
Phil Hellmuth shared some juicy news with Daniel Negreanu involving an investment into America’s future he helped propose with Senator Ted Cruz (R).
The conversation between the poker legends, recorded on Negreanu’s phone, took place on Thursday at the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP). Hellmuth is fresh off a third-place finish in Event #47: $2,500 Limit Omaha 8/Stud 8, narrowly missing out on his record-extending 18th bracelet. But on this day, he’s talking politics.
Poker Legend Gets Credit for New Policy

Hellmuth, in a video captured by the WSOP and posted to X, said while playing poker with Cruz, who ran for president in 2016, that he assisted in a proposed policy that could benefit America’s youth.
“I was playing poker with Ted Cruz,” Hellmuth, showing his phone to Negreanu, said. “And then, I told him about my friend’s [who want to give] each baby born in America $1,000. We think it’s going to be great for capitalism. You can’t touch it until you’re 18, and now they’re giving me a little bit of credit.”
Negreanu then needled Hellmuth for taking credit, to which the “Poker Brat” responded, “1% credit.”
Hellmuth’s referring to the Invest America Act that Cruz introduced on May 12. The Senator representing Texas seeks to establish “a private tax-advantaged account with a $1,000 seed investment from the federal government for every American child at birth.”
“The Invest America Act will trigger fundamental and transformative changes for the financial security and personal freedoms of American citizens for generations. Every child in America will have private investment accounts that will compound over their lives, enhancing the prosperity and economic participation of the vast majority of Americans. When people years from now talk about the changes created by Republican efforts this Congress, this is one of the landmark achievements they will talk about,” Cruz proposed.
Cruz has been known to play some cards from time to time. He appeared in a game a couple of years ago that aired on PokerGO. Hellmuth is friends with the congressman and various other politicians across both political parties.
Hellmuth and Negreanu are both competing in Event #55: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship.
In this Series
- 1 What to Expect from GGPoker’s First Summer WSOP Schedule Release
- 2 Mark Your Calendar: 2025 WSOP to Run in Las Vegas from May 27-July 16
- 3 2025 WSOP Schedule Released: 100 Bracelet Events Confirmed
- 4 Hellmuth Calls Time on the WSOP Main Event: ‘I Just Can’t Do It Anymore’
- 5 Negreanu, Other Poker Pros Sound Off on Hellmuth’s WSOP Main Event Complaints
- 6 Fedor Holz Says WSOP Bans Are Coming for Online Poker Cheaters
- 7 WSOP Bracelets – All Your Questions Answered
- 8 Daniel Negreanu Reveals His WSOP 2025 Schedule; ‘Kid Poker’ to Play the Seniors Event?
- 9 What Are the Biggest Wins in WSOP History?
- 10 Poker Raffles Is Sending Someone to the WSOP Main Event for Only £1
- 11 CelestialPoker Daily Deepstack Challenge Returns to 2025 WSOP w/ 50 SEATS for Deepstack Championship
- 12 What Happened to Peter Eastgate’s 2008 WSOP Main Event Bracelet That Sold for $150,000?
- 13 Is a Poker Vlogger an Industry Employee? WSOP’s New Rules Stir Controversy
- 14 What Are the Biggest Wins in WSOP History?
- 15 WSOP Records That Will (Probably) Never Be Broken
- 16 Looking at the Worst Bad Beats in World Series of Poker History
- 17 WSOP Tournament of Champions $1 Million Freeroll Returning to Commerce Casino May 15-17
- 18 Is It Worth Playing Cash Games During the WSOP?
- 19 TripAdvisor’s Top 10 Things To Do In Las Vegas During The 2025 WSOP
- 20 How Foreign Travelers to the 2025 WSOP Will Be Impacted by Trump’s Executive Order
- 21 WSOP+ App Launches to Streamline 2025 World Series of Poker Experience
- 22 Electronic Devices, Player Bans & More: 6 Key 2025 WSOP Rule Changes You Must Know
- 23 Check Out the PokerGO Streaming Schedule for the 2025 World Series of Poker
- 24 Find Out Why Shaun Deeb Gives Away All of His WSOP Gold Bracelets
- 25 2025 World Series of Poker ‘Not Going to Be About Results’ for Daniel Negreanu
- 26 CelestialPoker Named Official Live Reporting Partner of the 2025 WSOP
- 27 Five Reasons Winning Poker Players Lose Money at the WSOP
- 28 CelestialPoker Staff 2025 WSOP Predictions – Player of the Year? Potential Bans?
