As if he hadn't done so already, Mike Sexton cemented his status as a true poker great shortly before the turn of the year when he became the most recent inductee into the Poker Hall of Fame. Yet despite being a World Series of Poker bracelet holder who has won over $3,800,000 from tournament poker and being a man credited with bringing poker to the masses through his commentary on the World Poker Tour, Mike Sexton's early love was for gymnastics and ballroom dancing. And as GX finds out, he wasn't far off from fighting in the Vietnam War either.

GX: Mike when did you decide that poker was what you wanted to do because you tried a few other careers first?

Mike Sexton: I always loved playing poker and I discovered I was making more money in home games than I was at my job, so I quit my sales job in 1977 and started playing poker for a living. I'm blessed that poker has been such a good career for me.

GX: Can you remember the first poker game you ever played?

MS: My first poker game was on my back porch when I was about 13 years old. I grew up with Danny Robison, who later became a Las Vegas legend and who many consider the best Seven Card Stud player of all time. And he taught me how to play poker. He also kept me broke all through high school! Whoever would have thought playing poker on my back porch as a kid would have led to me to being inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame?!

GX: You used to be in the US Army before you took up poker, do you think this gave you an advantage in terms of the discipline required to be a top poker player?

MS: I think the Army was good for me and everyone else in terms of following orders, learning discipline and doing your job. Maintaining discipline is a must if you want to be successful in poker - and I'm not talking about waiting for good cards, I'm talking about maintaining discipline when you take bad beats or are running bad. Not 'steaming' is what separates the best from the rest.

GX: How did it prepare you for keeping cool under pressure?

MS: I believe the military is beneficial to all young men but I've always been pretty good at maintaining my cool - even after a tough beat. And I always prided myself for not succumbing to the pressure of a final table. Like big-time athletes, big-time poker players enjoy performing under pressure. 

GX: How different do you think your career could have turned out had you joined the army a year earlier and gone to Vietnam?

MS: That's a good question and truthfully I don't know how going to Vietnam would have affected my life.  There's a good chance I may have opted to make a career out of the military as I almost did anyway.

GX: So did you actually have to fight anywhere?

MS: After I got out of jump school I was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. They had just returned from their second tour of Vietnam, so I didn't see any action overseas while in the Army. I wouldn't have minded going to Vietnam at that time of my life, but looking back on it now I was fortunate that I didn't have to go.

GX: One thing that couldn't be further from the Vietnam War is ballroom dancing. Can you tell us how you got into that?

MS: Both my parents were ballroom dance teachers so I've been dancing all my life. I taught at Arthur Murray's in Dayton, Ohio, one summer and later taught dancing part-time for six years in Fayetteville.

GX: Ballroom dancing is something all men would secretly like to be able to know how to do but would fear it's not macho enough for them. Would you agree?

MS: When couples come in for dance lessons, most of the time the men aren't really happy about it.  But after doing it for a while, it's the man who usually wants to 'keep on dancing'.  Knowing how to dance is a great way for guys to meet and impress women. I'd recommend it to everyone. One thing I will always believe is this:  Those who dance enjoy life more than those who don't. 

GX: Have players ever tried to trash talk you at the table about ballroom dancing?

MS: No one's ever trashed talked to me about ballroom dancing at the poker table. They've inquired about it and for the most part, everyone wishes they could do it.

GX: Do you still dance now?

MS: I really don't dance much now.  We have a 15-month-old son so our dancing time is pretty limited!

GX: You've always had a physical lifestyle. What other sports did you used to play?

MS: I love all sports and I've played sports all my life. When I was young, gymnastics was my best sport but I played on the high school golf team as well.  I also played baseball and later coached Little League baseball for eight years. 

GX: You say gymnastics was your best sport. Did you compete in many major events?

MS:  I attended Ohio State University on a full gymnastic scholarship and competed in big meets throughout my college career. I was the highest scorer every year for the Buckeyes, but truthfully, back then, Ohio State wasn't too good at gymnastics.  For the past fifteen years, however, Ohio State has had one of the best gymnastic programmes in the US.

GX: Getting back to poker, what would you say has been your greatest win to date?

