Mike Matusow gained fame in the poker world during the days of the Poker Boom, where he was celebrated as one of the “old guard,” a group of players who helped make poker the global phenomenon it is today.
The newly released documentary, dubbed simply “Matusow,” tells the story of Mike “The Mouth” Matusow from more angles than one. The film looks at Mike’s rise to the top of the world and his subsequent fall, fueled by drug addiction and a chronic back pain he has been struggling with for years.
Unlike many poker movies that focus solely on the cards, Matusow looks into the player’s personal life and relationships, many of which were strained during Mike’s “wild years.”
While following Mike’s experience at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), the movie looks back into the past and tells the full story of how Matusow became one of the household names in the poker world, but not yet a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.
Becoming “The Mouth”
Matusow opens with a sequence from a 2007 episode of “Poker After Dark,” an iconic poker show from the golden days of the game.
In the scene, Mike is seen winning a huge pot from one of his best friends in poker, Phil “The Poker Brat” Hellmuth, and celebrating in a very vocal fashion alongside Tony G, another bad boy of the poker world.
This was the exact persona of Mike “The Mouth,” a loud and obnoxious poker player who takes his opponents out of their comfort zone with speech play, fast actions, and well-timed zingers.
By the time this scene was recorded, Mike was already a two-time WSOP champion and the winner of the 2005 Tournament of Champions, where he took home a cool $1,000,000 cash prize.
Combined with a Full Tilt Poker sponsorship, which was paying Mike tens of thousands of dollars a month, things could hardly have been going better.
A former poker dealer, Mike was now on top of the world financially, but was far from ready to handle the kind of responsibility the success and the money was about to bring him.
Living Large and Riding the High
The days of the Poker Boom were good on Mike, who was playing a great game of poker, running hot, and earning millions in sponsorship money.
Living in Sin City, Matusow had access to all of life’s pleasures, and he decided to indulge in all of them.
“I’m partying with porn stars, I’m partying with strippers, I’m having the time of my life. And boy, I liked cocaine, it was fun!”
In the words of Mike’s mother Gloria, who is a major protagonist in the movie, Mike decided to squander the massive earnings from the Full Tilt Poker deal, and made a mistake siding with Full Tilt instead of PokerStars.
The life of the party meant Mike was often paying huge bills at the clubs for an entourage of more than ten people, which would quickly deplete anyone’s bankroll.
When the times were good, it seemed like nothing could go wrong, and The Mouth kept living as if there was no tomorrow. The good life may have continued if he was not stopped in his tracks by the most unusual of incidents.
The Back Injury, Lasting Pain, and Recovery
Mike’s life was changed upside down by a single incident in 2014 that came out of the blue. Having had no previous medical problems, he sustained an injury that would change everything.
One faithful night, Matusow decided to accept a ride home from Dan Bilzerian, a poker player and notorious womanizer, known for his brash demeanor and love for fast cars and loud guns.
According to his account in the film, Mike sat down in Bilzerian’s sports car, and before he had a chance to fasten his seat belt, Dan had punched gas. The sudden movement snapped something in Mike’s back, leaving him in debilitating pain.
The freak accident, which may have had to do with Mike’s body being weakened by the years of drug abuse, forced him to go to the hospital, get surgery, and undergo years of recovery.
Despite everyone’s best efforts, the recovery continues to this day, as Mike’s pain never fully went away. Even in 2025, he often wakes up with debilitating pain, and is forced to take prescription drugs on a daily basis.
Financial Strain and Weakened Family Ties
Along with the testimonies of poker players and industry personalities, the Matusow documentary follows the story of his family, as his mother and brother give testimonies of their own.
According to them, and by Mike’s own admission, his injury changed everything. The massive medical bills added up quickly, and Mike had little savings to his name, having squandered much of it on the good life.
Now, he was left going into debt, borrowing thousands from his family and poker friends alike, and digging a hole that would take years to dig out of.
I got no fear. I’m fearless. I’m not afraid to go broke. I’m not afraid to put my whole tournament on the line, I’m a great poker player, and they’re all gonna see that.
Despite showing plenty of love for Mike in the documentary, his mother and brother both tell the story of his father’s final days, during which the four-time WSOP bracelet winner chose not to show up.
Matusow’s brother gives testimony and claims Mike would not come to visit their father, claiming back pain, despite going to see sports matches at the same time.
While both sides tell their story, it is clear that the financial strain caused by Mike’s injury and previous lavish spending caused great harm to the bonds of the Matusow family.
Redemption for Mike “The Mouth”
The times have changed and Mike faces a much stiffer competition at the tables these days than he did in the past. Yet, having gone to hell and back, he seems to be on the path of redemption in both a professional and personal sense.
Having come second in a mixed game event at the 2023 WSOP, and made multiple final tables in recent years, Matusow appears to be playing his best poker once again, despite the pain and the medications that are a part of his daily life.
Not only is Mike posting good results in poker tournaments again, but he also seems to be getting along much better with many of the people in poker he had grown estranged from over the years.
Among others, Mike names fellow poker players Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth as two of the people who have helped him the most through his times of trouble, which is why they remain some of his best friends to this day.
The drugs and wasteful spending are now a part of Mike’s past, as he swears he will never go broke again even if he has to play the lowest stakes possible to make a living.
Much to Learn for the Young Players Out There
For many young people, poker appears to be the easiest way to make a living. Yet, being a professional poker player requires much more than just traditional poker skills.
The Matusow documentary is the perfect cautionary tale for all the young poker players who are either considering following his path or are already having some success in the game.
While the money can come in fast, it also has a tendency to go away even faster if responsible financial decisions are not made.
Cautionary tales of the likes of Mike Matusow have already helped many young players avoid such destiny, as they learned from their older colleagues and approached the game in a much more methodical fashion.
If you are yet to learn that lesson in full, we highly recommend you check out the Matusow documentary, which can be found on YouTube, and is completely free to watch.
