By TheNuts - Dec 03, 2025
17 WSOP Bracelet Holder Desires A 100-per-year Cap On Winnable Bracelets
The owner of 17 WSOP bracelets, Phil Hellmuth, has expressed his belief that fewer bracelets should be given out annually. Hellmuth discussed his thoughts on the subject in an interview with Card Player. "I went public, saying that there should be 100 bracelets," he said at the outset. He continued by saying that he knew the
World Series Poker owners wanted a number greater than 100. Hellmuth also expressed his opinion that if the number of bracelets—which presently exceeded 300—kept growing, they would lose their significance.
Hellmuth currently has the most WSOP bracelets with 17, followed by Phil Ivey with 6 fewer. The first WSOP bracelet Hellmuth received 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. While on the No Gamble, No Future podcast, Hellmuth let slip information from a private conversation with GGPoker and Negreanu. They had assured Hellmuth that the number of bracelets that could be won each year would be lowered. Hellmuth expressed worry that the brand would be negatively impacted by the bracelets' declining value, which he thinks will occur if the quantity doesn't decrease.
The WSOP was purchased by GGPoker in 2024 for $500 million. "I'm not a political guy, but I'm going to say, make the World Series of Poker great again," he said after outlining his arguments for the necessity for fewer bracelets. Following this remark, he ultimately disclosed Negreanu's intention to reduce the quantity of wristbands to 150. Hellmuth has also stated that if the quantity of wristbands doesn’t drop, he will just cease participating in the events. According to Hellmuth, WSOP bracelets obtained online need to belong in a different category.
He went on to add that he has never heard of a single online WSOP bracelet holder. There are 100 bracelets that may be won during WSOP tournaments in Las Vegas. 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 remarked that he thinks the World Series of Poker “has to have an exclusivity to it.” and the excessive amount of bracelets takes away from that.