Mike Sexton

2009 was an amazing poker year. The first thing that jumps out at me is the continuing trend of young guys doing so well in live events. It’s always exciting to think about what’s ahead for the poker world. Here are some things I believe will happen in 2010.

It was a great honor for me to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. It really is the ultimate career achievement award. To know that you’ll always be linked to the legends of poker – guys like Chip Reese, Stu Ungar, Doyle Brunson, Puggy Pearson, Johnny Moss, and Jack Binion – is an awesome feeling.

The entire poker world is anxiously awaiting the final table of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, which will be played this November. The finalists have been dubbed the “November Nine” because of the four-month delay of the final table.

We just started our eighth season of the World Poker Tour (WPT). It’s actually pretty amazing to think we’ve been on television for seven seasons! And it’s more amazing how time flies.

For the first time in the history of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), players were turned away from entering the Main Event. It was unfortunate for those players, the WSOP, and the people at Harrah’s. Here’s what happened.

It’s once again time for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) – the 40th edition. For poker players, the WSOP is the ultimate in “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” It’s where dreams come true and also where dreams are shattered. Many of us dote about the bracelets, the history, and the tradition that set the WSOP apart from other tournaments, but the beauty is that most players really can win life-changing money.

We just completed Season VII of the World Poker Tour (WPT) with the season-ending $25,000 buy-in Championship event at Bellagio. Due to the economic slowdown, the number of entries was down substantially from a year ago (545 to 347). However, most of the big names in the poker world were there and the event was incredible.

The NBC Heads-Up tournament at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas is quite an event. It has a $20,000 buy-in ($500,000 first place prize) and 64 players, including many of the top names in the world. The night prior to the start of the tournament, there is a big cocktail party where the drawing takes place.

Recently, I went to Charleston, South Carolina to testify as an “expert witness” in a poker trial. The case was the Town of Mount Pleasant versus five poker players who pled not guilty when they were busted for playing in a $20 tournament in someone’s house a couple of years ago.

Wow! What a Super Bowl! Many people thought that last year’s Super Bowl between the undefeated New England Patriots and the New York Giants wouldn’t be topped for quite a while. Well, this year’s Super Bowl surpassed that one.

2008 was an incredible year. The poker world continued to expand globally and here in the U.S., we elected Barack Obama, a black President (of course, we’re hoping he’s a pro-poker president). The Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) held its first-ever “Go All-In for Veterans” charity poker tournament in Washington, D.C.

On Sunday, November 30th, the nation was told about the online poker cheating scandal that rocked the poker world during the broadcast of “60 Minutes.” The segment focused on a “$20,000,000 cheating scandal” on two online sites – Absolute Poker and UltimateBet.

I don’t get the opportunity to play a lot of poker these days. I’m busy as a commentator with the World Poker Tour, involved with NLOP.com and Party Poker, but most importantly, I’m a new father (Ty Michael Sexton is ten weeks old!).

I have great memories of the “old days.” Here are some quotes from these poker legends while I was in their company, including Doyle Brunson, Puggy Pearson, Jack “Treetop” Strauss, Chip Reese, and Stu Ungar.

Here is my first monthly blog-type article for PokerNewsDaily. It’s about the 2008 World Series of Poker.