"Crazy Mike" Thorpe is an interesting character.
He seemed to appear in poker out of nowhere circa 2007. He was a clean-cut, young guy (about 25 at the time, but looked younger), but had a loud, blunt, attention-seeking type personality.
Here is Mike describing himself about seven years ago on 2+2:
Most of the above is accurate.
He was also known for relentlessly prying into people's lives at the poker table. He would often ask you blunt, sometimes offensive questions.
At the same time, while feigning openness, he was also quite secretive. Nobody knew where his money came from. Mike had a military background (hardly a lucrative job), and yet he showed up in poker immediately at high limits, claiming he won the money online. However, nobody had seem him run it up online at the time, so these claims were dubious.
He was a fairly good limit HU player, but he never won the type of money that he would dump off playing live, and those winnings came AFTER he was already known on the live scene. It was weird.
Mike was also known for his "hyena yelp" (which I actually named, and he liked it, so he started referring to it that way), where he would scream in a loud, high-pitched tone, "AYAYAYAYAYAYYAYAYA" whenever he won a pot. Eventually he was forced by most cardrooms to stop the hyena yelp.
He did seem to be willing to challenge nearly anyone to $10k heads-up freezouts live. He also would sit in live ring poker games and seemingly dump money, such as playing wildly, blindly going all-in, only looking at one card, etc.
He also was big on what he called "ethics", and would get into major wars/arguments/battles with people he didn't feel acted "ethically". In one case, he got into a major battle with a girl I knew because he didn't like how she refused to play him heads up when he would sit with her, and it escalated from there. (I felt she was right in this argument, btw.) Laughably, when I publicly took her side in the situation, Mike came up to me at the WSOP and yelled out loud that I only did so because I was having sex with her (lol).
Despite that situation, I mostly got along with Crazy Mike. We both had a hatred of online poker bots at limit holdem, and I learned to handle his quirks. When he would say obnoxious things to me at the table or ask me prying questions, I would give it right back to him (though in a playful way). He also revealed to me in 2013 that he was a regular listener to PFA Radio. However, when I offered to give him a mention, he demanded that I keep his listenership quiet (lol).
I could never figure out if Mike's eccentric personality was an act for attention/poker action, or if he actually couldn't help himself. He did seem to exhibit signs of Asperger's.
There is actually another loud, sometimes-obnoxious Mike in limit holdem. There's a guy known as "Squeaky", who actually played with me once on Live At the Bike. Squeaky is also known for constantly talking and annoying everyone at the poker table. I was very intrigued to see what would happen if these two Mikes were ever at the same table, and it actually happened at the WSOP a few years ago. Interestingly, Crazy Mike quickly went quiet there, and had a depressed look on his face. It seemed to me that Crazy Mike was "out-crazied" by Squeaky, and felt upstaged. This made me start to believe that perhaps Crazy Mike really was mostly acting all along.
He's friends (not sure how close) with "Butters", who ran very deep at the year's WSOP Main (and had the chip lead after Day 6).
Mike also runs a drone store in Las Vegas, which I think he started in 2014. Here he is talking about it on the news:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGmRTLg64VE
It is not clear what percentage he owns of the store.
It seemed on the surface that he must have had a trust fund and didn't care about money, but...
First this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by *TT*
Normally I would not post something like this, but it's no secret - every mixed game player on the west coast knows this story. Mike himself tells everyone within earshot how he is busto and owes some key players a bunch of money that he is paying off thanks to his work at Drones Plus. Mike can still be seen in the 40/80 mix game at Bellagio once every other month or so as far as I know. I believe he was also playing low stakes games online at wsop.com, he is a lot humbler now and less manic - but every once in a while a little bit the old personality comes out. Last I saw him was this past Spring, and I would assume that Mike would want this to be posted - he is a very open person. If I am wrong, my apologies Mike.
Then this...
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeathDonkey
I cannot let this drivel go even though its probably against my own best interest but I basically feel there is zero chance crazy mike the scumbag will ever pay me a penny of what I am owed so whatever.
Mike is a real open person until he is lying to your face begging you for $ and swearing on everything he can think of that you will be paid back. He owes 7 figures, you think he is gonna pay every one back working at his store while randomly dumping off $ in 40/80 whenever he can afford a buyin? You are as delusional about him as I used to be.
Mike if you read this I'm still waiting for a penny of my $ you scumbag thief
*TT* is Todd Terry.
DeathDonkey is Chris Vitch.
Both have been around a long time, and both are reliable.
:boom
