Bodog Beat

Poker pro Phil Hellmuth fell just two spots short of winning his record-setting twefth WSOP bracelet. (Bodog Beat Image)

At about 1am this morning, poker pro Phil Hellmuth's run at WSOP bracelet No. 12, and his first in a non-holdem event, came up short when he was eliminated by Tommy Hang during a round of Omaha. The $1,500 HORSE event wrapped up a couple of hours later when James Schaaf in turn busted Hang to win the bracelet Hellmuth had his eye on and the $256,412 first-place prize.

When Hellmuth enters an event he's always a favorite to win a bracelet, but that's usually just in holdem events. Every one of his 11 bracelets has come in this discipline, and when he reached the final table of the mixed game HORSE event he had his mind set on two things, breaking his own record for number of bracelets (11) and winning his very first mixed game bracelet.

Looking around the table must've been comforting for him as there wasn't a lot of name recognition or high-powered players shuffling their chips around him, except for maybe Victor Ramdin. Hellmuth managed to outlast and outplay all but two of them earning $93,168 for his third-place finish. Not many players would be disappointed with that result, but you know that he could almost feel the gold around his wrist.

Hellmuth will now have only one more chance to win his 12th bracelet at the 2008 WSOP and that will be in the Main Event, something he's won before and would love to do again. Thursday is the day that it all begins and we'll be here, but not before some serious partying.