Mike "The Mouth" Matusow - Poker Pro with an Attitude

Many poker fans are familiar with Mike "The Mouth" Matusow because of his antics at the poker table, his unpredictable behavior, and of course his Mike Meltdowns. Mike "The Mouth" is the type of poker player you either love or hate. He is one of the most interesting, controversial players in the game today and it doesn't matter if you love him or hate him, he is a great poker player. He has won several high profile tournaments and has two World Series of Poker bracelets to his name; you can't dispute his talent for the game of poker.

Mike Matusow got his start in poker when he was 18 playing video poker at a local casino in Vegas, he played so often it caused him problems with his shoulders and arms. He was so addicted to the game he would even steal money from his mother to keep playing, and attended Gamblers Anonymous meetings. He learned Texas Hold'em in 1989 as the protégé of a rounder named Steve Samaroff. In his early career Matusow did well winning most of the tournaments he entered and he also worked as a poker dealer at the time.

Mike got his nickname because he talks a lot at the tables and often times it isn't in a friendly manner. Mike is known for yelling, swearing, and blowing up at the tables. He has received a lot of critsism about his public outbursts but it is what makes him one of the most fun to watch.

Over the years Matusow honed his skills and started playing high stakes games, which led him to enter the World Series of poker. In 1998 he paid one third of Scotty Nguyen's tournament fee into a satellite event for the $10,000 no-limit Texas Hold'em main event. Nguyen went on to win the tournament and gave Mike the $333,333 which was a third of his winnings to repay him for fronting Scotty the cash.