Phil Hellmuth Skips WSOP 2018 Players Championship, Fans React

Phil Hellmuth announced he would not play in the WSOP 2018 Players Championship. He tweeted, "@YouStake! I won't be playing in the $50,000 Players Championship, but thanks for the support, it means a lot!"

David 'ODB' Baker, a specialist in limit games, immediately responded to Hellmuth's decision. He tweeted, "@audavidb Phil, you are one of the most recognizable poker players in the world, so I ask you to reconsider! Your participation adorns this tournament. Winning it, when you didn't sit down – a stigma for life. Please reconsider."

Adam Friedman, the winner of the Dealer's Choice Championship, also joined the conversation. He tweeted, "@AdamFriedman119 I hesitated to play the $50k Players Championship. But when I found out that Phil Hellmuth would miss it, everything fell into place: I don't have the moral right to participate in it. ODB is 100% right – I don't want to win and have people point at me, saying I won only because Hellmuth took a day off."