Phil Hellmuth Feeling Jesus's Love

Last year, Howard Lederer issued an apology for his part in the Full Tilt Poker scandal of 2011, describing it as “a travesty that I should not have allowed to happen.” Several year after PokerStars bought Full Tilt, and ultimately bailed out those players with missing balances on the now defunct site, Full Tilt founders Lederer and Chris “Jesus” Ferguson then felt comfortable enough to return to the live tournament scene by making a much-publicized appearance at the 2016 WSOP in Las Vegas.
That year, Chris Ferguson booked a total of 10 cashes at the Series, including a 4th place finish at the $10,000 No Limit Hold’em 6-Handed Championship for $183,989, ultimately good for a 11th place finish on the WSOP Player of the Year.
In 2017, however, Ferguson has been on a tear, cashing in at 17 events at the WSOP in Las Vegas for $380,200, with his good form continuing into the WSOP Europe currently taking place in the Czech Republic. The player has now recorded a further six cashes, with his latest including a victory at the €1,650 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better event for €39,289, making him a lock to win the prestigious 2017 WSOP Player of the Year title.
In the meantime, 14-times WSOP bracelet winner has welcomed Ferguson back to the WSOP fold, and tweeted the photo opposite, as well as the following message:
“Welcome back to the @WSOP winners circle Chris Ferguson!! #ChrisFergusonsSixthWSOPWin #WSOPBraceletHunting #POSITIVITY
Needless to say, Hellmuth attracted a great deal of criticism from the poker community, with the 53 year-old subsequently responding by stating that he is “a forgiving person” and ultimately believes that Ferguson was innocent of many of the accusations levelled against him.
On the other side of the divide, one of the many outspoken players who have been openly hostile to Ferguson in the past is Daniel Negreanu. The Canadian pro has been particular scathing of Ferguson’s refusal to follow Lederer’s example by issuing an apology, and accused him of weaseling his way back into the WSOP, and not having even a “shred of decency.”
The photo of Hellmuth and Ferguson together subsequently proved too much for Negreanu to bear, especially with Ferguson now looking set to pick up the WSOP POY award, and as he then tweeted:
“Couldn’t find time to grab a selfie with Harvey Weinstein, Chris Brown, or Bernie Madoff? Next best thing I guess.”
Meanwhile, Negreanu described himself as a “forgiving person”, perhaps indicating that he would do likewise to Ferguson if he ever acknowledged his role in the Full Tilt scandal. If Ferguson does eventually win the POY title, it will be interesting to hear just what type of acceptance speech and message he will then chose to send to the poker community.