Phil Hellmuth Joins Celebrity Poker Showdown

This year will be the first year in which Bravo’s “Celebrity Poker Showdown” will be without its poker expert, Phil Gordon. Poker News Daily reported Gordon’s departure back in November 2005, but the poker pro just recently made his official public announcement.

Replacing Gordon on the show will be another Phil, nine-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, Phil Hellmuth. While not always regarded as the best sport in the world, Hellmuth did do some commentary on CardPlayer.com’s audio webcast of the WSOP main event final table and received very positive reviews from listeners.

Dave Foley will continue to be the show’s host. “Celebrity Poker Showdown” will be adding $1 million to the prize pool this year, with all of it going to help in the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. The show will also film its next tournament in New Orleans.

Originally published March 23, 2006