Mike Matusow - Poker Mouth One of the loudest mouths in the poker industry, Mike Matusow was born in April 30, 1968, in Los Angeles, California but later grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada. As a kid, he was bullied in school. Unlike many of his fellow poker players, he did not go to college. Instead he tried to get work as an auto mechanic but failed to complete the required training. He soon ended up working for his parents in their furniture store.

Mike Matusow Learns To Play Poker

When Mike Matusow turned 18, he started playing video poker at the Maxim Casino and played so much that he eventually suffered from repetitive strain in his shoulders and arm. At one point he was stealing money from his mother’s purse in order to play which landed him in Gambler’s Anonymous. Later he took a job as a dealer at Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall. The job allowed Matusow to observe and study other players, picking up tips and strategies. At the end of his shift, he would go test what he learned at the poker tables.

Mike Matusow became adept at Omaha Hi and Omaha Hi/Lo, and Texas Hold’Em. He used what he learned as a poker dealer and applied it to his game. He also studied other players and analyzed the hands that were played. Matusow gained confidence in his game and decided to try to make it as a pro poker player. So he quit his job as a dealer and entered his first poker tournament.

Mike Matusow - World Series of Poker

Mike Matusow entered his first World Series of Poker tournament in 1997 and came close to winning it. In the $2,000 Omaha Hi/Lo event, at a tough final table that included Ted Forrest and Dan Heimiller, Matusow came in second place. He was defeated in heads-up by Scotty Nguyen but his second place win earned him $81,000.

Then at the 1998 WSOP, Mike Matusow paid one-third of Nguyen’s entry fee into the main event. Nguyen went on to win the $1 million event and gave Matusow $333,333 for his stake.

Mike Matusow’s first break-out win came in 1999 at the WSOP. At the $3,500 No Limit Hold’Em event, he made it to the final table where he defeated Pascal Perrault, Alex Brenes, and Noel Furlong to take first place. It earned him his first WSOP bracelet and $265,475. A few days later, he made another final table at the Limit Omaha Hi/Lo event and took fifth place.

Mike Matusow - Poker Tournaments

The Mike Matusow poker career was off and running. In 2000 at the Carnival of Poker Limit Omaha Hi/Lo event he took first place and won $49,275. In December of 2000, he won first place at the U.S. Poker Championship at the Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City and took home $46,000. For the next year, he would finish in the money numerous times.

In 2001, Mike Matusow finished in sixth place at the WSOP Main Event. It was one of the toughest final tables he ever faced. At the table were poker pros like Phil Gordon, Phil Hellmuth, Dewey Tomko, and eventual winner Carlos Mortensen. It turned out to be one of Matusow’s best performance at the table and the win earned him $240,000.

In 2002, Matusow struck gold again at the WSOP. He ended up taking first in Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, beating out Daniel Negreanu in heads-up. The win earned him his second gold bracelet and $148,520. In April of that year at another WSOP event, he made the final table in No Limit Hold’Em and took third place.

The Matusow Meltdown

Despite his success, Mike Matusow fell to the extravagant lifestyle that money can bring in Las Vegas. He began drinking and abusing drugs, blowing his money on sports betting, strip clubs, and other vices. He was spending as much as he made at poker.

During this time, he became known for his implosions at the table, referred to as a ‘Matusow Meltdown’. These implosions usually occurred when Matusow would be playing a solid game and then out of nowhere would make a series of bad moves that would bust him out in just a few short hands. As his life spiraled out of control, these meltdowns became more frequent, usually right before or right after making it to the final table.

Mike The Mouth Matusow

Mike Matusow is also known for his constantly running mouth. He is widely known for trash talking and needling his opponents. It is a trait that has caused him to be either loved or hated among both his peers and fans.

At one such instant at the 2004 WSOP, Matusow kept mouthing off to Greg ‘Fossilman’ Raymer. After the match, Matusow tried to shake Raymer’s hand but Raymer refused.

Another time, at the 2005 WSOP, Matusow was accused of throwing cards at the dealer. When the tournament director came to investigate, Mike Matusow defended himself and the other players at the table backed him.

The director relented. But after a few minutes Matusow, still steaming about the confrontation, dropped an f-bomb. The director immediately penalized him ten minutes.

Mike Matusow replied ‘F*** that!” and was penalized again.

His response was ‘F***ing great!”

Another penalty.

Then as Matusow walked away he dropped another f-bomb and was penalized again.

It was an accumulated 40 minutes in penalties.

Mike Matusow Arrest & Prison

In 2004, the fast life caught up to Mike Matusow. He was busted for attempting to buy cocaine from an undercover narcotics officer and sentenced to six months in prison. Many of his friends say that he was set up, that he was in the process of cleaning up his life. Matusow claimed he thought that he was just doing a friend a favor but that friend turned out to be a cop. Right before he went to prison, he took third place at the World Poker Tour in Aruba.

When Mike Matusow was released from prison in 2005, it took a while for him to get his rhythm back. But then he went on a roll and finished in ninth place out of 5,600 players at the WSOP. The win earned him $1 million.

By the end of the tournament, he was the last professional player standing. The rest were unknowns.

A month later at the WSOP Tournament of Champions, he defeated Hoyt Corkins in heads-up to win the title and another cool million. He had other money finishes for the next few years. Then in 2008 at the WSOP Main Event, he won his third bracelet in $5,000 No Limit 2-7 Draw with rebuys. He defeated Jeff Lisandro and took home the $537,862 prize.

Mike Matusow - Poker Television

Mike Matusow has appeared in episodes of High Stakes Poker and NBC’s Poker After Dark. He plays online at several sites including UltimateBet, PokerStars, and FullTilt. He is currently a member of Team Full Tilt. He lives in Las Vegas and to this date, his estimated tournament earnings are $6,800,000. Matusow has definitely earned the nickname ‘The Mouth’ but despite his blow-ups, is still regarded as one of the best Omaha players in the world.