Mike Matusow

Born in 1968 in Los Angeles.

In a nutshell…

If you’ve never seen Matusow play poker, you’ve certainly “heard” him play. Nicknamed “The Mouth” for painfully obvious reasons, Matusow has two WSOP bracelets and two top-10 Main Event finishes since 1997. His success at the WSOP speaks for itself. Along with his bracelets, he has nine career final-table finishes and 15 cashes. He ranks 49 th on the all-time WSOP earnings list. Most recently, Matusow won the WSOP Tournament of Champions in November, earning $1 million and besting a field that included some of the game’s best players.

Despite his felt accomplishments and being widely regarded as one of the best Omaha players in the world, Matusow is most famous for his antics at the felt. Some consider him one of poker’s great entertainers…others consider him one of the game’s most annoying competitors. His fondness of table talk and his tendency to melt down have become his trademarks. In the 2004 WSOP Main Event, he got considerable TV face time for a now infamous trash-talk session with eventual champion Greg Raymer. Later that same day, he openly cried and broke down after being knocked out of the tourney. In the 2005 WSOP Main Event, Matusow had a much-talked-about confrontation with Shawn Sheikhan on the second-to-last day. Earlier in the event, he was issued a 40-minute penalty for cursing.

Life story…

Matusow moved to Vegas from L.A. with his family at the age of 10. He says he was never into gambling until a friend introduced him to video poker at the age of 18. After meeting a local rounder who introduced him to real poker, Matusow grinded out an honest but hard living for a couple of years before going to work as a dealer at both The Orleans and Sam’s Town Casino in the early 1990s. In that capacity, he developed a love for the game and spent his time studying players and game strategy. Soon, Matusow felt comfortable enough to enter small tournaments, many of which he won. The Mouth became a regular in tourneys around Vegas, boosting both his bankroll and confidence in the process. In 1997, Matusow entered his first WSOP and finished second to living legend Scotty Nguyen in a $2,000 Omaha Hi-Lo event. It was a sign of WSOP success to come for Matusow.

Sadly, Matusow had some problems away from the poker room. He openly talked about his 2004 arrest for a felony drug violation, which earned him a 6-month prison stay. He was released in April 2005 a self-described changed man.

His playing style could easily be considered aggressive, as could his talkative nature. While some may see his verbal antics as a strategy to rattle his opponents, Matusow says it’s a way to stay mentally involved in the game. Who can argue with him? His career tournament earnings exceed $3.4 million. Matusow is also an active online gambler, and he’s a member of the pro poker posse at Full Tilt Poker.

Poker achievements…

* Two WSOP bracelets - 1999 $3,500 No-Limit Hold ‘Em, 2002 $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo.

* Two WPT money finishes.

* Won the 2005 WSOP Tournament of Champions.

* 1 st place in 2000 U.S. Poker Championship.

* 1 st place in 2000 Carnival of Poker - Omaha Hi-Lo.

Did you know?

* Participated in Spike TV’s “King of Vegas” in 2006.

* Was quoted as saying the following about poker: “It’s the only thing I do good. I’m an idiot when it comes to anything else.”

* Used to be an avid bowler and once bowled a 300 game.

* Good friends with “Kid Poker” Daniel Negreanu. Ironically, he beat Negreanu heads-up to earn his second WSOP bracelet.