18-September-2009

 

Poker pro Mike Matusow has never been known for his kind words. And yet, as his tell-all autobiography, “Check Raising the Devil,” explains, there’s a lot more to "The Mouth" than calling Daniel Negreanu a donkey. From depression to pipe dreams, to his long battle with addiction, Matusow’s life story is full of lows so terrible they would have crippled a lesser man.

It just goes to show what a master this three-time World Series of Poker champ truly is and serves as an inspiration to anyone who’s ever dreamed of winning a bracelet. So when “Check Raising the Devil” publisher, Cardoza Publishing, offered to broker an exclusive interview with him, naturally we here at AceHoyle.com were ecstatic.

Ace Hoyle’s own Phill Provance caught up with Mike on the set of ABC’s new reality series "Shaq VS...." He’d just finished a grueling poker game against fellow pros Phil Hellmuth and Chris Ferguson, as well as Shaquille O’Neal’s and Oscar De La Hoya’s boxing managers for the show, Freddie Roach and Bernard Hopkins. But he was still more than happy to answer our questions, showing once again what a nice guy this poker powerhouse truly is.

AceHoyle.com’s Exclusive Interview with Mike Matusow

Phill Provance: You discuss your lifelong struggle with bipolar disorder throughout “Check Raising the Devil.” Do you feel your disorder influenced your decision to pursue poker as a career? What advice would you give new players with the same problem?

Mike Matusow: I didn’t know I had Bipolar Disorder before I started playing poker so the answer would be no, it didn’t influence my decision to play poker professionally. For new players, make sure you are balanced on the right meds before you get involved in poker seriously because the ups and down will really get to you if not.

Phill Provance: You repeatedly point out how luck has figured highly in your poker experience. Would you say poker games are dominated by chance? Where do you stand on the “game of skill” vs. “game of chance” debate?

Mike Matusow: Poker is a game of mostly skill but also luck. The luck factor also includes table draw, which is a major factor in playing both tournaments and cash games.

Chris Ferguson and Phil Hellmuth:With what Mike lost online this week, he’d definitely say poker is all luck….

Phill Provance: You say in “Check Raising the Devil” that the deal you made in your first WSOP final table was a major mistake. Would you advise all up-and-comers not to take the money?

Mike Matusow: Deal making (or no-deal making) is strictly a personal thing. It involves figuring out what your risk/reward levels are.

Phill Provance: Some pros have said the WSOP 50K HORSE event is the truest test of a player’s poker skills, but at several points in “Check-Raising” you characterize the Main Event as the most important. Do you still feel the Main Event is the end all, be all, or do you agree with the claims about HORSE? Either way, why?

Mike Matusow:The WSOP Main Event will always be the most important poker tournament in the world, whether or not it represents the best play or players the game has to offer. The 50K HORSE event is only for the pro’s pros - the cream of the professional crop and those with deep enough bankrolls to play. The pros regard the 50K HORSE event as kind of the “Pros Championship,” but the WSOP Main Event is the one that still matters more in every way. The Main Event winner wins way more money, earns incredible amounts of money through endorsements and is known forever as a world champion.

Phill Provance:As a pro who’s mastered multiple games, would you call yourself a poker purist? Would you, for instance, have gotten into playing if there had never been any money or fame in it?

Mike Matusow: I did get into poker when really the money to be made was in cash games and there was very little fame. So, yes, saying that I’m a poker purist is a good assumption. Fame really came about after the Moneymaker boom, and those lucky enough to be in the spotlight during those years are still reaping the benefits.

Phill Provance: With your reputation and nickname, have you ever said something to another player that you regret? If so, to whom and what?

Mike Matusow: Like I discuss in the book, I regret the confrontation with Greg Raymer and what I said to him. It was taken out of context on ESPN, and I really didn’t mean anything by it. He was messing with me for a long time, and I was just trying to get in his head and get him to back off. Greg and I are friendly now, but I shouldn’t have said what I said.

Phill Provance: When you recall your party years, you convey a sense of euphoria that makes your readers share your addiction. Despite what your using Ecstasy later led to, do you still feel nostalgic for those years? If so, what do you think will make those feelings go away?

Mike Matusow:Of course I feel nostalgic! That lifestyle was so much fun, and you don’t just forget all the good times. I don’t regret those times at all, but I could never go back to living that way. I don’t think those feelings will ever go away, and I don’t necessarily want them to!

Phill Provance:You mention that many pros were into the drug scene at the beginning of the decade. Do you feel poker in particular leads to such problems, or could it just as soon have been any other career? Either way, could you explain?

Mike Matusow: The poker lifestyle can definitely lead to substance abuse problems. Many poker players sleep late, play poker during the day and party all night. Many days a poker player has nothing to do during the day, so why not get f$@&ed-up the night before?

Phill Provance: Often in “Check Raising the Devil” you talk about your vulnerability around women. Do you see yourself ever getting married? Was this ever a goal of yours?

Mike Matusow: Getting married has always been a plan of mine, and hopefully it will happen sometime soon. I just have to find the right girl….

Phill Provance:The Mike of “Check Raising the Devil” is a far different Mike than the one most fans are used to seeing on TV. What spurred you to show a different side of yourself? How do you hope your fans have reacted? Are there any things you wanted to say that didn’t make it into the final manuscript? If so, what were they?

Mike Matusow: I wanted to show people the real Mike Matusow. Not the Mike that ESPN portrays and not the Mike that people hear about, but the real Mike with real stories. I don’t know how fans will react, but I hope that they have a clearer picture of who I am, and I also hope that they take some of the lessons I learned and apply them to their own lives, particularly the young kids that are coming into professional poker now. There are a lot of pitfalls, and I’ve fallen into most of them….

Phill Provance:When you update “Check Raising the Devil” in years to come, what new chapters/experiences would you like to see added?

Mike Matusow: In the next version of the book I’ll tell the story of how I won the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event. Stay tuned….

By: Phill Provance
phill.provance@acehoyle.com

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