Image source: Flickr/World Poker Tour
Michael Mizrachi boasts a reputation as one of the greatest players in the history of the World Series of Poker. His WSOP resume includes five bracelet wins, including three victories in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship.
Mizrachi arrived on the live tournament scene in the mid-2000s, and he’s stood the test of time as one of poker’s most well-rounded players. Mizrachi’s ability across multiple poker variants earned him the nickname “The Grinder,” and he’s a threat to take down any tournament in which he plays.
Let’s take a look at the career accomplishments of Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi.
As of March 2021, Michael Mizrachi’s career poker tournament earnings total $17,215,517. Mizrachi’s five biggest tournament scores include:
Take a look at Mizrachi’s entire history of tournament poker results at his Hendon Mob page.
The following hand comes from Mizrachi’s record-breaking third win in the WSOP $50,000 Poker Players Championship. Considered by many pros as the most prestigious poker tournament on the calendar, the Poker Players Championship plays as a mixed-game event and draws fields stacked with the game’s best.
The 2018 Poker Players Championship came down to Mizrachi and John Hennigan for the title. No-Limit Hold’em was the game on tap when this hand took place between two of the world’s top overall players:
This hand begins with the blinds at 50,000/100,000 and Mizrachi at 15.7 million chips. Hennigan begins the hand with just north of 6 million chips, as both players still held plenty of chips to play with at that point in the tournament.
Mizrachi opens to 225,000 with 9♥ 8♥, Hennigan three-bets to 750,000 with J♦ T♣, and Mizrachi calls. The flop comes 9♠ Q♥ 5♥, bringing Mizrachi middle pair and a flush draw.
The board also gives Hennigan an open-ended straight draw, and “Johnny World” bets 700,000 into the 1,560,000 pot. Mizrachi raises all-in over the top, and Hennigan snap calls.
The turn clinches the win for Mizrachi, with the T♥ hitting the board to complete the flush. We don’t get to see the inconsequential river in this PokerGO clip, but Mizrachi takes down his historic third Poker Players Championship win, along with a $1,239,126 payday.
The younger versions of Mizrachi and Daniel Negreanu go head to head in our next hand, which played out at the 2005 $10,000 World Poker Open Championship. Five players remain with a nearly $1.5 million first-place prize on the line.
The clip begins with “The Grinder” already all-in, with Negreanu contemplating a call:
Our view of this hand begins after Mizrachi raises all-in to 387,000, holding 8♠ 8♥. Negreanu is deciding whether to commit 307,000 chips to make the call, not knowing his 7♦ 7♣ is dominated.
After a few moments of commentary, Negreanu makes the call. The flop and turn fall 5♠ 9♠ 6♥ 2♠, leaving Negreanu looking for a miracle eight on the river. Commentator Mike Sexton tells us that another player folded the 8♣, leaving only one eight left in the deck.
Much to Mizrachi’s anguish, the 8♦ appears on the river, sending “The Grinder” out in fifth place with a $288,241 payday. That marked Mizrachi’s biggest career cash at the time, as the then 25-year-old was just getting started on a Hall-of-Fame-caliber poker career.
Just a month after that fifth-place showing at the World Poker Championship, Mizrachi set another new benchmark on his tournament resume. Mizrachi took down the 2005 L.A. Poker Championship $10,000 Main Event, earning a $1,859,909 payday.
That win still marks the second-largest payout of Mizrachi’s career. He’s posted seven-figure scores six times, with the latest of those coming in his 2018 WSOP Poker Players Championship win.
The Hendon Mob database shows 29 tournament wins for Mizrachi from 2005 through 2019. Among Mizrachi’s accolades are five WSOP bracelet wins, a WSOP Circuit Ring win, and two WPT Championship victories.
Michael Mizrachi is the only three-time winner of the WSOP $50,000 Poker Players Championship. (Image source: Flickr/World Poker Tour).
Mizrachi put together one of the all-time great all-around WSOP performances at the 2010 series. His accomplishments from the 2010 WSOP include a bracelet win in the $50,000 Players Championship ($1,559,046), a fifth-place finish in the Main Event ($2,332,992), and two other final table appearances.
Perhaps Mizrachi’s greatest show of excellence comes through his consistent success in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship. The mixed-game event occurs at the WSOP each year and is considered by many pros as the most prestigious event on the poker tournament calendar.
Mizrachi stands as a three-time winner of the Poker Players Championship, scoring victories in 2010, 2012, and 2018. He’s currently the only three-time winner in the history of the event.
Mizrachi is one of three brothers who play poker professionally. His twin brother Eric and his younger brother Robert are also both poker pros.
With $17,215,157 in tournament cashes as of March 2021, Mizrachi sits in the top 50 on the Hendon Mob all-time tournament earnings list. He’s still active on the live tournament scene, and cashed eight times at the most recent live World Series of Poker in 2019.
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