It was 17 years ago that Mike Sexton won his first World Series of Poker bracelet and it took 17 hours for him to win his second WSOP tournament, the much-heralded 2006 WSOP Tournament of Champions at the Rio in Las Vegas. The PartyPoker.net spokesman and host is now sitting on top of the world, having returned to the winner's circle in an event that he actually helped to conceive in 1998.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060628/216181 )
Sexton, elated, but exhausted after a gruelling 17 straight hours of play got a chance to see the $1 million passed his way, after years of watching and commentating on it going to other players. He promptly announced that he was giving half to charity - $100,000 to each of five charities.
"I am so happy to win," a choked up Sexton said in a post-victory interview. "To win the million-dollar prize and this title means everything to me. To come back again all these years later and win this tournament really makes me proud. It is very special to me as I was the founder."
Twenty-seven players started the event that brought together WSOP Circuit winners and 2005 WSOP final table players for a $2 million freeroll at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Sexton received a freeroll into the tournament as the ambassador for PartyPoker.net, 'The World's Largest Poker School.' At the end it came down to the three big names of Sexton, Mike Matusow and Daniel Negreanu. The banter and hectoring by the latter two provided amusement for the crowd, but Sexton kept his cool as some extraordinary poker was played out in the spotlight.
Sexton eliminated Matusow in the 12th hour of the event, when Matusow went all-in with A-4, only to have Sexton beat him with pocket sevens. Then it was down to Negreanu and five more hours of back-and-forth play with the chip lead changing several times. A key moment came when Negreanu, seeking one card for a diamond flush draw, moved all in, but Sexton held on with a top pair, taking a 4-to-1 chip lead.
"I thought I had as good a chance as anyone because of the structure and I got more confident as I built my chip stack up," said Sexton.
Finally at just after 6 a.m., Sexton pulled pocket aces to Negreanu's KQ, with a 10-8-4 flop. When an A and 8 hit the table, it gave Sexton the full house he needed and his second WSOP bracelet in 17 years. The first was in Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo in 1989. Sexton now stands among the top 10 for all-time number of finishes in the money at the WSOP with 37 cashes. He has nearly $2.7 million in total tournament winnings.
"Because I've been doing commentary on the WPT for the past five years," said Sexton. "I am a much better player than I was before. Poker is a game of skill and there's a big advantage in having seen every hand. I see what players are doing and I'm adapting my game."
Sexton was humbled and proud to announce the charities that he would be gifting with half of his winnings, a pledge he has made over the past few years and one that he says he will continue. The recipients included The Special Olympics, The Buoniconti Fund to help cure paralysis, The Paralyzed Veterans of America, The Wounded Warrior Project, which helps families of those wounded or killed in battle, and Children Incorporated, which helps provide food and school supplies for underprivileged children around the world. Children Incorporated is the primary recipient of donated monies from fellow poker player Barry Greenstein, known as the "Robin Hood of Poker."
Sexton said: "Barry is a pioneer. Poker can do good things for underprivileged people."
If Sexton is on a roll, there may be more "good things" to come, as he plans to play some of the other WSOP tournaments, including the main event.
"I hope this is the start of something and I wish all the PartyPoker players the best of luck whatever event they are playing in."
Warren Lush, PartyPoker.net spokesman congratulated Sexton: "Mike's victory is fantastic because he's someone who gives so much to poker, it's wonderful to see him receive something back. His generosity gives poker its newest millionaire philanthropist."
About PartyPoker.net
Founded in 1997, PartyGaming Plc is the world's leading online gaming company and owns and operates PartyPoker.net, 'The World's Largest Poker School.' PartyGaming Plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker PRTY.
In addition to online casino news hot off the presses, OCN shows you the best first deposit bonuses at the best online casinos on the web. We've spared you the search by putting together a list of the latest and greatest first deposit bonuses around. So, all you have to do is click and enjoy!
| Name | First Deposit |
|---|
| 100% match upto $400 |
| 400% Welcome Bonus |
| 100% up to 200$ |
| 100% up to $377 |
| 100% up to $1,000 |
Most Recommended Casino Books
There's a bright light of hope shining at the end of the tunnel for many persons in the online casin...
