Mike Matusow Player Profile, Biography, and Net Worth

Jon Sofen
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Posted on: August 11, 2021 9:00 pm EDT

Mike Matusow is one of the most polarizing figures in poker history. He’s long been known for being one of the loudest players at the table. But he also had a long run as one of the top poker players in the world, although he has a history of financial problems..Still, he’s an interesting and entertaining character, and has quite a large fan base.

Who is Mike Matusow?

Michael Matusow, a Los Angeles native, was born April 30, 1968, and now resides in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson, Nevada. He began playing poker in the early 1990s and is clearly a natural at the game.

Years ago, Matusow earned the nickname, “The Mouth,” because he is a loud, talkative, and sometimes obnoxious, poker player. He is known for his meltdowns at the table, referred to as the “Mike Matusow Blowup.” During many televised poker tournaments over the years, he played well right up until one frustrating hand that caused him to completely meltdown and lose all his chips. That’s sort of his trademark.

Mike Matusow biography

Prior to the 2016 presidential election, Matusow was only known for his poker accomplishments and his table meltdowns. But then he became seemingly obsessed with politics in 2016, and has since been one of the most outspoken political commentators on poker Twitter.

He’s an avid Donald Trump fan and often repeats the same anti-Liberal propaganda you’ll find on Fox News or discredited sites such as Gateway Pundit. Due to his insulting posts directed at those who don’t share his political views, he is often criticized by non-Conservative members of the poker community. In 2014, he admitted that he is bi-polar.

“The Mouth” also has a history of drug abuse and degenerate gambling. After winning $1 million for 9th place in the 2005 WSOP Main Event, he admitted to blowing it all playing poker online within a month. His mother was forced to confiscate his laptop.

One month before the 2005 World Series of Poker, he was released from prison after a six-month stay for felony drug possession. He has since avoided further incarcerations and now hosts a poker podcast, “The Mouthpiece.”

Full Tilt Poker era

Matusow was one of the top Full Tilt Poker pros during the poker boom era, along with Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, Chris Ferguson, and many other superstars of the game at the time. On April 15, 2011, the poker site was shut down in the United States and its founder, Ray Bitar, faced criminal charges for illegal gambling and wire fraud.

Although Matusow was a prominent ambassador for Full Tilt, he claims that the poker site ruined his life. Following the “Black Friday” scandal, he received angry messages from poker players after being accused of owing Full Tilt money. That was supposedly money that could have been used to pay back the players who were locked out of their FTP accounts.

Matusow denied the claims and said he lost everything because the poker site was banned in the U.S. He lost his only source of income — FTP sponsorship money — and the money in his player account. He claims to have lost millions of dollars in the scandal, but was warned months in advance by Daniel Negreanu, the top ambassador of PokerStars at the time, that Full Tilt was about to go under.

Mike Matusow poker accomplishments

Putting aside his judgement and the Full Tilt Poker situation, “The Mouth” used to be one of the top poker players in the game, especially at Omaha/8. He won his first of four World Series of Poker gold bracelets in 1999, a $265,475 score in the $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em tournament. His most recent bracelet was in 2013 ($5,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo 8-or-Better for $266,503).

The game has clearly passed Matusow by as he doesn’t have many meaningful accomplishments since he won the 2013 NBC Heads-Up Championship for $750,000. He beat out his long-time friend, Phil Hellmuth, in the final round.

In total, Matusow has just under $10 million in live tournament cashes, most of which he won before 2014. That includes four WSOP bracelets, five World Poker Tour final table appearances, and the NBC Heads-Up Championship title. On top of that, he was arguably the most feared Omaha/8 cash game player in the early 2000s.

What is Mike Matusow’s net worth?

This is where things get a bit tricky when profiling Mike Matusow. His net worth is constantly changing because he has a long history of building a $1 million bankroll or more, and then quickly losing it all. He admits he’s done that numerous times throughout his life.

Matusow no longer plays in the highest stakes games because he isn’t bankrolled to do so. But he doesn’t have a difficult time coming up with money when he needs it, thanks in large part to having some generous friends such as Phil Hellmuth, who often stakes him in games and bails him out of trouble.

Featured image source: Flickr