‘The Mouth’ is feeling healthy and roaring again at the WSOP

Mike Matusow hasn’t always been able to say he’s in a good place in his life.

But two weeks into the 56th edition of the World Series of Poker, that’s where the Henderson resident and well-known poker pro finds himself.

Matusow has cashed in five events this series, including a final-table appearance in the $10,000 buy-in Seven-Card Stud Championship on Sunday. He finished 46th on Wednesday in the $10,000 buy-in Pot-limit Omaha High-Low 8 or Better Championship, which Matusow considers his best event.

After more than two decades of turmoil and hardship, Matusow says he has finally found the proper balance needed to play his best.

“The learning process from the whole entire thing I’ve been through is appreciate life for how you have it,” Matusow said, “and then try and get better every day, try and make yourself better every day.”

Matusow’s struggles are well publicized, from drug and gambling addiction to severe financial and health troubles. It was all captured in the documentary “Matusow” by award-winning filmmaker Frank Zarrillo that was released on Amazon Prime in December and is now available on YouTube.

Zarrillo began following Matusow at the 2021 WSOP, and the film is a candid look at “The Mouth’s” rise and fall as one of the most recognizable figures during the televised poker boom of the 2000s.

“What I aimed to show about Mike and his journey was to tell his story and to showcase the life of a guy that’s brutally honest,” Zarrillo said. “He’s lived 100 lives over the course of his career. These are all things that people around the world can relate with.”

From 1999 to 2013, Matusow captured four WSOP bracelets, which are awarded for tournament victories, and twice reached the final table of the WSOP Main Event (2001 and 2005).

He also was known to punt off his chip stack in spectacular fashion — the move was nicknamed the “Mike Matusow Blowup” by ESPN’s poker commentators — and his brash table talk made him a memorable, if not polarizing, character.

Matusow’s addictions to illegal drugs and sports betting eventually led to his downfall. He spent six months in the Clark County Detention Center in 2004 after pleading guilty to buying drugs for a friend who turned out to be an undercover Las Vegas police officer.

In the film, Matusow details the origin of his debilitating back injury and said it first occurred in 2008 while he was a passenger in Las Vegas-based poker player and social media personality Dan Bilzerian’s car. Matusow underwent spinal surgery in 2014 for a disk protrusion. He also said he suffers from intercostal neuralgia, which occurs when the nerve that runs between the ribs is damaged, and subsequently became hooked on painkillers.

“I lost a lot of my fame, because after my injury, I wasn’t seen on any of the streams, I kept to myself,” Matusow said. “I hit rock bottom in 2016 where I lost a huge amount of money … and I had no way out. I lost my belief in God, but I got that back, and when I got that back, everything went good for me.”

Matusow, 57, has tried to get his life in order in the past, notably in 2009 when he released his autobiography “Check-Raising the Devil.” But he is optimistic this time will be different.

Not only has Matusow paid off all his previous debts, he is financially stable and believes he has the correct mix of mental health medication to balance out his other prescriptions. Matusow said he quit painkillers in February 2024.

“I’m always sharp, I’m centered and I’m balanced now,” Matusow said. “I am playing at a super high level.”

Matusow is confident he will add a bracelet this summer, which would help solidify his resume for the Poker Hall of Fame. He hopes to be inducted while his mom, 87, is alive to see it.

Matusow has more than $10 million in career live tournament earnings, according to the Hendon Mob Poker Database.

The 10 finalists for the Poker Hall of Fame will be announced Tuesday, with this year’s inductee revealed July 11.

“I’m just sharp. I’ve got it all together this year,” Matusow said. “When you’re 57, and you’re dealing with chronic pain, everything has to be right, and right now, everything is right and I’m going to keep it that way.

“I’m doing everything right to give myself the best chance of winning.”

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on X.