17 WSOP Bracelet Holder Wants Winnable Bracelets Capped at 100 per Year

Phil Hellmuth, holder of 17 WSOP bracelets, has shared that in his opinion that the number of bracelets awarded each year should be lowered.

In an interview with Card Player, Hellmuth shared his point of view on the matter.

He began with this:

“I went public, saying that there should be 100 bracelets.”

After which, he went on to say that he was aware of the owners of the World Series Poker desire for a number higher than 100.

Hellmuth also shared his belief that the bracelets would become meaningless if their number continued to increase, as there were currently more than 300.

With his 17 bracelets, Hellmuth holds the highest current number of WSOP bracelets, second to him with 6 bracelets less is Phil Ivey.

The first WSOP bracelet Hellmuth earned was in 1989 during the Main Event.

In 2023, he earned his most recent one in a 10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold’em.

Secrets Spilled

While on the No Gamble, No Future podcast, Hellmuth let slip information from a private conversation with GGPoker and Negreanu.

They had told Hellmuth that the number of bracelets that could be won each year would be reduced.

Hellmuth shared a concern that the brand would suffer from the bracelets’ loss of value, which he believes would happen if the number doesn’t go down.

In 2024, GGPoker, in a $500 million deal, acquired ownership of the WSOP.

After sharing his reasons as to why there needs to be fewer bracelets, he added this:

“I’m not a political guy, but I’m going to say, make the World Series of Poker great again.”

After this comment, he ended up revealing Negreanu’s desire to decrease the number of bracelets to 150.

Hellmuth has also stated that if the number of bracelets doesn’t decrease, he will simply stop participating in the events.

Different Category

Hellmuth has stated that he believes that WSOP bracelets won online should be in their own separate category.

He followed this by saying he was not familiar with even a single online WSOP bracelet holder.

A Feeling of Exclusivity

The total number of winnable bracelets from WSOP events in Las Vegas is 100.

That number increases with other live WSOP events across the world, as well as the yearly online events.

In 2024, a total of 234 bracelets were won across all WSOP events. Hellmuth commented that he believed the World Series of Poker “has to have an exclusivity to it.” and the excessive number of bracelets takes away from that.