'Pro's-pro' Mike Gorodinsky finally gets his due at WSOP - Poker

July 2, 2015

Many of the biggest names in poker are famous because of their tournament accomplishments -- players who pile up World Series bracelets and other big results, gaining notoriety for those achievements in the public eye.

Then there are players known as the consummate “pro’s pro,” grinding away at the cash games and making their nut far from the bright lights and the media attention. Up until the start of the 2015 World Series of Poker, Mike Gorodinsky fell squarely in the latter category, more than holding his own in some of the biggest and toughest cash games in the world while largely spurning the tournament action.

Gorodinsky drew the attention of several top high-stakes pros, making enough of an impression to get picked in the highly competitive $25,000 fantasy WSOP contest every year since 2012 -- and for some pretty considerable totals in each auction-style draft.

He put up three cashes, including his first WSOP final table, in 2012, and came through for his own $25,000 fantasy team in a big way in 2013 by winning his first bracelet in the $2,500 Omaha Hi-Lo/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo event -- enough push him into second in that contest. Gorodinsky also bubbled the final table of the $50,000 Poker Players Championship in 2013.

The 2014 WSOP was considerably less successful, with just one cash. While no one knew what to expect coming into 2015, Gorodinsky had a pretty good idea of his plan. But the sheer scale and volume of his success has been completely unpredictable.

“This summer, I just came into it just thinking that cash games weren't going to be great, and I decided to focus on tournaments ahead of time,” Gorodinsky said.

After a deep run in the $5,000 No Limit Hold ’em event that opened up the 2015 WSOP, Gorodinsky nearly nailed his second WSOP bracelet in the $10,000 Razz Championship, settling for second behind Phil Hellmuth. He bubbled the Seven Card Stud Championship final table a few days later, then continued to show his range of abilities by taking third in the $5,000 Six Max No Limit Hold ’em.

It all set the stage for the most impressive showing of his career -- a win that defines his breakout summer and announced his arrival to the entire poker world. Gorodinsky beat the best mixed game players in the world and defeated a truly monumental final table on the way to his second career WSOP bracelet, $1,270,086 and a sizable lead in the 2015 WSOP Player of the Year race.

Not that the tournament itself wasn’t enough motivation, but for the second straight time that he’d picked himself in the fantasy draft, he again had a bracelet to show for his efforts.

“I took myself in the draft,” he said. “Everything kind of piled on top of each other and it worked out, and it's been good.

“I actually almost went for a dollar this year, I had to stand up for myself,” Gorodinsky said with a laughed. “I never really put in as high a volume in the tournaments as some of the guys that are more familiar names, but realistically there's just going to be one person that runs really hot every year. It's just -- it's me this year. I'm super grateful. It's awesome.”

While his supposed “value” dipped in some people’s eyes, it wasn’t a case of proving anybody wrong. For Gorodinsky, it’s always been about his own success and focusing on being the best player he can.

“It is a little bit of validation, but I don't really see it as some, ‘Oh, now they finally know’ thing,” Gorodinsky said. “I think most top-ranked professionals realize that it takes a lot of things to go right to win a lot of tournaments and go deep. It can happen to a lot of good, solid players, and it just happened to happen to me this year.”

It’s been a year to remember for Gorodinsky, who doesn’t have a tournament cash outside the WSOP since 2012. During the other 10-plus months of the year, at least for the last few years, he’s enjoyed staying near his hometown of San Diego, California.

“I live a pretty normal life,” Gorodinsky said. “I work not as weird hours as most poker players. Life is good. Weather is perfect every day. I have a puppy and I like to be outside. I'd imagine that it's a life that a lot of poker players [want to] live.”

There’s still plenty of action to be had in the local cash games, although you won’t see the kind of marathon sessions that can happen in Las Vegas and elsewhere.

“We have a more regular poker game than some other cities,” he said. “We play a very set time Monday through Friday -- the casinos close at two in the morning, and so do the poker rooms.

“Rami Boukai has been in San Diego for a long time, then Chris Klodnicki just moved about half a year ago. Those are the two guys that people that follow the World Series of Poker would probably recognize.”

Then there was Gorodinsky’s heads-up opponent, Jean-Robert Bellande, who pushed Gorodinsky hard before eventually bowing out in second place.

“JRB. Love JRB. I think he's great for poker, super fun guy,” Gorodinsky said. “It was really fun playing with him. He's one of these larger-than-life poker personalities, and I love that he gives needles.

“He makes fun of himself. Unlike a lot of guys that maybe aren't as high-profile as him, JRB was having fun when he was winning, but he was also gracious in defeat.”

By beating Bellande heads-up, Gorodinsky brought things full circle.

“It was kind of cool,” Gorodinsky said. “A media person came up to me after I won the $50K and reminded me that I'd actually beaten him heads-up in a mixed game tournament like six years ago. That was my first tournament win. It was this weird deja vu feeling.”

Gorodinsky was clearly enjoying himself at the final table, and he was the same way for most of the tournament. He had an especially good time late on Day 3 of the Poker Players Championship, where he was seated with Klodnicki and Jason Mercier, among others.

It was a grouping of some of the brightest young mixed-game players who are taking over in force. And they were doing it with big smiles on their faces.

“Absolutely, it's important to have fun,” Gorodinsky said. “It's important to remember that we literally play a game for a living. Our profession is awesome. That's actually one of my favorite things about playing mix, and playing mixed game tournaments in general, is that every decision can't put you out of the tournament. One bad decision won't cost you your tournament life, so people let their guard down a little bit.”

While Gorodinsky is the frontrunner in the POY race, he’s not committing to a full-time schedule of tournaments. There’s a reason he’s one of the more respected players in the big mixed games. He’s a winning player who knows when to play to strengths.

“The experience has been great,” he said. “It's tough to have a bad time when you're winning a ton of money, going deep in tournaments. I'd have to be a really strange dude to be like, ‘Man, it's been miserable.’ But, I don't know. It is draining, putting in a lot of hours at the Series, especially the 4 p.m. events [when] you play ‘til three in the morning, [then] you restart at two. It's just very hard to live a normal, healthy life doing it.”

Gorodinsky will continue to pick his spots wisely for the rest of the year, and whether he goes to Europe to chase player of the year or stays at home in San Diego for his regular game, he’ll be just as content at the table. The 2015 WSOP will go down in the record books as a tremendous year for Gorodinsky, but until 2016 and beyond get here he’ll keep playing to his strengths.

“In previous summers, I usually play 10 to 15 tournaments, and I play cash games,” Gorodinsky said. “If I feel like there's a lot of incentive to get my name out there and put up results in tournaments, then I'll definitely play it. If I don't, I'll come out here. I'll play cash. I'll play a few tournaments and just do my thing.”