Hellmuth ties WSOP final table record

Phil Hellmuth now owns a piece of the entire WSOP Triple Crown.

His final table appearance in Event #28 moved him into a first-place tie for that mark, matching TJ Cloutier's 39. Cloutier was in attendance Tuesday to congratulate Hellmuth, who then told the crowd that "there is the world, and then there is me."

Hellmuth needed to outlast just one player at Tuesday night's final table to tie the record. As usual, he showed up late, but it didn't matter because ESPN was there to capture the historic moment, delaying the start time.

The Poker Brat had an early scare on hand 18 after min-raising with pocket rockets then calling and all-in raise by big blind Brett Richey (7-4 offsuit). Phil Ivey, who was in the stands, offered Hellmuth insurance, agreeing to pay Hellmuth $90k if the Aces fell.

The bet was for not, as Hellmuth doubled through Richey. Two hands later, Luke Vrable, the table's other short-stack, was eliminated holding pocket Nines versus Ben Fineman's pocket Queens, ensuring Hellmuth the record.

Hellmuth held on for a couple more hours, benefiting from another pair of Aces in the hole. Hellmuth pushed and was called by two players, one with Aces and one with Kings. Hellmuth split the pot, adding valuable chips to his stack.

He was eventually eliminated in sixth place by Beth Shak. He went all-in with the best hand pre-lop, holding A-10s versus K-Qs, but a King sealed his fate and prevented a further run towards 12 bracelets.

Hellmuth earned $76,464, minus an undisclosed amount he lost in side bets with Ivey.

The final-table-appearance record was the last jewel in Hellmuth's Triple Crown bid.

He moved into sole possession of first place in the bracelets won catergory earlier this summer by winning his eleventh title. And he already held the most WSOP cashes thanks to ten cashes in the last two years. Tuesday's tournament was Hellmuth's 60th cash.