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Poker pro Phil "Poker Brat" Hellmuth Jr. recently held an auction to auction off a very valuable prize.
The prize was--Phil Hellmuth!
Yes, in what could be a new low in egomaniacal behavior by a poker player, even a self-styled publicity-seeking "brat," Hellmuth has auctioned off himself!
And what value does the "Poker Brat" assess to a night of his company?
How does $25,000 strike you?
All can be forgiven in this case, however, because Hellmuth did it for charity.
So what was the prize exactly?
According to Hellmuth's website, www.philhellmuth.com, it was described thusly: "Have you ever wanted to pick my brain over dinner and drinks? Well, here’s your chance! You could soon be joining me at the Aria in Las Vegas, where I’ll give you and a guest a two-hour poker lesson and take you to dinner!"
The website then instructs readers how to "place your bid" on another website called Charity Buzz, which facilitates charity auctions.
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The Charity Buzz page at indicates that a night with Phil was valued at $25,000, but it didn't say how much the night sold for, which suggests it perhaps went for much less and the site didn't want to embarrass Phil by noting his lackluster sale price.
Nevertheless, the money raised by selling a night out with Phil and his infinite poker wisdom went to a charity called Peace through Sports (www.peacethrusports.org), which according to its website, "is designed to spark a global movement by promoting peace through sports, such as Israeli and Palestinian kids playing together side by side on the same teams."
The list of Phil's vocations and avocations are numerous: poker pro, book author, lecturer, DVD maker, poker coach, beer can model, energy drink endorser, clothing line impressario, the list goes on.
Now another entry can be added to that list: Middle East peacemaker!
What, 12 World Series of Poker championship gold bracelets aren't enough for Hellmuth?
Now he wants a Nobel Peace Prize?
By Tom Somach
Gambling 911.com Staff Writer
