Some poker rivalries make complete sense. Daniel Negreanu and Justin Bonomo have political and personal beef. Griffin Benger and Will Kassouf will forever see the other as abusing their privilege. But perhaps the oddest rivalry so far this year pitches the Poker Brat against Isaac ‘Action’ Haxton. Are their issues ‘masked’ by something different or could the tells be closer to the surface than we think? Let’s get down to the meat of the matter.
What Has Phil Hellmuth Said About Ike Haxton?
“He’s using it to give himself an advantage. Maybe Ike Haxton is a tellbox.” ~ Phil Hellmuth on Isaac Haxton
The Poker Brat is not famed for being quiet on any subject. Over the years, it is very hard to think of another player who has contributed to more headlines than the Californian Hellmuth, who has been such good value for the poker industry that every player likely owes him a debt of a buy-in or two.
Put simply, when Hellmuth speaks, a lot of people listen. He may divide poker fans a little like certain political candidates divide the voting electorate but he – like said political characters – has millions of fans.
In a recent interview with Poker.Org, Hellmuth opened up on a range of subjects over the course of one of the longest and the most in-depth feature in many years. During the interview, he spoke about Haxton’s post 2020 penchant for wearing a mask at the poker felt. When COVID-19 broke and the pandemic closed down whole countries, let alone casinos, wearing masks was commonplace. Nowadays, its less so. Hellmuth believes that Haxton’s wearing of a mask throughout the majority of the past four years is tantamount to running an unfair advantage over other players.
“He’s using it to give himself an advantage. When there are six people left in a tournament, you don’t really have any real concerns about COVID. Maybe Ike Haxton is a tellbox.”
Here’s the snippet about Haxton broken down by Poker.Org which certainly suggests Hellmuth feels he is not alone in standing against Haxton’s wearing of a mask at the poker table.
Phil Hellmuth calls out Ike Haxton for wearing a mask ? pic.twitter.com/FlaxD4tfuU
— Poker Org (@pokerorg) February 6, 2024
Erik Seidel, himself a 10-time WSOP bracelet winner, didn’t agree with the only man to have won more bracelets than him.
“I don’t know Phil, this smells like professional jealousy to me,” he said. “It’s the quality of his play that gives him an advantage. If u doubt that u should challenge him to a HU match no masks.”
Do Haxton and Hellmuth Have Historic Beef?
“He reacts a lot more to what’s going on at the table.” ~ Isaac Haxton on Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth coming after Haxton for wearing a mask could easily look like it has come completely out of left field, but the truth may be that some prior beef has lasted over the years. Back in 2018, Haxton called out Hellmuth’s behaviour at the World Series of Poker. To some players, this would feel like an unnecessary thing to do. To the 17-time record WSOP bracelet winner Hellmuth, it may well have felt like a personal affront.
If that wasn’t enough to stoke the fires of Hellmuth’s recent words, perhaps this look at a particularly spiky hand between the pair from December 2018 can shed some light on the matter. In the Super High Roller Bowl V in Las Vegas, Hellmuth and Haxton were sat right next to each other. At this point, Haxton was mask-free.
Haxton went on to win that Super High Roller Bowl V event for a top prize of $3.67 million – the biggest he has ever won during his time in poker. That score was also bigger than any top prize Hellmuth has won in his illustrious career, the $2.46 million he received for coming 4th in the 2012 Big One for One Drop being the Poker Brat’s top score.
In that fascinating Run It Back with Remko episode, Haxton’s words are at the very least tongue-in-cheek and could be viewed as disparaging. Asked about the Poker Brat’s style of play at the felt, Haxton said:
“He reacts a lot more to what’s going on at the table so it can be entertaining to see what he does.”
Who Leads the Way on the All-Time Money List?
With both men having enjoyed hugely successful careers in poker to date, Haxton and Hellmuth have cashed for almost $77 million in their time. But who has the edge? In ranking tournaments, Hellmuth’s 17 WSOP bracelets of course must be mentioned, they are after all an astonishing achievement, and he is a full seven bracelets clear of the late, great Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan and Erik Seidel on 10 bracelets.
Isaac Haxton, by comparison in World Series of Poker terms, has only one bracelet on his mantelpiece – the one he won last summer in the $25,000-entry High Roller event for $1.69 million. Hellmuth played that same event, only lasting until the end of Day 1.
In overall terms, Haxton actually has the edge in terms of ranking tournament winnings on The Hendon Mob, with $47 million to his name, including an uptick of $8.7 million in the past six months. In that time, Hellmuth has cashed for only $17,600 and sits at just under $30 million. He will, of course, be pushing hard in the summer at the WSOP in Las Vegas. Maybe Haxton will, too, after last year’s heroics.
If they meet at the felt, the gloves may well be off between two American poker heroes who together have provided so many moments of magic for poker fans over the years.
Whether Isaac Haxton’s mask stays on, only time will tell.
