Biography
Michael Richard Sexton was an American professional poker player and poker commentator. In 2009, he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. He has won the WSOP bracelet and the World Poker Tour title. In 2020, he passed away from prostate cancer. Shortly before his death, the WPT championship was renamed Mike Sexton WPT Championship Cups.
Background
Sexton was born on September 22, 1947. He was a gymnast and attended Ohio State University to get a degree in public recreation. He also used to like contract bridge and taught classes in North Carolina.
He joined the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and taught ballroom dancing there. One of his clients suggested he try a salesman job, which he did for two years until he took up poker in 1977. In 1985, he moved to Nevada to pursue a full-time poker player.
Mike Sexton Poker Career
Sexton had seventeen career cashes in the WPT tournament. In November, he won the WPT Montreal Main Event and took US$317,896. This was his first time reaching the final table and winning WPT. At his death, he had won $1,011,725 in his career WPT. He was also the lead commentator on WPT telecasts, along with Vince Van Patten, for the fifteenth season.
Sexton has won almost $5,700,000 in the WSOP. 1989, he won his first bracelet at the $1,500 seven-card stud split event. He finished tenth in the preliminary event in the 2005 WSOP and the final 16 of Poker Superstars II. In June 2006, he won the third annual WSOP Tournament of Champions event. In 2012, he finished ninth in the Big One for One Drop WSOP event and won $1,109,333.
Party Poker
He co-founded PartyPoker.com, one of the biggest online poker sites in the United States. Four years after the company’s launch, it went public for $9 billion. But Sexton sold his share for $15 million a year and a half.
Mike Sexton's Net Worth
At the time of his death, his WPT earnings were $1,011,725.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Mike Sexton pass away?
He died of prostate cancer.
Was Mike Sexton a gymnast?
Yes, Sexton was a gymnast.
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