- 29 Phil Hellmuth Will Play the 2025 World Series of Poker Main Event After All
- 30 Follow All the Daniel Negreanu $25K Fantasy Draft Picks this WSOP with CelestialPoker
- 31 Upcoming Milestones and Record Possibilities at the 2025 WSOP Part 1
- 32 Upcoming Milestones and Record Possibilities at the 2025 WSOP Part 2
- 33 Horseshoe & Paris: Your Guide to the Home of the World Series of Poker (WSOP)
- 34 Why Shaun Deeb isn’t as ‘Amped Up’ for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) This Year
- 35 Texas Mike Goes All In Blind at WSOP, Runs into Jacks, Queens, Kings & Aces
- 36 Phil Ivey Arrives at 2025 WSOP, Promptly Busts Moments After Questionable Bet
- 37 ‘Fake News’ Doug Polk Trashes Phil Hellmuth for Backtracking on WSOP Main Event Plans
- 38 Alan Keating ‘Got Outplayed’ in WSOP Heads-Up Event; Wants to Face Negreanu
- 39 Poker Player Who Hit $6.4M Pai Gow Jackpot Pulls $1M WSOP Mystery Bounty
- 40 WSOP $1 Million Mystery Bounty Pulled Within an Hour
- 41 Phil Hellmuth’s Son Has World Series of Poker Bracelet Dreams of His Own
- 42 WSOP Hands of the Week: Schulman Owns Kabrhel & A New Cult-Hero
- 43 Negreanu vs. Blom: Poker Legends Set to Square Off for WSOP Bracelet
- 44 Bad Blood Brewing Between Shaun Deeb and Sean Perry in WSOP High Roller
- 45 ‘Texas Mike’ Makes Unconventional Play on Soft Bubble in WSOP High Roller
- 46 How WSOP Champ Beat Improbable Odds to Win a $1 Million Bonus Check
- 47 Has This Unsung Poker Star Been the Top WSOP Performer Since 2015?
- 48 Gus Hansen Involved in One of the Rarest Poker Hands You’ll See at the 2025 WSOP
- 49 Did WSOP High Roller Winner Angle Shoot at Final Table?
- 50 WATCH: Full Seat Redraw Needed in WSOP High Roller After 72 Max Late Register
- 51 Poker Player Penalized for Expletives After Refusing to Color Up Deep in WSOP Event
- 52 WSOP Online Poker Bracelet Event Canceled on Day 2 Due to Technical Issues
- 53 Massive Cooler Near Money Bubble of WSOP’s Biggest Buy-In So Far
- 54 Daniel Negreanu Reaches Another 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Final Table
- 55 It’s Becoming the ‘Summer of Isildur’ at the 2025 World Series of Poker
- 56 Phil Ivey Records First Cash at 2025 WSOP, and He’s Big-Stacked in $100K High Roller
- 57 How Are Team Grosvenor Getting on in Las Vegas?
- 58 WSOP Addresses Cancelled Online Bracelet Event: “Disruption Severely Impacted Integrity of the Game”
- 59 Big Changes Announced for WSOP Circuit; Remaining 2025 Schedule Released
- 60 Brutal River Card Dooms Mike Matusow Deep in WSOP Seniors High Roller
- 61 ‘Whiny’ Phil Hellmuth Vows to ‘Play Great Poker’ After Slow Start to 2025 WSOP
- 62 WSOP Performance of the Week: Schulman Strengthens Hall of Fame Case w/ Bracelet #7
- 63 Angela Defoe Balances Poker, Artistry & Being Married to a Rock Star
- 64 Seven-High Bluff in WSOP $250K w/ 15% Pot Bet; Did It Work?
- 65 Is This Player the Next Big Thing at the World Series of Poker?
- 66 Sean Perry Loses $250,000 in Five Minutes at the World Series of Poker
- 67 Op-Ed: Is Martin Kabrhel’s Act Good for Poker and the WSOP?
- 68 Navy Vet Played Poker on a Nuclear Sub, Now He’s Chasing a WSOP Bracelet
- 69 Hands of the Week: Peters FINALLY Shuts Up Kabrhel on $250k Bubble
- 70 Seiver, Galfond, Schulman Newcomers Among Poker Hall of Fame Finalists
- 71 Hellmuth Chip Leading at World Series of Poker Final Table in Quest of 18th Bracelet
- 72 ‘Rampage’ Struggling to Spin it Up at 2025 World Series of Poker — ‘Ready to Quit’
- 73 Which of These Players is the Best Without a WSOP Bracelet in 2025?
- 74 Phil Hellmuth Helped Ted Cruz Introduce Policy Benefiting America’s Youth