Champion of Poker

Mike “The Mouth” Matusow has had a life and a poker career that has been as turbulent as any in the history of poker. Mike started out as a dealer and a professional video poker player in his younger life but was introduced to Texas Holdem in 1989 by Steve Samaroff. Matusow experienced a lot of success early and then proceeded to start playing poker professionally.

He would make his first splash in the tournament world when he finished runner up to Scotty Nguyen in the 1997 World Series of Poker $2,000 Omaha 8 event. Matusow would then break through in 1999 when he took his first bracelet in the $3,500 NL Holdem event. The same year he finished 5th in the $1,500 Omaha 8 event.

Matusow made the first of his two final tables in the Main Event in 2001 when he finished 6th to eventual champion Carlos Mortensen. The next year, Matusow would win his 2nd bracelet in the $5,000 Omaha 8 or Better event. After the 2004 WSOP, Matusow would proceed to spend 6 months in jail on drug charges. Matusow had a history of drug abuse and depression. He claimed that the stint in jail changed his life.

It must have also improved his poker as 2005 saw Matusow’s best money finishes at the WSOP. First, he made the final table of the Main Event, but a couple of bad beats made him the first player eliminated. His 9th place finish netted him a cool $1 Million. Rumor is that Matusow went through the Million in 3 days. After the end of the Main Event, Matusow was part of the WSOP Tournament of Champions. He went on to win that event and as a result took home another $1 Million.

After his tournament of Champions win, Matusow went on to have several high profile finishes. He made two WPT final tables in the span of 3 months in 2007, finishing runner up at the Bellagio Cup event and 6th at the Borgata Poker Open. The combined events netted him nearly a Million. He also took the Poker Superstars III Championship in 2007 for $500,000. He also finished in the money in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event in 2007.

2008 was another banner year for Matusow at the WSOP. He kicked off the World Series of Poker by winning his 3rd WSOP bracelet in the NL 2-7 Lowball event after outlasting a final table that featured Jeffrey Lisandro, Erik Lindgren, Tony G, and Barry Greenstein. He would then make the final table of the $10,000 Omaha 8 of Better World Championship, where he finished 5th and had two other money finishes, including finishing 30th in the Main Event. The Main Event drew 6844 players. Matusow would then go and finish in the money during the Main Event of the World Series of Poker Europe, finishing 18th.

Matusow is famous for being very loud and borderline obnoxious at the tables. He also is famous for “Matusow blow-ups” which are bad plays that cripple his stack or eliminate him from events. His friends and fellow pros state that away from the table he is an incredibly nice guy and has a big heart. One thing that is unmistakable about Matusow is that he is an incredible poker talent. He has nearly $7 Million in live tournament earnings and counting. At just 40, we should hear a lot from “The Mouth” for years to come.