Michael ‘The Grinder’ Mizrachi Makes History with Third $50K Poker Player’s Championship Title

Before this event began, Michael Mizrachi was already in a very small exclusive club of player who have won the $50K Poker Player’s Championship. Not content with sharing a club with Brian Rast, The Grinder decided to create an even more exclusive one just for himself. He outlasted a field of 77 players, including some of the best poker players on earth to once again be crowned mixed game champion in this prestigious event. He took home $1,239,126 for 1st place, along with the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy.

Michael Mizrachi’s exploits in this event are quickly helping to write his name into poker history, having won the event in 2010, 2012, finished 4th in 2016, before winning it again this year. Along with the joy having won the title again, he can also breathe a sigh of relief, having matched his brother Robert Mizrachi’s career haul of four bracelets in the process.

When interviewed about his accomplishment, he attributed it mostly to good cards, and bizarrely, spilling coffee over the table he was playing at.

He said “when I did the coffee spill I was running so bad, I unintentionally spilled coffee all over the table and we had a seven-minute delay. After that, I never looked back”. Mizrachi went on to lead the chip counts at the end of days 2,3 and 4, before lifting the trophy at the end of day 5.

The final table of this event was predictably, jammed full of strong players, and the line-up could have been even more frightening, had Phil Ivey not busted in 9th place. Two-time champion of this event Brian Rast could have been a real handful too had he been able to chip up early, but luckily for Mizrachi, he hit the rail in 8th place. Mizrachi would still face stiff competition in his fight for the bracelet though, with Mike Leah and Dan Smith providing ample resistance, before he finally faced off against former champion of this event John Hennigan. Undoubtedly one of the best mixed game players around, Hennigan was flying high on the wave of a bracelet win that he picked up in the $10,000 HORSE event this year, but ultimately, he could not stop Mizrachi’s unstoppable march towards his place in history.

The final payouts for the event are as follows:

1st – Michael Mizrachi – $1,239,126
2nd – John Hennigan – $765,837
3rd – Dan Smith – $521,782
4th – Mike Leah – $364,197
5th – Benny Glaser – $260,578
6th – Aaron Katz – $191,234
7th – Greg Mueller – $144,049
8th – Brian Rast – $144,049

Article by Craig Bradshaw