Phil Hellmuth joins the WPT broadcast team as the new host of the WPT Raw Deal. (WPT photo)

Tony Dunst made the move from hosting the World Poker Tour’s Raw Deal segment to the commentary booth for Season XVI of the WPT, leaving a large void to be filled. In grand fashion, none other than Phil Hellmuth is joining the WPT team as the new Raw Deal analyst.

The move comes as the WPT season heads to Los Angeles for the Legends of Poker event at the end of August. Similar to Dunst, Hellmuth’s role will be to provide insight and analysis on hands that play out over the course of the WPT television broadcast on Fox Sports. Previous to the World Poker Tour, Hellmuth served in a comparable role on ESPN’s World Series of Poker episodes when he gave commentary during his segments of “White Magic.”

Given his experience both as a player and commentator, Hellmuth is a natural fit for the Raw Deal and the WPT looks forward to having him on the broadcasts.

World Poker Tour CEO Adam Pliska voiced his pleasure in welcoming Hellmuth to the team.

“It is the World Poker Tour’s great pleasure to welcome Phil Hellmuth as our new WPT Raw Deal analyst. It takes a unique ability to be the WPT Raw Deal analyst, and the World Poker Tour is confident that it has found the perfect successor to Tony Dunst in Phil Hellmuth. Phil’s insightful poker analysis comes with the right amount of edginess, and his poker résumé speaks for itself, exemplifying all the WPT looks for in its Raw Deal analyst.”

Known for voicing his full opinion at the table and as a member of commentary team, Hellmuth looks forward to bringing that same energy to the WPT.

“I am honored to join the World Poker Tour as the new WPT Raw Deal analyst. Becoming a part of the World Poker Tour family has been a career dream of mine, and I’d like to thank Adam Pliska for providing me this exciting opportunity. Backed by my decades of poker experience, I look forward to offering no-holds-barred commentary and analysis as host of the WPT Raw Deal.”

Hellmuth’s first appearance will be for the WPT Choctaw tournament, which concluded play on August 8.