Mickey Wernick aka The Worm

Michael (Mickey) D. Wernick is a retired English bookmaker and professional poker player from Birmingham.

Whilst growing up, Mickey was a keen amateur boxer and won the Midlands Area Amateur title. He has also met Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali. 

Mickey formed a poker club in 1970 with his father Solly. He was a mainstay of the British poker scene, and eventually began travelling to the World Series Of Poker. Mickey 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.  

Mickey made the quarter-finals of the 2003 World Heads-Up Poker Championship, losing to eventual winner John “Miami” Cernuto. 

He was ranked the number 1 player across all poker variants in Europe for 2005. 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. 

Mickey finished on the television bubble of the European Poker Tour event in Deauville but still came 9th and earnt respectable €26,400.