MS: The thrill I got when I won my WSOP bracelet in 1989 in Seven Card Stud 8 or Better will never be topped, even though I've won a number of events worth a lot more money.  I would rank my win in the WSOP Tournament of Champions in 2006 as probably my top win.   I won $1,000,000 in that event and defeated Daniel Negreanu in a gruelling seven-hour heads-up battle to capture the title.

GX: Would you rather people view you as a commentator or a poker player?

MS: I've always considered myself a player first and a commentator second but I'm aware that the perception by most people is the opposite and that's OK - maybe they're right. I really do appreciate the recognition that I've gotten as a commentator on the WPT.

GX: You do so much to promote poker, do you ever feel you'd like to just pack it all in and go and play cards like any normal guy could?

MS:  Well I still love to play when I can, but that's not so much anymore as my priorities have changed. Being a good father is much more important to me now than being a poker player.

GX: What is your take on the postponement of the UIGEA?

MS: Well everyone seems to think this is good for online gaming, so if that's the case, I'm for it. I'm far from an expert in the political doings of UIGEA but I only hope it gets resolved and we regulate and legalise online poker in the US and around the world.

GX: How worried do you think stateside players should be about the outcome?

MS: Everyone who loves poker should be concerned. It will be to the benefit of the world if the UIGEA is overturned and even better when the US regulates and legalises online poker. When that happens we'll see another poker explosion that will perhaps be larger than the one we experienced five to six years ago. 

GX: Is the UIGEA more important than people realise - or do you think that when there is so much money involved, poker companies will find a way around legislation?

MS: The problem is that although everyone in the industry says they are looking forward to the legalisation of online poker, I believe that companies have different interests.  Those now operating in the US would most likely prefer to maintain the status quo but publicly traded companies like PartyGaming, who took the long term approach and left the US when UIGEA was passed, have been penalised by doing what they felt was the right thing. I feel strongly that PartyPoker should be able to re-open in the U.S.

GX: What is your take on the Dwan v Isildur saga?

MS:  I only read the blogs and that's where I see what's happening with the ultra high-stakes games.  The swings are so enormous that fortunes change back and forth very quickly.  It's hard to keep up with it.  

GX: Is there a danger of things getting out of hand with such enormous stakes?

MS:  My fear about these big games is that some big-time loser will claim he was cheated and the entire online industry will be penalised. 

GX: If players like Dwan started to go completely broke against these unknowns do you think it would burst the poker bubble or entice more people to try it?

MS:  I'm sure a good number of sponsored pro's have gone and will go broke but I don't think it will burst the poker bubble. With poker becoming so popular many young players are going to try to make a living at it. But they need to beware that it looks easier than it is.  Everyone should be responsible and play within their limits.

GX: Can you tell us a bit about Pokergives.org?

MS: PokerGives is a way for the poker world to "Give Back" to worthwhile charity organisations. The goal is to raise funds through poker events and hopefully everyone in the poker industry will support PokerGives. Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher, Lisa Tenner and I founded PokerGives.org so the poker industry could unite their charitable efforts and we'll will raise money for national charities that virtually everyone will embrace.

I really believe the next big step the poker world needs to take to get the approval of mainstream America - whether they play poker or not - is to raise substantial money for worthwhile charities. 

GX: Which charities have you focused on so far?

MS:  So far PokerGives has targeted three charities:  The Paralyzed Veterans of America, The Special Olympics, and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund - but we'll expand on that number in the future.    

GX: What's next for PokerGives?

MS: We're planning on designating September as "PokerGives" month and are looking for casinos and online sites to host events for PokerGives starting in September, 2010.

GX: You donated half of your WSOP Tournament of Champions winnings to charity. Would it be nice to see more poker players give some of their money to good causes or is this an unreasonable expectation?

MS: Many players contribute time and money towards charity poker events now and I admire all of them who do so.  I wish the entire industry; players, management, and casinos, however, would do much more for charity. 

GX: What does 2010 have in store for you both in terms of commentary, playing and continuing your role as the ambassador of poker?

MS: We are currently in the middle of Season VIII on the World Poker Tour.  It's also exciting that PartyGaming recently purchased the WPT as the WPT can now conduct more world-wide events - and that will be great for poker players throughout the world.  I will play in a number of events in the upcoming year and will always do my best to be an ambassador for poker.

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