Mike Sexton (The Ambassador of Poker)

Mike Sexton was a poker player and commentator. Sadly, he passed away on 6 September 2020 at the age of 72. He was nicknamed "The Ambassador of Poker" because he did everything in the poker world. Successful player, commentator, analyst, promoter, philanthropist, WSOP bracelet holder, author of best-selling books, and more. He is also known for his smile, charisma, presence and positive attitude. His career tournament winnings are estimated at $6,708,147.

The poker player

Mike won his WSOP bracelet in 1989 in the $1500 Seven-Card Stud Split event. This win gave him $104,400. Over the course of his career, we've also seen him make 23 WSOP final tables and 4 final tables in World Poker Tour events. He also won the Tournament of Champions organised by the World Series of Poker in 2006. At that event, he finished in 1st place, while defeating another legend, Daniel Negreanu, in heads-up play. For all these achievements, Mike Sexton was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2009, not only for his many poker performances, but also for promoting poker internationally. In 2020, in his honour, the WPT Champions Cup series was renamed the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup.

The commentator, promoter and philanthropist

He was often heard as a commentator at the WSOP alongside Vince Van Patten. He has also been a writer for Card Player magazine. Sexton is also known for co-founding PartyPoker. In its early days, PartyPoker struggled financially. Around 2004, Sexton sold his stake in the company for $15 million. In his own words, a few years later the shares he had sold had risen to around $500 million more. Despite this, Sexton says he has no regrets about his decision. In 2006, Sexton donated over a million dollars to charity. He also co-founded PokerGives in 2009, an organisation aimed at making it easier for poker players to give to charity.