This guy is one of the genuine bad boys of poker. There appears to be no limit to this trash talking at the table, a habit which earned him the nickname “The Mouth”, and few people can put up with him for a longer period of time.
Make no mistake though, he can certainly put his poker skills where his mouth is, any day. Although he is one of the best when focused, he sometimes “melts down” or “blows up” messing up a good few days of solid play on a quick series of abysmal calls.
Born in 1968 in Los Angeles, Mike had been a victim of bullying in school, and he never attended any form of higher education. Initially intent on becoming a mechanic, he ended up in the casinos playing video poker, and soon he was no stranger to Gamblers Anonymous meetings either.
His first encounter with poker came in the early 90s, when he began working as a dealer at Sam’s Town. He used that time to study players and their habits, and soon he felt he could take on the best of them and win. He did exactly that, staked by an elderly patron, without whom he could never have become a poker pro. Due to the backing that he had received in the beginning of his career, Mike is known to readily stake any fellow professional, if he/she is in need of money.
Word has it that he had staked Scotty Nguyen in his 1998 WSOP Main Event run, with a 3rd of the buy-in, as a result of which he made $333k on Scotty’s eventual win.
Having had his fair share of problems in life as an adult too, Mike has been working on straightening things up in his private life for the last few years. In the meantime, he’s never stopped improving as a poker player.
His career achievements include 3 WSOP bracelets, 21 money finishes in WSOP events. His highest Big Dance position was 6th in 2001. In the WPT he’s made 4 final tables, and finished in the money 6 times.
He placed 3rd in the Ultimate Bet Aruba classic in 2004.
His total live tourney winnings exceed $5.6 million.
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