Mike Sexton, “Life’s A Gamble”

I’m saddened to hear of the death last night of Mike Sexton, who is in the Poker Hall Of Fame for his decades as the game’s ambassador, longtime play-by-play man for the World Poker Tour, and CEO of the online poker site Party Poker. He was two weeks short of his 73rd birthday when he succumbed to prostate cancer.

Mike was a guest on my radio shows many times, and I’ve linked to several of those conversations below. The last time we talked was on June 29, 2016, when he published his autobiography “Life’s A Gamble.” Among the topics we covered:

• How the World Series Of Poker changed his life in 1984;
• Why he credits the World Poker Tour for the poker boom of 2003-9;
• Whether it’s harder to be a professional poker player today than when he started;
• What can be done about players who kill the game’s pace by taking too much time;
• Why poker still doesn’t get mainstream advertisers like Pepsi, Apple, and Nike;
• Some of his golf bets, including one about a guy trying to kick a ball onto the green;
• How he had to teach software engineers the simplest basics of poker before they could launch PartyPoker.

Listen to our conversation here.

Previously on Harris Online…

• Mike Sexton on how he played two WSOP events simultaneously — and cashed in both of them! (6/12/12).
• Mike Sexton on why the World Poker Tour broadcasts were so successful (6/22/11).
• Mike Sexton on how he got started playing poker, and where it’s taken him (12/16/09).
• Mike Sexton on the 2009 WSOP Main Even “sold out” controversy (7/8/09).
• Mike Sexton’s advice for beginners and celebrities who play, including the ones in his home game (4/4/04).