The latest episode of Hellmuth’s Home Game, aired on CBS Sports and filmed at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, featured poker legend Phil Hellmuth recounting his first-ever poker tournament victory. The show, produced by Poker Night in America and sponsored by BetRivers, continues to draw attention for its unique format that relies entirely on table talk rather than commentary.
A Look Back at Hellmuth’s First Title
During Hand #14, Hellmuth revealed that the Grand Sierra Casino, then known as the Reno Hilton, was the site of his career’s first tournament win in 1988. He captured the Pot of Gold $200 No-Limit Hold’em event for $17,550. It was marked as the third entry on his Hendon Mob record and at the time stood as his largest-ever payday. Just months later, he surpassed that with $125,000 at the Diamond Jim Brady $10,000 event, before making history in 1989 by winning the WSOP Main Event for $755,000.
Episode 11 Lineup and Stacks
The 11th episode introduced a fresh table of players for the $25/$50 game with a $50 big blind ante, where a $100 straddle frequently came into play. Starting stacks were as follows:
| Seat | Player | Stack |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xuan Liu | $20,100 |
| 2 | Phillip Hellmuth III | $5,000 |
| 3 | Randy “3Coin” Sadler | $14,600 |
| 4 | Nevada (Chris) | $5,000 |
| 5 | Dan “Jungleman” Cates | $10,000 |
| 6 | Phil Hellmuth | $5,000 |
| 7 | DJ Washburn | $10,000 |
Key Hands of the Night
- “Wimpiest Call I’ve Ever Made”
In the first major hand, “Nevada” raised with pocket queens, Hellmuth called with A♣J♣, and the board ran out A♠Q♠A♦5♥5♦. Nevada’s full house was counterfeited, leaving Hellmuth’s trip aces best. He collected a $4,300 pot but admitted afterward, “This is the wimpiest call I’ve ever made.” - Nevada Cracks Under Pressure
On Hand #17, Nevada’s pocket kings faced a bold shove from 3Coin after a scare card runout. Unable to call, Nevada released his hand, continuing a rough stretch. - “How Bad Does Chris Run?”
Later, Nevada again picked up kings and found himself all in against 3Coin. The flop was favorable, but the turn ace crushed his hand, drawing a comment from Hellmuth, “How bad does Chris run?” - 3Coin vs. Jungleman
One of the night’s largest pots occurred on Hand #30. After 3Coin three-bet with A♣Q♠ and bet big on a Q♥6♥J♣ flop, Cates shoved with a set of sixes. 3Coin called, only to be drawing dead. Cates won the $24,550 pot, further cementing his big night.
Final Results
At the end of the broadcast, players’ final stacks were recorded as follows:
| Player | Final Stack |
|---|---|
| Xuan Liu | $16,800 |
| Phillip Hellmuth III | $4,350 |
| Randy “3Coin” Sadler | $5,000 |
| Nevada (Chris) | $9,875 |
| Dan “Jungleman” Cates | $24,350 |
| Phil Hellmuth | $10,900 |
| DJ Washburn | $18,375 |
What’s Next
Hellmuth’s Home Game continues every Monday through the end of 2025 on CBS Sports at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT (with exceptions such as the September 18 episode airing an hour earlier). Each week showcases new poker storylines, table banter, and major pots from Hellmuth’s personal lineup.
