Mike Sexton is an American professional poker player and a poker commentator famous for his commentary on the World Poker Tour.
Mike was born in Shelby, Indiana in 1947. He attended The Ohio State University where he was a gymnast and earned his degree in public recreation. He played a lot of poker in college and also played a lot of bridge, a game in which he also taught classes on.
He joined the army after college and was a paratrooper in the famed 82nd Airborne Division. Sexton never saw any combat action as his division had returned from Vietnam and he ended his two year enlistment. He was playing poker frequently for extra money. He soon realized he was making more from his poker play and decided to take the game up full time in 1977.
While Sexton is an accomplished player, most of his fame comes from commentating and writing on the game. He was the main host for the World Poker Tour and is currently a spokesperson for PartyPoker. He has written gambling content for over a decade for Card Player Magazine and the Gambling Times.
Sexton is known as one of the great ambassadors of the game of poker. He is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame and has given large amounts of money to charity. He co-founded Poker Gives, which helps raise money for charities through poker. In 2009, he received the Tree of Life award from the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago for his charitable donations on behalf of disabled people.
His playing career is less decorated than other professionals, but that is partly due to his restrictions on the events he can play due to his sponsorship and working agreements. He has one WSOP bracelet that he won in 1989, but has 47 in-the-money finishes in WSOP events. His highest Main Event finish was 12th in 2000.
He has won the LA Poker Classic and many other prestigious poker titles. His biggest win came in the 2006 Tournament of Champions, where he donated half of his $1 million prize to charity. As of 2013, he has over $5.3 million in career tournament winnings.
He currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.
