Mickey Wernick
Encyclopedia
Michael D. Wernick (born 2 July 1944 in Wolverhampton
) is an English
retired
bookmaker
and professional poker
player from Birmingham
.
Whilst growing up, Wernick was a keen amateur
boxer
and won the Midlands Area Amateur title. He has also met Sugar Ray Robinson
and Muhammed Ali.
Wernick formed a poker club in 1970 with his father
Solly. He was a mainstay of the British poker scene, who eventually began traveling to the World Series of Poker
. He has since cashed on 6 occasions, in no limit
hold'em, razz
and lowball
events. In the 1986 WSOP
he finished 2nd in an Omaha event. (1)
Wernick made the quarter-finals of the 2003 World Heads-Up Poker Championship
, losing to eventual winner "Miami" John Cernuto
.
Wernick was ranked the #1 player across all poker variants in Europe
for 2005 (1). This led to his induction into Bruce "Elvis Senior" Atkinson
's European Poker Players Hall of Fame as its 8th inductee, making him the oldest inductee to date.
Wernick finished on the television bubble of the European Poker Tour
event in Deauville
.
As of 2008, his total live tournament winnings exceed $860,000.
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
retired
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
bookmaker
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
and professional poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player from Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
Whilst growing up, Wernick was a keen amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
and won the Midlands Area Amateur title. He has also met Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson was an African-American professional boxer. Frequently cited as the greatest boxer of all time, Robinson's performances in the welterweight and middleweight divisions prompted sportswriters to create "pound for pound" rankings, where they compared fighters regardless of weight...
and Muhammed Ali.
Wernick formed a poker club in 1970 with his father
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
Solly. He was a mainstay of the British poker scene, who eventually began traveling to the World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
. He has since cashed on 6 occasions, in no limit
Betting (poker)
In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...
hold'em, razz
Razz (poker)
Razz is a form of stud poker that is normally played for ace-to-five low . The object of Razz is to make the lowest possible five-card hand from the seven cards you are dealt. In Razz, straights and flushes do not count against the player for low, and the ace usually plays low...
and lowball
Lowball (poker)
Some forms of poker, often called lowball, sometimes called low poker, reward poor poker hands . There are four common variations on this idea, differing in whether aces are treated as high cards or low cards, and whether or not straights and flushes are used. The methods are:* Ace-to-five low:...
events. In the 1986 WSOP
1986 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 141 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry....
he finished 2nd in an Omaha event. (1)
Wernick made the quarter-finals of the 2003 World Heads-Up Poker Championship
World Heads-Up Poker Championship
The World Heads-Up Poker Championship is an annual elimination-format poker tournament of one-on-one no limit Texas hold'em matches. The tournament was co-created by Late Night Poker's Nic Szeremeta, PokerInEurope's Jon Shoreman, and gaming journalist Rich Geller.The event has run since 2001 and...
, losing to eventual winner "Miami" John Cernuto
John Cernuto
"Miami" John Cernuto is an American professional poker player based in Las Vegas, Nevada, specialising in Omaha hi-lo events.-Early years:...
.
Wernick was ranked the #1 player across all poker variants in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for 2005 (1). This led to his induction into Bruce "Elvis Senior" Atkinson
Bruce Atkinson (poker player)
Robert Bruce "Elvis Senior" Atkinson is an English professional poker player and the President of the European Poker Players Hall of Fame.Atkinson started off playing seven card stud in the early 1980s, but moved to hold'em later....
's European Poker Players Hall of Fame as its 8th inductee, making him the oldest inductee to date.
Wernick finished on the television bubble of the European Poker Tour
European Poker Tour
The Pokerstars European Poker Tour is a series of poker tournaments similar to those in the World Poker Tour , created by John Duthie, winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. It began in 2004 as part of the worldwide explosion in Texas Hold 'em popularity...
event in Deauville
Deauville
Deauville is a commune in the Calvados département in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.With its racecourse, harbour, international film festival, marinas, conference centre, villas, Grand Casino and sumptuous hotels, Deauville is regarded as the "queen of the Norman beaches" and...
.
As of 2008, his total live tournament winnings exceed $860,000.