Not doing too well, apparently



https://twitter.com/dinkinc/status/1...329756673?s=19

I hope he can pull through it. Whatever it is.

I can honestly say he is the first person that I "learned" the game of poker from. All his contributions to the WPT, his "obvious" commentary but at the time of the pre-boom poker helped many got into the game.

Hoping for good news the next time I logged on to this thread.

He was one of the reasons why poker boomed back in the day. Feelsbadman.

Damn, I hate to hear this. Hope he pulls though.

Side note, I'm not sure if anyone's noticed but Mike has cashed in a WSOP event every single year going back to 1988. The longest current streak AFAIK.

Cancer?

Mike's brother Tom passed away in 2013 from pancreatic cancer.

https://twitter.com/Mike_partypoker/...47338865016832

he had some great stories on Ingram about making and losing millions as a party poker consultant

His book, titled "Life's a Gamble" has some fantastic tales about this topic and many others.

I'm not sure I can think of a more universally liked guy in poker. Terrible news.

Sad news. Nice guy.

Prostate Cancer, started in home hospice a month ago.

https://twitter.com/FirstLadyPoker/s...46204688228352

Authorized update from Poker Hall of Fame member Linda Johnson.

HI Everyone:

I hope that somehow Mike gets better. He has done a lot for poker and has always been an all-around good guy. I'm sure that everyone who knows him feels this way.

Best wishes,
Mason

Does this mean he's not accepting treatment, and just doing end of life care?

I walked past his table at the rio a few years ago. Thought to myself, "This is pretty incredible."

Terrible news, always seemed like a genuinely good guy.

For newer readers who would like to know more about Mike Sexton and his decades-long role within the poker community and industry, check out the following 90-minute Poker Life Podcast episode from November 22, 2016.

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/s...postcount=6933

Technically, there IS treatment, but it's now about treatment for the patient and no longer for the disease – e.g. pain management.

The term "poker ambassador" gets thrown around quite a bit, but Sexton is on a short list of people for whom it truly applies. Very sad to hear this.

By the way, I didn't notice until now that the WPT renamed its Champions Cup in Mike's honor back in mid-July. Perhaps word of his condition got around the tour's leadership, and they figured it was a good time to do this while he was still around to appreciate the honor?

Anyway, thanks to Linda Johnson for communicating on Sexton's behalf. Couldn't help but pull a photo from my archives (that's Antonio Esfandiari in the vest and blue shirt):

Wednesday Nights. The Travel Channel. We were all watching.

Mike Sexton tells the story about his first trip to Las Vegas in 1977 -- getting the worst of a golf prop bet while rubbing shoulders with fellow poker legends Danny Robison, Chip Reese, and Doyle Brunson.

Mike Sexton, Vince Van Patten, Shana Hiatt. They were the ones that got me into poker.

I had the privilege of playing with Mike over the years. Always got his money in good, and was always gracious in defeat. He is a great representative for both Party and poker in general.

FWIW I have only seen him tip red and green chips.

Nice call. I've uploaded some older podcast episodes involving Sexton to my Dropbox:

PokerWire Radio (Apr. 27, 2007). Appeared with Vince Van Patten. Interview starts at 34:22. Wow, forgot just how loose this show was.

PokerRoad Radio (April 19, 2008). Interview starts at 40:51

PokerRoad Radio (March 17, 2011). Interview starts at 42:13

2+2 PokerCast Ep. 165 (March 22, 2011). Interview starts at 1:25:47. (Same interview topic as the episode above.)

2+2 PokerCast Ep. 439 (Nov. 22, 2016). Interview starts around 32:15

I have some other podcast appearances on file, but they largely feature Sexton talking about other people (namely Bobby Hoff, Thor Hansen, Danny Robison).

Thank you.

Damn. There have been quite a few deaths in poker since I started playing. Watching some of the old WSOP shows can feel morbid at times because so many players have been lost over the years. This is an especially tough one though, as Mike's effusive commentary on the WPT is part of what made the game seem so exciting when I was first getting started. I never met the man, but he always came across as courteous, professional, and passionate. Big loss for the poker world.

Shortly after playing my first hand of online poker at partypoker in 2004, I made poker friends. One of them was a middle-aged lady who raved on and on about this poker cruise she had been on. And how she got to meet Mike Sexton! The WPT commentator on The Travel Channel! In person! And he was such a charmer! And a great dancer!

Mike Sexton had already achieved legendary "poker pop culture" status by the time I got into the game. He's one of those individuals who has made so many things better from what I've seen. And he's made a lot of people look good over the years... including a writer who got to work a dream gig w/PocketFives in the mid-2000s. Mike has delivered so much gold in terms of content and his unrelenting love of the game.

I don't believe I've ever met Mike in person and probably haven't spoken with him in interview format for nearly 15 years. Like others in the thread are saying... words might get thrown around a lot, but Mike Sexton has been a steadfast "ambassador" for poker for as long as many of us can remember.

WPT legendary commentator!