There are a few people on the poker planet who do not need an introduction, and this man is one of them. For him, there is
no need to give background information, tournament results, or achievements, but with the mention of one word, it all becomes clear… Ambassador. Card Player caught up with the face, voice, and total embodiment of the game, at the PartyPoker.com Irish Poker Championship in Galway for a little chat about what else this man can possibly achieve. Mike Sexton also speaks about gambling and golf, missing the hands-on poker action, and making poker a universally respected sport in the world outside of the game, while simultaneously doing some good.
Rebecca McAdam: What were you doing at the Irish Poker Championship?
Mike Sexton: I always enjoy coming to Ireland playing in tournaments because it’s not as much about the poker as it is about the social aspect of it. Everybody meets in the pubs at night and it’s a real social atmosphere. PartyPoker is the sponsor of the IPC and I’m associated with PartyPoker as their host so they wanted me to come over, and I love coming over here to play this tournament.
RM: What are you going to play next?
MS: Next I’m going to play the LA Poker Classic in Los Angeles. I’ll play the $10,000 Championship event there, and maybe one or two of the other $10,000 tournaments. They have a $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. tournament, a heads-up tournament, and a $5,000 Omaha pot-limit event as well. So, I may play three or four events at the LA Classic.
RM: Do you prefer playing those kinds of games to hold’em?
MS: I enjoy playing pot-limit Omaha, I don’t get the chance to play it much anymore. And I enjoy playing H.O.R.S.E. — I like the multiple games. I don’t have a chance to play that often anymore because I do the commentary for the World Poker Tour, but whenever the opportunity presents itself, I do still like to play, and mix it up with the big boys.
RM: How come you don’t play much in Europe anymore?
MS: Well, I came to Europe a lot back in the nineties, probably more so than any other American. But since then, because I travel so much with the World Poker Tour — we’re in our seventh season now — I just haven’t had time to be able to travel and play the European events unfortunately. And now I’m married and just had a four month old baby, so the chance of me coming over and playing a lot of European events is probably not going to happen.
RM: Do you think the game or style is different?
MS: No I don’t think so, I think poker is poker around the world, it doesn’t matter where you are. And it’s already been proven that the Europeans can hold their own against anybody — just look at their track record, they come over to the States and play and do very well. Certainly I think very highly of Europeans and the way they play poker, I don’t see a big difference.
RM: What did you think of the play in Ireland?
MS: Well, the play in Ireland is a bit different I must say. They believe any two cards will do. It’s very difficult to put the Irish players on a hand, as we say in the poker world, because they have a lot of creativity and they’re not afraid to put their chips out there with marginal hands — let’s put it that way. So, they’re not easy to play against.
RM: Did you see some good play?
MS: Oh yeah, they have some great players, don’t make a mistake about that. A lot of the old school players that I know from Ireland, like Donnacha O’Dea, Padraig Parkinson, Liam Flood, and Scott Gray, they all played the main event and none of them made it to the final table. But you know, I’m an old school kind of poker player so I admire the old time guys much more than the young Internet superstars nowadays.
RM: Outside of poker, do you have time for any other hobbies?
MS: I like to play golf, I like to go to movies, and I like to dance. Yeah, they’re my three big things, I’m a big dancer.
RM: Would you get involved in a lot of prop bets — like with golf or whatever?
MS: All poker players that are gamblers who play golf bet pretty good on the golf matches, and I’m no exception. I like to gamble when I play golf. It’s more fun when you have a bit of a wager on it. So, it puts a little pressure on you when you’re trying to make a five foot put.
RM: Anything you’ve won lately?
MS: At the golf? Not lately, because I haven’t had the chance to play much golf but I plan to get back to golf this year and play some. I’ve got my eye set on Phil Ivey, that’s who I’m going for. But he’s tough to bring down.
RM: What’s next on the list to conquer?
MS: I think the next big step the poker world has to make is to do much more in terms of contributing to worthwhile charities, and I think the industry can do that and players and casinos can help. And I believe that if they pattern themselves after the PGA Tour, which is probably the largest contributor to charities in the world, at least in the United States anyway, I think everybody will take a step back, even those who are opposed to gambling or opposed to poker and say, “Hey, wait a minute, these people are donating a lot of money to worthwhile causes, to people in need, and so maybe these are pretty good folks”.
Having charity poker tournaments is a great way to raise money for worthwhile causes, and I think that’s where the poker world needs to take the next step big time, to really be embraced by all those who are even opposed to gambling or poker.
RM: Do you think it will happen — maybe slowly but surely?
MS: I think it’s gonna happen quicker than you think. We’re working on a plan now to make it happen.
RM: Oh yeah? What’s the plan?
MS: We’re organising an organisation called “Poker Gives”, and essentially it’s going to be hopefully the centrefold for all the poker rooms, to be able to funnel funds into, and then contribute to worthwhile charities, and I think it will be good.
RM: Where are you headed to next?
MS: I’ve to go back to the States, and see my little four-month-old and my wife, and spend a bit of time with them. Then I’ll be heading to the L.A. Poker Classic, and we’ve got a few events left leading up to our championship at the World Poker Tour, so it’ll be a busy spring for me.
RM: Do you mind not playing as much poker, or do you miss it?
MS: I played for a living for so long, for 25 years, I don’t miss the day-to-day grind of playing poker for a living. I do miss playing the big-time poker tournaments because I do enjoy that, I enjoy the competition and the big rewards that go with it. That’s still fun for me. So, whenever I get a chance to play a big tournament, I still like to play it. As far as playing day to day, I go in more to socialise now, and just play a couple of hours to visit, but I’m not looking to play ten hours a day like I did for all those years. Fortunately, I don’t have to do that anymore.
RM: Who would you name from the players now who are perhaps up and coming or just ones to watch for the future?
MS: The players that I give the most respect to are the high stakes players that have proven themselves over a little bit of time. We’re talking about guys like Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Gus Hansen… These are guys who are very aggressive-style players, they’re fun to watch play, they’re really good at having great poker instincts and being able to put their opponent on a hand and knowing when they can steal a pot from them. These guys are fun to watch play and certainly their results don’t take a backseat to anybody.
Obviously we see all the young Internet online whizz kids coming up, and there are a lot of them, but to me poker is like any other sport — to really prove that you’re great, you’ve got to stand the test of time. And let’s see five/ ten years from now, how many of these young guys — they’re hit wonders now where they’ve won a tournament or something — but let’s see if they have money ten years from now. If so, then you stand up and salute them and say, “You know? This guy has proven himself over time, put him in the really good poker player class.
RM: Like yourself…
MS: Well, thank you. Like myself, yeah (laughs).
