Maciek ("Michael" or "Mike") Gracz (pronounced Grahtz) (born 23 October 1980, in
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
) is a Polish professional
poker
Poker is a family of Card game#Comparing games, comparing card games in which Card player, players betting (poker), wager over which poker hand, hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, with varying rules i ...
player, based in
Raleigh
Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...
,
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
.
Gracz learned poker from his father and played regularly whilst studying at
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...
.
Gracz's first major victory was in the $5,000
no limit hold'em championship event in the 2004 Trump Classic in
Atlantic City. He won over the field of 155 entrants to take home the $295,275 first prize.
On 19 March 2005, he won the
World Poker Tour (WPT)
PartyPoker.com Million IV Cruise event (the
largest limit hold'em tournament in history) and the $1,500,000 first prize, defeating a final table that included
Paul Darden.
Three months later, he won his first
World Series of Poker bracelet in the $1,000 no limit hold'em w/ rebuys event, scooping the first prize of $594,460.
As of 2019, his total live tournament winnings exceed $3,100,000.
His 15 cashes at the WSOP account for $833,968 of those winnings.
Gracz has served as a frequent commentator for the
Fox Sports Net
Fox Sports Networks (FSN), formerly known as Fox Sports Net, was the collective name for a group of regional sports channels in the United States. Formed in 1996 by News Corporation, the networks were acquired by the Walt Disney Company on Mar ...
poker tournament program ''
Poker Dome Challenge''.
World Series of Poker bracelets
References
External links
Official siteCard Player profile
Hendon Mob profile
World Poker Tour profile
WSOP profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gracz, Michael
1980 births
Living people
Polish poker players
World Poker Tour winners
World Series of Poker bracelet winners
Poker commentators
North Carolina State University alumni
Sportspeople from Warsaw