Mike Sexton: WSOP Bracelet Winner, WPT Champion and Poker Hall of Famer
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2009
Mike Sexton was an American professional poker player, broadcaster and industry ambassador whose influence extended far beyond his tournament results. A World Series of Poker bracelet winner, World Poker Tour champion and 2009 Poker Hall of Fame inductee, Sexton became one of poker’s most recognizable voices during 15 seasons as a WPT commentator.
His record at the tables included more than $6.7 million in live tournament earnings, a $1 million victory in the 2006 WSOP Tournament of Champions and a WPT Montreal championship in 2016. Away from competition, Sexton helped introduce televised poker to a wider audience and became closely associated with the growth of both the World Poker Tour and partypoker.
Sexton died on September 6, 2020, at his home in Las Vegas at age 72. His tournament career is complete, but his role in helping poker reach a mainstream audience remains an important part of the game’s modern history.
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Who Was Mike Sexton?
Michael Richard Sexton was born September 22, 1947, in Shelbyville, Indiana. He attended Ohio State University on a gymnastics scholarship and began playing poker seriously during his college years.
Sexton later served in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division from 1970 to 1972. After his military service, he lived in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where he worked in sales while continuing to develop his poker game.
He turned professional in 1977 and moved permanently to Las Vegas in 1985. Sexton built his early reputation as a tournament player during an era that predated televised poker’s rapid expansion in the 2000s.
His career eventually combined several roles: professional player, commentator, tournament promoter, author, industry executive and advocate for the game.
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Mike Sexton’s WSOP Career
Sexton won one World Series of Poker bracelet during his career.
His bracelet came at the 1989 WSOP in seven-card stud hi-lo, a result that reflected his experience in games beyond no-limit Texas hold’em. The official World Series of Poker player profile lists Sexton with one bracelet and zero WSOP Circuit rings.
Sexton remained competitive at the WSOP for decades after winning his bracelet. Among his later results was a runner-up finish in the 2011 $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better event, where he earned $123,925.
His tournament record covered hold’em, stud, Omaha and other formats, giving Sexton a résumé that reflected the mixed-game background common among many prominent players of his generation.
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2006 WSOP Tournament of Champions Victory
One of Sexton’s most important tournament victories came in the 2006 WSOP Tournament of Champions.
The invitation-only tournament brought together 27 accomplished players and offered a $2 million prize pool. Sexton reached heads-up play against Daniel Negreanu and ultimately won the championship and the $1 million first-place prize.
The victory was especially notable because Sexton was already widely known for his work promoting and broadcasting poker. Winning a tournament against a field of established champions reinforced that his reputation was based on substantial playing experience as well as his work away from the table.
Sexton later donated half of the $1 million prize to charitable organizations, an act that became one of the most frequently cited examples of his philanthropic role within poker.
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Mike Sexton’s Largest Live Tournament Cash
Sexton recorded the largest live tournament cash of his career at the inaugural $1 million Big One for One Drop during the 2012 World Series of Poker.
He finished ninth in the 48-entry tournament for $1,109,333. The event became one of the most prominent tournaments of the poker boom era because of its unprecedented seven-figure buy-in and an $18,346,673 first prize eventually won by Antonio Esfandiari.
Sexton’s ninth-place result remains his largest individual live tournament score according to The Hendon Mob.
As of September 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Sexton with $6,708,146 in live tournament earnings and a career-best cash of $1,109,333.
Tournament databases are updated over time, but Sexton’s total is effectively historical because his competitive career ended with his death in 2020.
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Mike Sexton’s WPT Championship
Sexton spent years describing World Poker Tour champions from the broadcast booth before becoming one himself.
In November 2016, he won the Season XV partypoker.net WPT Montreal Main Event at Playground Poker Club. The tournament attracted 648 entries.
Sexton defeated Benny Chen heads-up to capture his first WPT title and C$425,980, listed by the WPT at the time as approximately $317,896 in U.S. dollars.
The victory came at Sexton’s fourth career WPT final table and placed his name on the same WPT Champions Cup he had discussed throughout his broadcasting career.
His WPT championship gave Sexton a major tour title late in a professional playing career that had already stretched across several decades.
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The Voice of the World Poker Tour
Sexton’s greatest influence on modern poker came through television.
He joined the World Poker Tour when the tour began in 2002 and worked alongside Vince Van Patten as a commentator. Sexton remained in that role for 15 seasons.
The timing was significant. Televised poker expanded rapidly during the early 2000s, and WPT broadcasts helped introduce tournament poker, hole-card cameras and recognizable professional players to a mainstream television audience.
Sexton brought decades of playing experience to the booth. Rather than simply describing the cards, he could explain betting decisions, tournament situations and player tendencies in terms accessible to viewers who were still learning the game.
His signature enthusiasm and ability to explain poker became closely associated with the WPT during the period when televised tournament poker grew from a niche product into widely distributed entertainment.
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Mike Sexton and partypoker
Sexton also played an important role in the development of online poker.
He was involved with partypoker during its early years and later said he had been part of the organization before the site had a name or dealt its first virtual hand.
