't clear the exact size of his stack. The surveillance camera was reviewed to determine the size of Hellmuth's stack, which the 16-time bracelet winner estimated was more than 130,000.
While the investigation occurred, PokerNews spoke with Hellmuth to hear his side of the story.