From Prison
to $32M

Mikki's grandparents taught him how to play cards starting at age 3. By the time they passed away when he was 8 years old, the foundation was already laid.

By his teenage years, he was gambling five days a week with what he describes as "mobsters and rich Jews." The other players thought he was 18-20 years old. In reality, he was only 12-15.

"I had a fake ID," Mikki has said. "I was 21 for seven years." He made trips to Atlantic City as a teenager, not to gamble recklessly, but to study how casinos work.

Mikki left his parents' house in 10th grade. Italian mafia members took him in and essentially raised him. At 15, he went to juvenile prison. He stayed incarcerated until around age 21—roughly 6 years total.

During that time, he got his GED and took the SATs while behind bars. Five universities accepted him, but he never attended any of them.

When he was released, he had no money, no job, and no plan. He became homeless in New York. He got sober alone—no program, no support system.

A friend got him a job at a Miami rehab facility for $18/hour. Before that, he was a day laborer making $100/day and saving every dollar.

At the rehab facility, he studied the operations obsessively—insurance billing, patient intake, the business model. He used that knowledge to buy his first rehab center.

He expanded rapidly, eventually owning over 300 pharmacies and multiple rehab facilities across Florida. He sold everything while still in his 20s. The sale price was never disclosed but was substantial.

Then tragedy struck: his business partner was murdered, another disappeared, and he split with his girlfriend. The empire was gone, and he needed a new direction.

Mikki moved to LA around 2020 and started visiting Vegas—not as a tourist, but as a student. He would watch tables for hours before placing a single bet, looking for patterns.

His first baccarat hand was at a $500 minimum table. He asked the dealer to explain the game. She explained it in two hands. He's been playing baccarat ever since.

By 2023, Mikki was banned from over 150 casinos. The reasons casinos gave were often absurd:

According to Mikki, the edge isn't in the cards or the patterns—it's in emotional regulation. Staying calm when $3M is on the table. Having the discipline to walk away after a win.

He's watched players with better pattern recognition lose millions due to tilt. Prison taught him that expressing aggression outwardly means losing control. Channeling it inward means power and focus.