Probably because his hold em game is pretty flawed
Think Hellmuth has only won braceletes in Hold em, but the game has changed so much these last few years (bigger fields/ more agressive preflop etc), and thats why people are saying he is getting left behind because he hasnt really adapted his game.
Yeah, that"s what everyone says but is it really the case with regard to live tournament poker? Ignoring the earlier years, these are his WSOP results for the last 5 years (Hold Em only), ignoring some lower cashes:
2010: 15/2341
2009: 17/446, 24/928, 29/1646
2008: 45/6844 (Main Event), 71/2304
2007: 1/2628, 6/827, 25/296, 31/728
2006: 1/754, 2/622, 3/484, 13/415
I wish my Hold Em game was as flawed and left-behind as that.
Regarding him being a Hold Em specialist, in the same period he has made FTs in PLO, PLO Hi-Lo, Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, HORSE and now 2-7 Lowball, as well as cashing in Stud Hi-Lo and Six-Max.
In all WSOP events, he has had 11 FTs and 31 cashes since 2006.
Is everyone just accepting the conventional wisdom without looking at the evidence?
Edit: PH currently 28/384 from 1378 in Event 26 - NLHE 6 Max. Mind you, Audley Harrison is 21st.