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The King of Wednesday night poker on the Travel
Channel, Mike Sexton has to be
one of the most recognizable faces and voices
in the industry. We were very fortunate to sit
down and discuss everything from the
WSOP, the WPT,
and the current legislation issue facing poker
today. Mike is a true fan of the game, as was
evident is his enthusiastic tone and in-depth
answers.
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Part 2 of 2
(Part 1)
PL: Tell us about this
lawsuit between the group of professional players
and the WPT.
MS: A number of those
players have come up to me and said, gI hope
you don't think this is personalh and I don't.
But it all stems around the release form.
Those players who are now famous (and greatly
because of the World Poker Tour, I might add)
have separate contracts for deals on the side.
They don't feel that they can sign the
WPT's release contract because they feel it conflicts
with theirs. Of course, I was thinking
to myself, gIf it wasn't for the World Poker
Tour, you wouldn't even have that other contract.h
On the other hand, I respect players' rights
and am certainly one who firmly believes that
if the WPT or any other business is selling the
likeness of a player and making money on it, then
that player should be compensated. They're
afraid that the WPT is going to use their likeness
on a product that could be competing with something
they're already promoting.
Now I'm not a legal expert by any means, but
I think these players are hurting themselves by
not playing in the World Poker Tour events.
You have to get out and be seen on television
to get those deals, and if you're not, then someone
else certainly is! They're doing what they
think is best for them, and I just don't agree
| what they don't seem to see is that if it were
not for the WPT, none of them would be nearly
as famous as they are today. Players should
respect that and appreciate how the WPT has changed
the game forever.
All the ESPN coverage, and other poker shows
| they're all doing it because of what the World
Poker Tour started. When a new format becomes
popular on television, then others copy it, and
you can't blame people for jumping on the bandwagon
and make a hit for themselves. On the other
hand, you have to remember who the premier player
is, and the WPT even says that their release form
is no different from other shows out there.
I know the legal department is going to try and
bend some and work with the players, but it remains
to be seen.
PL: So how about your
upcoming year | any plans outside of the WPT?
MS: Well, I have a lot
of projects on my plate right now. Hosting
PartyPoker.net and the WPT keeps me pretty busy.
Earlier today at the World Series, we did a check
presentation for the Wounded Soldier Foundation,
and I had two guys standing next to me | on metal
legs. They both had them blown off in Iraq.
So when I got knocked out of the Main Event
and started to feel bummed, you just realize how
insignificant a poker tournament is in the grand
scheme of life. Some guys like who have
these awful things happen to them while defending
our freedome | it really puts things into perspective.
I'm honored to be a part of that.
PL: Has poker become
too much of a business now?
MS: To tell you the truth,
it has become very big business. With PartyPoker
going public on the London Stock Exchange, and
the World Poker Tour going public here in the
states, it just shows that this is big stuff now.
For years, players dreamed of ways to supplement
their income and get their tournament entry fees
paid for. That's all happening now and
the big players have deals with sites and also
do seminars and DVDs. Certainly it's
great to see, it's what we've all been hoping
for, and those at the top are making great money
on the side. The pressure to win isn't
as heavy as it used to be.
PL: I heard you and Doyle
are slowly taking Daniel Negreanu for all his
money on the golf coursec
MS: Well, Daniel has
a big bank rollc[laughs].
We've played him and Erik Lindgren, and it's
been fun. You know all the top poker
players are on the golf course almost every day
playing for big stakes. Those guys are
so competitive and golf is the new outlet.
The great thing about golf is that your skill
level doesn't matter | you can always level the
playing field. You know I could play Tiger
Woods if I started 150 yards ahead of him.
So there's always a way to handicap the game,
which makes it great.
PL: What is the craziest
thing you've ever seen at the poker table?
MS: Geez, there are so
manycit's hard to remember any one huge event.
You know the thing about poker games |
high stakes, low stakes, tournaments, whatever
| is that they bring out the real character in
people. You see how a guy handles stress
and pressure, how he reacts to winning and losing.
I think you can learn a lot about someone
by playing poker with them.
PL: Who would you say,
out of the current crop of young players, has
the characteristics to really excel at the game?
MS: Phil Ivey, hands
down. He's got not only the keenest ability
to read his opponents, he also keeps his cool
all the time and is one fierce competitor.
He's the man.
Which reminds me of one of the craziest things
I've ever seen in poker. I just played
the Pot Limit Omaha $10K buy-in with Phil | he
sat right next to me. He said, gYou know,
the HORSE event is coming up in a few days.
What price am I to win that tournament?h
I said I thought he was about 30-1. He
asked for 45-1. I said no. Then
he asked, gWell how much can I bet for 30-1?h
I told him $10K. He said, gYou've
got a beth and pulled out two 5,000 chips and
throws them to me. So now I'm laying $300,000
to $10,000 for him to win the HORSE tournament.
And now he wants to bet even more.
So I said, gWell the price just went down, so
you're 25-1.h He said no, and we had just
the one bet.
So he makes it to the final table. He
comes into the event all smiles, and I offered
him $60,000, but he wouldn't take it. Then
we're down to 3 players and has about 1/8 of the
chips, but still felt like he had the best chance
to win. On the breaks he would sit by himself
just thinking | incredibly focused. I
offered him $75,000. He would not take
the money, and finally came in 3 rd place.
I so admire this guy for the drive and the vision
he had to win this tournament.
PL: So were there any
players back in the day who could have taken on
Phil Ivey?
MS: Well ironically in
the HORSE tournament, Chip Reese was listed as
50-1. So I bet $1,000 and won $50,000 when
he won. He's the only player I bet on because
I think he's the best overall player. And
it just shows you the cream rises to the top at
these events. So yes, someone from the
heyday came up and bested Phil that day.
I really think that the $50,000 HORSE event will
eventually be the new world championship event.
You look at that tournament | a virtual
who's who among the top pros. Besides Chip
and Phil at the final table, you had Doyle Brunson,
Jim Bechtel, TJ Cloutier | I mean it was strong
as butta milk!
PL: So who would you
put at your dream final WPT table?
MS: Well, if I had to
choose the greatest no-limit holdem players of
all time, I'd have to go with:
Stu Unger
Johnny Moss
Doyle Brunson
Jack Strauss
Johnny Chan
Phil Helmuth
Phil Ivey
Those are just the best I know of in the game,
with Stu being about the great player who ever
breathed air. I believe he'd completely
own the World Poker Tour if he was alive to play,
with the next best player a very distant second.
I've seen him destroy so many tables time
and again; it's a real shame he's not here today
so we could watch him in action.
I still see Stu's daughter and ex-wife and I
always help with any project I can because I feel
that someone of his caliber should be immortalized
in the poker world | and out. Not his
lifestyle, but what you can learn from those traps
and what not to do.
PL: Thank you very much
Mike and best of luck with the new WPT season!
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