Mike Matusow plays online at Full Tilt Poker.

Like many other professional players, Mike's career began as a dealer. After countless hours spent turning cards and analyzing hands, he decided to put his money where his mouth was and start playing for himself. He honed his skills playing late-night games at Sam's Town Casino in Las Vegas and, after achieving some success, decided to play full time.

Mike earned his first World Series of Poker bracelet in 1999 and his second in 2002. He had another strong showing at the 2005 WSOP, finishing ninth in the Main Event and cashing for $1 million. Shortly thereafter, he followed up his Main Event performance by winning the 2005 WSOP Tournament of Champions and earning his second million-dollar payday of the year.

In 2006, Mike finished second in the No-Limit Hold 'em event at the Las Vegas "FullTiltPoker.Net Pro Showdown from Red Rock Casino," and three days later he finished third in the No-Limit Hold 'em event at the Tournament of Champions, also in Las Vegas. Just a month later, Mike had a final table appearance in the $2,500 No-Limit Hold 'em event at the 2006 WSOP, where he finished seventh and cashed for almost $90,000.

2007 held more successes for Mike. He took second in the prestigious Bellagio Cup III WPT No-Limit Hold 'em Championship event, taking home $671,320 for his effort. Mike's performance followed a successful campaign at the 2007 WSOP where he posted three top-20 finishes and cashed for more than $125,000.

Since the beginning of 2008, Mike's had several more solid performances. After a lucrative ninth-place finish in the National Heads-Up Championship where he earned $25K, Mike ran deep in the Wynn Classic to earn another $26K. But it was Event 18 of the WSOP where he hit his stride. He bested an all-star field of 85 entries in the $5K No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball event and took home over $537K - and his third WSOP bracelet.

If you want to learn more about Mike, you can chat with him at FullTiltPoker.com.

Article published at fulltiltpoker.com