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'The Ambassador of Poker' Mike Sexton Bio and Poker Profile

"A true gentleman who has constantly enhanced the game of poker both with his play at the tables and his promotion of the game off of it" - this is how PartyPoker spokesman and WPT host @Mike Sexton was presented in the announcement of his 2009 induction into the Poker Hall of Fame and five years later, it's more true than ever! 

Photo: Hochgepokert.com

Early years

Michael Richard Sexton was born on September 22, 1947 in Shelby, Indiana and grew up in Dayton, Ohio.

He started in gymnastics at the age of 10, together with his older brother Tom, and his excellence in the sport later earned him a four-year scholarship at Ohio State University, where he completed a degree in public recreation (after stwitching from business).

In 1970, Mike Sexton joined the U.S. army as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division and was stationed in North Carolina. For a few years after his military service, he worked as a sales rep before deciding he could make his living playing poker full-time.

Poker beginnings

Mike started playing poker when he was 13 years old, played a lot throughout his college years.

He had been supporting himself entirely by grinding cash games in North Carolina for 7 years when he played his first World Series of Poker in 1984. Sexton cashed in two events, decided that Las Vegas was the place for him and made it his home in January 1985.

 

The WSOP

He hasn't missed a WSOP in 26 years and has actually cashed in every single World Series since 1988, including a bracelet win in 1989 in a $1,500 7 card stud event! His current score is 61 paid places and $3,475,428 (Including the $1 million win in the 2006 Tournament of Champions), which puts him  in 13th position in the all-time worldwide ranking by WSOP ITM.

 

WPT Flashbacks: Mike Sexton

The WPT and PartyPoker

Mike Sexton has been part of the World Poker Tour ever since its inception. Since 2002, as WPT host and PartyPoker spokesman, he has firmly established himself as one of the best-recognized voices and faces of poker, a model ambassador and a dedicated champion of the game. 

 

On June 27, 2006, he won the third annual invitational World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions event where he topped an exclusive field of 27 in final heads-up play for the $1 million prize with @Daniel Negreanu:

The next high point in his live poker career was the historic $1 million buy-in 2012 Big One for One Drop, when Mike Sexton finished 9th and scored his biggest cash to date: $1,109,333!


Giving back

After taking down the 2006 Tournament of Champions, Sexton decided to donate half of his post-tax winnings to charities and pledged to do the same in the future. In 2008, together with @Linda Johnson @Jan Fisher and Lisa Tenner, Mike Sexton founded Poker Gives.

Poker Gives was founded with the mission to create and support opportunities for poker players to actually make a diference and "act as a charitable vehicle to collect and redistribute donations from card rooms, fundraisers, poker players and special events". 

Poker Hall of Fame

In 2009 the prestigious institution of the Poker Hall of Fame welcomed its 38th member - "a true gentleman who has constantly enhanced the game of poker both with his play at the tables and his promotion of the game off of it". Sexton was the only inductee in 2009. Nominees included Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Tom McEvoy, Scotty Nguyen and Dan Harrington.

 "To you other eight guys that were on the ballot, a piece of my induction goes out to you because you were all a big part of me making it here" (Emotional Sexton officially inducted into Poker Hall of Fame, Gary Trask)

 "Being a Hall of Famer allows me to stay among the greatest players in the game for the rest of my life, But even when I'm gone, Ty will be able to enjoy it. That makes me very proud", Sexton said in his acceptance speech, referring to the 'love of his life' - his wife Karen and their young son, Ty. 

Check out Mike Sexton's player stats page for a full listing of his live tournament results since 1981 - as of January 2015, an impressive 215 ITM totalling $5,681,696!

RankingHero: Mike Sexton Profile Page

Mike Sexton talks to @Nicolas Levi about the present and future of the poker industry: Poker Hall of Famer Mike Sexton Interview: 'Poker is not going anywhere, it will continue to grow!'   

YouTube: Mike Sexton Video Playlist

WSOP.com: MIKE SEXTON JOINS POKER HALL OF FAME

PartyPoker: Mike Sexton Blog

#RKHbio #WeeklyHero 

"doing a double twister on the trampoline"..... :))) gymnastics, poker, charity....Bravo Mike Sexton ! And thank you ! :)

nice interview enjoyed it