PokerWorks

He has very publicly ridden the ups and downs of poker and shared his feelings with the world along the way. After winning a weight loss bet with Ted Forrest, Mike Matusow showed up at the 2008 WSOP … pounds lighter and ready for a great series.

He has tried to leave his demons at the door and so far it seems to be working for him. He recently won event #18, the No Limit 2-7 Draw with Rebuys, his 3rd bracelet and $537,862 in cash.

Mike: I came into the World Series truly believing it was going to be something special and it is. Winning this bracelet this year is a start, not saying I’m going to win another but I am planning on challenging for going deep in some tournaments. I feel like I am playing great and I have a lot of confidence.

I really think that for the first time at the World Series, in probably 5 years, I want to be here. I have no problem saying that I had hatred for Harrah’s and hatred for what they had done to the World Series and their greed and how they were taking all this money and everybody was making all this money and we weren’t getting anything. Every time I came down here I just hated being here.

I have been having talks with Jeffry Pollack and understanding lots of different things and really getting to know him as a person and my outlook and the changes they have made has made me have more of an outlook of ‘hey, this is how it is, they are in a business to make money, we are going to suffer always unless we have sponsorships’. I am fortunate to be one of the people that do have a sponsorship but as far as me looking out for poker and other people, which I always did, I can’t do that anymore. I have to just show up here, put my head down and realize what it is.

I said many a times if we started our own tournament, rented out the Thomas and Mack Center, got a TV contract, we could make all the money they are making. Why are we giving it all to Harrah’s and corporations? That was my big thing that I had and I still have that feeling.

The thing is now I realize that Jeffery is a great guy, they are running a great operation this year. I come in here, there isn’t all the congestion, not all the bullshit, it’s so professional and after taking time off before the World Series I actually enjoy being here and when you are playing in an environment you enjoy being in, I am able to focus and play well and I am never thinking about winning a bracelet, I am thinking about playing well on every decision, every day.

The hours are going by, the time is going by and I have played 6-7 tournaments so far out of the 30. Of the ones I have played, I played perfect, never won a pot. The 7th one I played perfect and won the tournament. The 8th, I just played I came in, I didn’t want to be here because I was too tired. I gave away my chips, and now I have coming up this week, 2-3 of them and I plan on playing good.