Five Questions With Poker Player Mike Matusow

1
What’s the best bluff you ever pulled off?
Without a doubt, it was a hand I played at the World Series last year, but it wasn’t televised. I was up against Freddy Bonyadi, we were both among the top four chip leaders in the tournament at the time, he raised on the button, I re-raised him with 2-6 off, and he called. The flop came something like 10-J-5 with two spades, I bet pretty big, and he called. The turn card came a deuce of spades, gave me deuces and put three spades on the board, and I bet real big, and he called. And then the board paired on the river and I moved in for like $2.5-million, and he folded and rumor had it he went to the bathroom and puked. He told me he didn’t have anything, but I believe he had a flush. He went in the tank for like 10 minutes. We were the two chip leaders, and I didn’t think he wanted to be wrong against me and go broke in this pot. But I know he made a big laydown, because after the hand he insisted he wanted to see what I had. I said, “You don’t want to see what I have.” He said, “No, I want to see it,” and I showed the 6-2, and he immediately left the table and went to the bathroom to vomit. It’s a shame the hand wasn’t at a TV table, we talk about it all the time.

2
Who’s the one player you hate to see sitting at your table?
Phil Ivey. Him and Daniel Negreanu, they’re both dangerous. I’ll tell you who I like to play with: Alan Goehring. People don’t like to play with him, but they don’t know how to play against him. He plays every hand, and you just sit there and let him pick up all the small pots and you just punish him when you have a hand, that’s all.

3
What nicknames have you had in your life besides “The Mouth”?
I was “Prime Time” for about five years. And then I was “Loudmouth,” and I didn’t like that. So I pretty much told people to call me “Mike The Mouth” because with TV and all, I thought it was a good nickname, good image, I was trying to market myself.

4
Who’s more fun to go to war with: Phil Hellmuth or Shawn Sheikhan?
Phil’s fun to go to war with because he’s a whining little baby. Me and Shawn are friends. And actually, me and Phil are friends. We hung out for three hours the other night at the pool. But I told Phil, “You know, you’ve got to stop showing everybody when you lose a hand or you make a big laydown. And you’ve got to stop whining when you lose. You need to just be quiet and focus.”

5
Would you trade in your Tournament of Champions victory to finish in second place in last year’s World Series Main Event?
Yes … No, I don’t know about “yes.” I don’t know. That’s such a tough question. As unlucky as I got at the final table at the World Series, to come right back and beat 113 of the best players in the world at the TOC, that was a big accomplishment. To me, it was just as big as winning the World Series. But I don’t know. That’s probably the toughest question I’ve ever been asked. I know I don’t give a shit about money. My answer has nothing to do with money, I just wanted to win the World Series. And believe me, if we played with the same nine people 1,000 times, I’d win it 950 times. And I would finish ninth just one time of 1,000. Believe me when I tell you this.