Mike Matusow On The Comeback Trail Ahead of WSOP 2016

Mike Matusow is one of poker’s most successful, yet controversial characters, with the “The Mouth” having earned a total of $9,015,656 since his first tournament cash back in 1996. The 48 year-old pro has even picked up 4 coveted WSOP bracelets along the way, including in 1999, 2002, 2008, and 2103.
Unfortunately, Matusow had to undergo a spinal operation a few years back, and during his painful recuperation has been largely absent from the high-stakes poker scene. In fact, his last tournament cash was in June 2014, a year in which he managed to amass just $12,195 in winnings.
Nevertheless, it now seems that Matusow is back on the comeback trail ahead of the 2016 WSOP due to get underway on May 31st, and a couple of weeks ago he tweeted his intentions for this year’s prestigious tournament series, writing:
“Today’s my birthday, don’t know how I’ve made it 48 yrs and 20 yrs of playing poker I hope this year makes up for last 2#wsop2016.”
That message, as it turned out, was just an appetizer for his 106k followers, and yesterday Matusow reached out to any potential backers to help fund his campaign at this year’s WSOP at the Rio. As his twitter message explained:
“Any and all rich friends interested in staking me for wsop direct message me and let me how much your interested (healthy and hungry)#focus. And for all doubters I’ll last longer or cross book any tourney we both play together#confident”
While seeking funding is not uncommon in the poker world, some fans were still left wondering why he wouldn’t choose to back his own exploits. However, Matusow would need at least $130,000 if he wanted to give the WSOP his best efforts, which is a big chunk of change for someone whose been out of the big game for some time. Playing with someone elses money can also be quite a liberating experience, with 2004 WSOP Main Event winner Greg Raymer having also funded his recent poker career through private investments over the past few years. Apparently Raymer made the decision in order to quiet his wife’s nerves. Unfortunately, Raymer’s backers are unlikely to have seen any return on their money over the past two years, though, with the 51 year-old having earned just $81,480 in 2014, $44,126 in 2015, and $11,330 so far in 2016.