Five Questions For Poker Pro Mike "The Mouth" Matusow

Mike has a new book out, Check-Raising The Devil, which chronicles his true-life roller coaster ride from his humble beginnings in a trailer park to a rock and roll lifestyle full of hot women, sex, wild drug-filled parties and million-dollar wins and losses.

It turns out that behind the glamour and glory of his high-stakes poker career there lurked a flip side: a person torn between two debilitating mental illnesses—bipolar disorder and ADHD. To dig himself out of depression and suicidal despair, Matusow turned to dangerous street drugs to self-medicate a problem he didn’t understand, but he only spiraled deeper into the darker world of addiction, police narcotic stings, and ultimately: jail time.

American Casino Guide author Steve Bourie recently had the chance to ask Matusow five questions and here's what Mike had to say:

Steve: How did you get the nickname "Mike the Mouth?"

Mike: I talk a lot at the table, and I was loud. They used to call me Loud Mouth, but I didn’t like that name so I changed it to “The Mouth” when we started getting TV coverage.

Steve: What is your favorite pastime if you are not playing poker?

Mike: Sports betting, but I don’t recommend that as a pastime.  

Steve: What abilities do you have as a player that sets you apart from the rest of the professional players?

Mike: I have the strongest ability to read opponents of anyone I know.  I can read strength and weakness like nobody else.

Steve: What is the one best piece of advice you can give to amateur poker players to improve their game?

Mike: Patience is key.  These days the young kids all try to make moves all the time, and that’s not what tournament poker is all about. 

 Click on the above link to see more about Mike's book at Amazon