World Poker Tour presenter and poker champion Mike Sexton will be on-Island to teach poker enthusiasts the finer skills of the game next month.

The Poker in Paradise event takes place at the Fairmont Southampton from February 11 to 13 and it involves everything from playing poker to whiskey tasting.

Mr. Sexton, who was last in Bermuda some 20 years ago, is looking forward to returning to the Island.

?I?m sure it has changed quite a lot since then,? he said.

?It?s a beautiful place and it should be an exciting week. I love working with the WPT events, they are just great and certainly coming to a luxurious property like the Fairmont Southampton should be fun.?

One of the most recognisable faces in the ever-growing poker world, Mr. Sexton was initially taught to play the game when he was just 13 years old.

The man who taught him then went on to become one of the best Seven Card Stud players in the world.

?Little did I know at that time, that he was that great a player and he beat me up all the time as a kid playing,? Mr. Sexton said.

?But when I got off to college on my own, I realised that I was way better than anyone at playing any kind of card game ? whether is was gin rummy, poker or hearts or whatever it might be ? compared to the average guy.?

After a stint in the army and a brief, unsuccessful marriage, Mr. Sexton decided to turn his professional efforts to poker full-time.

?I always loved to play and finally, when I got out of the army, I got married and had this job in the Carolinas and I found home poker games to play in,? he said.

?Then after three-and-a-half years I got a divorce ? apparently I played too much poker. So then I made a decision... I knew I could make money on those poker games, so I quit my job.?

He then lived off home game poker winnings in North Carolina for eight years before finally making the leap to life in gambler?s paradise ? Las Vegas.

?I finally moved to Las Vegas in 1985 and I?ve been playing professionally there since then,? Mr. Sexton said. ?I loved the game and had a passion for it and I just wanted to play all the time and I could never get tired of playing poker.?

While poker has reaped him rewards, Mr. Sexton said it is hardly an easy life.

?It might look like a lavish, luxurious thing to do when you are watching a guy win a million dollars on television, but it is a tough way to make a living,? he said.

?It is a little stressful and you have to take the bad with the good. But, if you have a knack for it... It is more important that you love to play, because if you are miserable when you are playing, then you won?t be happy making a living playing the game.?

Although he would not discourage anyone from playing poker, for the average guy he would not recommend it as a profession.

Since becoming a television presenter on WPT, Mr. Sexton himself has been forced to cut back on his playing time, he admitted.

?I don?t get a chance to play cards as much as I used to,? he said. ?I used to play every day for a living. I don?t really miss that aspect of it quite honestly.

?Now when I play it is just because I enjoy playing or it is a big-time tournament that I can play in, like the World Series of Poker (WSOP). But I am not allowed to play in World Poker Tour events because I do the commentating.

?But whenever opportunity presents itself, I certainly still like to play when I get a chance. But for the most, it is just recreational now.?

Last summer, however, Mr. Sexton flexed his poker muscles by battling it out with Daniel Negreanu at the WSOP Tournament of Champions to win his second gold bracelet ? his first was in 1989 for a WSOP Seven Card Stud Split event ? and winning a $1 million purse. He elected to donate half his winning to several charities.

While many people claim that poker is not a sport, Mr. Sexton, whose career winnings have amounted to almost $3 million, disagrees.

?Well from the physical aspect of poker I would say, they are right,? he said.

?But from the mental aspect, poker is as competitive as any major sporting event.

?These people are playing for life-changing money and decisions are pressure-packed.?

The turn of a card or a poor decision can make a million-dollar difference to a player in just seconds.

?The guys that do the best out there are competitive guys,? he said.

Televising poker has really led to an explosion in interest worldwide, Mr. Sexton said. World Poker Tour coverage on the Travel Channel, for example, introduced many to a previously unknown world.

?The World Poker Tour has become a very famous brand now because of its popularity,? he said. ?Certainly, it is exciting that people now appreciate it as a game of skill, rather than luck.

?The perception for many prior to the World Poker Tour was that poker took place in the back of a smoke-filled pool hall. But that perception is now gone because we have multi-million dollar prizes at the most lavish casinos around the world.

?It is big time stuff and the winnings now are over a million dollars and certainly some of these prizes are far bigger than the four majors in golf altogether ? some of these prizes are just massive.

?So in terms of competitiveness ? and you asked about it being a sport earlier ? prize money takes a back seat to no sport out there.?

But one does not have to be genetically blessed or train for a lifetime to compete in poker.

?The great thing about poker is that anybody can win and the average guy can sit down with the world champion of poker and beat them when cards fall in their lap ? they can get lucky and win,? Mr. Sexton said.

?But if he tried to play the world champion seven days a week, he wouldn?t come out too well. But on a given hand, on a given day, anyone can win at poker.?

Once turned onto poker, many find it has addictive qualities.

?Poker has something that people love about it,? he said. ?There is a skill to it, there is a luck factor and a decision making process and basically it is challenging for people.?

The upcoming event at Fairmont Southampton should be enjoyable for both new players and more seasoned participants, he said.

?I think they are going to enjoy it and meet a lot of new people,? he said.

?I think the poker tutorial will be very educational for them and, of course, I know that because I am teaching it....

?And certainly we?re hoping they will become better poker players because of their week in Bermuda.?

All the events during the weekend lead up to cash-less prizes in order to comply with Bermuda?s gambling laws.

?Although there are no cash prizes, the prizes are pretty impressive,? Mr. Sexton said.

These include a seven-night stay at the Fairmont Monte Carlo in Monaco and a five-night stay and airfare to the Casita at the Fairmont Scottsdale.

For more information contact the concierge at the Fairmont Southampton on 238-8000.