The state of the US has been declared precarious due to its unregulated online gambling which has cr...
The island nation of Antigua and Barbuda has experienced a recent surge in their online gambling ind...
The online casino industry on a daily basis is becoming assertively competitive. Many casinos have l...
Winding down its extraordinary holiday bonus schedule this December is Cherry Red online casino. A 2...
This week's big news was the plea of Anurag Dikshit, co-founder of Partygaming subject to violating ...
A new report claims that there is a dramatic decrease in 2008 of online casino crime....
Harvard Medical School reached an agreement with online casino operator bwin to undertake a joint fi...
During the 4th and 7th of December a non-refuse offer was made by Europa Casino to new players enabl...
Online Casino Games Portal CasinoBonusGuy has been nominated for ''Best Casino Affiliate'' ''Best Bi...
Online casino group Vegas Partner Lounge's leading promotion ''Casino Treasure Cruise'' is a yearly ...
Curacao licensed online site Money Casino released one new slot game and upgraded existing slot bonu...
The Irish gambling taxes are so low in comparison to most of the rest of the world that it is little...
The long held belief that ''gambling is recession proof'' has been proved wrong this year as Las Veg...
One of the highest payouts a player can win in on online non-progressive casino has been given to To...
Vancouver, Washington- In an effort to build a casino resort near La Centre, Clark County- a Norther...
For the last 20 years City Council leaders debate the idea of a casino in Atlanta with the belief th...
Sep. 10 Curacao -- (Press Release) Club Vegas USA has released yet another thrilling i-Slot game cal...
Club Vegas USA is latest online casino Powered by Rival to be released. Rival is one of the up and c...
Reuters reported recently that the United States is not worried about having to pay $100 billion in ...
The release of a new game is always a special event in the gambling industry, but when Microgaming, ...
The sixth annual European i-Gaming Congress and Expo got underway at the spacious Barcelona Diagonal...
The United States government released proposed guidelines for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforce...
On October 1, 2007 the Federal Reserve and the Department of the Treasury released their joint repor...
Although the passage of the UIGEA last year made it difficult for American players to gamble online,...
Are the new lax gambling laws causing more and more Britons to be under the sway of compulsive gambl...
You may have a surprise in your Full Tilt Poker Account today! After recent allegations that bots we...
Coming off a 26th-place finish at the World Series of Poker, Rancho Mirage's Roy Winston won the Bor...
But the Gloucester Township homemaker never expected another fight -- this time with bureaucrats -- ...
It should come as a surprise to no one that charity-poker games have emerged in recent years as an i...
Spurred by the three-month success of high stakes poker, the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track’s pok...
Online Casino Group Betfair has announced that it has boosted its IT energy efficiency to support it...
Rumors have been circulating for a while now about the future of 32Red.com and its Gibraltar-based B...
CryptoLogic has announced that they have received exclusive rights to make slots and other casino ga...
Since the beginning of the U.S. Presidents first term, the Bush administration has been trying to ke...
The coastal casino in the State of Mississippi have had a diffilcutl few years, yet it seems that th...
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II recently found that not only was she one of the most richest women in...
It seems that there is no limit to how low some online casinos can go in order to secure a profit. V...
After a 10-month investigation into the slimy world of Internet "casinos or sports books", Americas ...
| Name | Payout | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Rushmore Casino | 97.2%
|
 |
||
 |
Lucky18 Casino | 98%
|
|
||
 |
Slots Oasis | 98.5%
|
|
||
 |
Cherry Red Casino | 99%
|
|
||
 |
LuckyAce Casino | 98.3%
|
|
||
Online Casino News - news
from the world of
online casinos RSS Feed.
The OCN directory is currently in development and will be available soon. If you are interested in adding a link, just click on the “Add Link” button. Thanks for your patience.
You do not need prior permission to link to any of the pages on this site. Limited copyright is granted for you to use and/or republish any of the articles on this site for any legitimate media purpose as long as you reference OCN as the source, and include a link referring the reader to the OCN site.