The Wonderpool World of Molina Mike

By Mark White

“38-year-old Michael Ortiz is a 2nd generation American living in Corpus Christi, Texaswith his four girls.”

Iwould describe Mike as a pool insider, the go-to guy when you want to know what’s going on in the pool world. If Mike doesn’t know what the chances are, neither does anyone else. I first met the Texan on a podcast I was presenting with Joey Ryan called ‘The Booth Brothers’, for those of you that don’t know Joey, he’s the man that has over 30 great one-on-one interviews on his YouTube channel ‘Pool Player Podcast’. Mike became the third Booth Brother during the big lockdown, and when travel and tournaments started again in 2021, the triplets got together in Las Vegas at the CSI Expo, a friendship that was always going to happen owing to the passion for this sport we all share equally.

It’s obvious, though, that Mike’s real passion is one pocket. I get the feeling that it could have something to do with the fact that the bigger money matches take place in the game of one pocket and it’s no secret he loves to see a couple of one-pocket masters going at it for the big bucks.

I asked Mike whether or not he thinks these money matches have a place in pool, and he is quick to respond with a yes. I guess it takes us back to the old days of anonymous players on the road going from pool room to pool room, playing their way around the states, but of course, with the introduction of the internet that basically put an end to hustling as it was known, you only have to google names now like Cesar Morales, Juan Antonio Robles and our good friend Michael Ortiz and they will flash up straight away as numbers 1, 2, and 3 on the Hustlers most wanted list.

I have mixed feelings on this issue, and my opinion hasn’t been a popular one. I have a huge passion for all cue sports, particularly pool, but my passion is equally as strong against wads of Benjamin’s spread out on the table and the victorious gladiator at the end struggling to wrap his talented hands around bricks of bucks. I don’t have a dislike of gambling per se, come on, I’m from London, I gamble every time I cross the roads, but on a serious note, I also believe these big money matches could be good for the sport if they are conducted in a controlled environment, not hidden away, that then gives people like myself, to perceive them as underground seedy goings on. Let’s do it the modern way; let’s embrace it, guys you have bank accounts, televise the battles like a big boxing match, 100,000 or 200,000 in the middle, or whatever players can afford to play for. You see what you have done, Ortiz; you got me started...

Talking to Molina Mike, you cannot help but warm up to him, his passion is up there with mine, believe me, but the man from Texas does have a life outside of pool; he loves nothing more than spending every free moment with ‘’His Girls,’’ and when asked if any of them are showing any interest in the game that is obviously in Mike’s DNA, he tells me that one of them loves to go with Daddy and even hit balls from time to time, but would he want any of his kids getting involved in pool and making it a career? ‘’Of course, if that’s what they want to do’’. Other interests include making jump cues with his good friend James Hanshew, and you will often see him raffling them off on his Facebook page.

Mike also acquired a company called ‘1Pocket’ an apparel company producing cool stuff, including t-shirts, and hats (They are really cool, by the way), amongst other items for the one pocket fanatics, which he owns with Joey Ryan.

Mike loves the thrill of interacting with his many fans online and at the events as much as possible, he certainly clocks up a few air miles traveling around the states to feel that buzz for real whenever possible and whip out his mic and video camera at every opportunity and bring pool lovers into the arena to experience the action they wouldn’t usually see unless they were at the events.

He can always be found posting up the runners and riders for upcoming tournaments and giving the punters a chance to earn a few dollars, and at weekends, you’ll find him slamdunking a few greenbacks on the basketball and American football.

I see a lot of myself in Molina Mike; we both gave up a weekly paycheck for a dream of not so much making a living but merely surviving by doing something we love. Mike is a lot braver than I as he has a family to support, but that, I think, is why he does the amount of hard work he does. You could say he has ‘Fingers in many pies,’ he has a good recipe, a nice mix of ingredients that come together perfectly, and with the pool scene getting hotter and hotter, he will continue to feed our hunger for some more tasty treats that will satisfy our appetite for action whatever the cue sport.