After leaving the WPT broadcast booth in 2017, Sexton became chairman of partypoker. The move returned him to a company with which he had longstanding ties and allowed him to continue working as an ambassador for poker.
His involvement with both televised and online poker placed Sexton near two of the most important developments in the game during the early 21st century.
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Poker Hall of Fame Induction
Sexton was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2009.
The WSOP announced him as the sole member of the 2009 class, recognizing a career that combined tournament success with significant contributions to poker’s growth.
At the time of his induction, Sexton had already won a WSOP bracelet, captured the WSOP Tournament of Champions and established himself as one of the best-known broadcasters in poker.
His selection reflected the Hall of Fame’s recognition that influence on the game can extend beyond tournament victories alone.
Sexton also received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the American Poker Awards in 2016 and was inducted into WPT Honors in 2017.
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Why Mike Sexton Was Called the Ambassador of Poker
Sexton became widely known as the “Ambassador of Poker,” a reputation built through decades of promoting the game.
The nickname reflected several parts of his career:
More than four decades as a professional poker player
One WSOP bracelet
Victory in the 2006 WSOP Tournament of Champions
One World Poker Tour title
2009 Poker Hall of Fame induction
15 seasons as a World Poker Tour commentator
Early involvement with partypoker
Work as partypoker chairman beginning in 2017
Charitable and philanthropic activity connected to poker
Advocacy for tournament poker and its players
Few careers combined competitive results, broadcasting, business involvement and public representation of poker as extensively as Sexton’s.
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The Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup
The World Poker Tour honored Sexton in 2020 by renaming its traveling championship trophy the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup.
The trophy carries the names of WPT champions from across the tour’s history. Sexton had earned his own place on it when he won WPT Montreal in 2016.
Renaming the cup connected his legacy permanently to the tour he helped represent for its first 15 seasons.
The honor was announced shortly before Sexton’s death and remains one of the clearest examples of his importance to the World Poker Tour.
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Mike Sexton’s Playing Reputation
Sexton’s tournament record demonstrated substantial experience across multiple forms of poker rather than specialization in only one game.
His WSOP bracelet came in seven-card stud hi-lo, while some of his largest later scores came in no-limit hold’em. He also recorded significant results in Omaha and other mixed-game formats.
That versatility matters when evaluating Sexton’s career. Television made him famous to a broader audience, but his ability to explain poker was supported by decades of professional competition across the games commonly played by experienced professionals of his era.
His 2006 Tournament of Champions victory and 2016 WPT Montreal title provided two especially visible examples of his ability to compete successfully against accomplished tournament fields long after he had become internationally known as a broadcaster.
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Mike Sexton’s Legacy in Poker
Sexton died on September 6, 2020, after battling prostate cancer.
His death ended a career that spanned the period before the modern WSOP boom, the rise of online poker, the emergence of televised tournament poker and the expansion of international poker tours.
Tournament results alone do not fully explain his significance. Sexton helped translate poker for television audiences, promoted the game during a period of enormous growth and maintained credibility as a successful player while serving as one of its most visible public representatives.
His WSOP bracelet, WPT title, Poker Hall of Fame membership and more than $6.7 million in recorded live tournament earnings establish the competitive side of his career.
The Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup represents the broader legacy: his name remains attached to one of the central trophies of the tour he helped introduce to millions of viewers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many WSOP bracelets did Mike Sexton win?
Mike Sexton won one WSOP bracelet. He captured the bracelet in a seven-card stud hi-lo event at the 1989 World Series of Poker.
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Did Mike Sexton win a World Poker Tour title?
Yes. Sexton won the 2016 WPT Montreal Main Event at Playground Poker Club, defeating a field of 648 entries and earning C$425,980.
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How much did Mike Sexton earn in live poker tournaments?
As of September 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Mike Sexton with $6,708,146 in recorded live tournament earnings.
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What was Mike Sexton’s largest poker tournament cash?
Sexton’s largest recorded live cash was $1,109,333 for finishing ninth in the 2012 WSOP $1 million Big One for One Drop.
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Did Mike Sexton win the WSOP Tournament of Champions?
Yes. Sexton won the 2006 WSOP Tournament of Champions and earned $1 million after defeating Daniel Negreanu heads-up.
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When was Mike Sexton inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame?
Mike Sexton was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2009.
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How long was Mike Sexton a World Poker Tour commentator?
Sexton served as a World Poker Tour commentator for 15 seasons beginning with the tour’s launch in 2002.
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Why was Mike Sexton called the Ambassador of Poker?
Sexton became known as the Ambassador of Poker because of his combination of professional playing success, broadcasting work, industry leadership, charitable activity and decades spent promoting the game.
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When did Mike Sexton die?
Mike Sexton died on September 6, 2020, at his home in Las Vegas. He was 72 years old.
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What is the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup?
The Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup is the World Poker Tour’s traveling championship trophy. The WPT renamed the trophy in Sexton’s honor in 2020 to recognize his long association with the tour and his contributions to poker.