MICHAEL

Mizrachi moves over $9.3 million in WSOP lifetime earnings with $142,801 payday


13 June 2019 (Las Vegas) – Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi has claimed his fifth career World Series of Poker gold bracelet in winning Event #27 at the 2019 WSOP, $1,500 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo 8 or Better. Mizrachi's $142,801 win in this event, his 65th lifetime WSOP cash, boosted his career WSOP winnings to $9,312,658.

Mizrachi is most famed in poker circles for being the three-time winner of the WSOP's coveted Poker Players Championship title, which he won in 2010, 2012, and 2018. This win also moves him one win ahead of his brother, Robert Mizrachi, in an ongoing and friendly fraternal rivalry.

Mizrachi arrived at Thursday's live-streamed six-player conclusion with a narrow lead, though the day's early levels found him slipping lower in chips, to less than ten big bets at one juncture. Mizrachi surged back to the lead and eventually closed out the win by busting Henderson, Nevada's Robert Gray for the win.

Gray earned an $88,254 runner-up payday that was more than four times his previous lifetime WSOP earnings. Third place in this event went to Keego Harbor, Michigan's Mike Sopko, who collected $60,330.

The six-player streamed final was rounded out by Elias Hourani (4th, $42,014), Jan Stein (5th, $15,921), and Jose Paz-Gutierrez (6th, $21,575).

Mizrachi remains one of the most popular players at the WSOP each summer and as he closed in on the win, his already large rail grew even larger. That turned into a loud celebration when he finally closed out Gray after Gray had survived multiple previous all-ins.

“The Grinder” becomes the first player to win five bracelets this decade, breaking a tie with seven other players. Three of those bracelets came in the $50,000 Players Championship events, a fourth came in a $10,000 buy-in tourney, so taking down a $1,500 buy-in is, for Mizrachi, something new.

Mizrachi's fifth overall bracelet win also moved him past his brother, Robert, for the most WSOP titles in the family. “I've got him beat right now,” said Michael. “Who's the older brother now?”

Then there's the whole matter of superstition. Mizrachi credited his lucky bead necklace for the win. “I looked for them the whole World Series. I looked for them and I found them; I wore them last series and did great. I found them again for the stud hi-lo event and I ended up winning it. These are good-luck beads. I can't take these off any more.”

Mizrachi survived some early hits to his stack before, well, grinding his way to the win. “It was a tough table, but I think the experience helped me out a little bit. I have a lot of tournament experience … I feel I had a pretty good edge on the other players in certain spots where they probably wouldn't play hands. But I played those hands and I know they were going to fold.” As a result, Mizrachi slowly wore down his foes to close out his latest win.

Six players returned to a live-streamed final table in Event #27, with four-time bracelet winner Mizrachi bringing a narrow lead to the final day. Two other players - Martin Sawtell (7th, $15,921) and Matthew Schultz (8th, $11,986) - made this event's official final table but busted late Wednesday night.

With increasing blinds already a factor, three of Thursday's final six busted in the first two hours of play. Each of the three returned on Thursday to short stacks, and Bolivia's Jose Paz-Gutierrez was the first to bow out. Paz-Gutierrez was all in on third street in a hand against Sopko, and their hands ran out as follows:

Paz-Gutierrez -    /      /  
Sopko –    /      /  

Paz-Gutierrez needed any of several low cards to either complete a low or make a better high, but the queen gave him a second-best two pair instead, and his day ended in sixth for $21,575.

Berkeley, California's Jan Stein busted just one hand later, but for a larger $29,818 payout. Stein also exited in a hand where neither he nor Gray made a low, but Gray's full house, eights over fours, topped a king-high diamond flush that Stein completed to no avail.

The other early short stack belonged to Houston's Elias Hourani, who scooped a large pot early on but ran dry from there to exit in fourth for $42,014. Hourani also busted in a hand against Gray, with Hourani getting his last chips in with a big draw:    /    . Gray had a similar two-way hand with    /    . Gray caught the   on sixth to make a low, while Hourani pulled the   to make a pair and temporarily lead the high. Gray then caught the   on seventh to also make a better high, and Hourani needed anything but a nine, ten, jack or king for a chop. Instead he caught a blank, the  , to end his run.

Gray, Mizrachi, and Sopko all took turns in the lead during three-handed play, but Sopko eventually ran low and busted in a hand against Mizrachi. Sopko was all in by fourth street with    /   , while Mizrachi had    /   . In a hand that could have gone either way, Mizrachi caught    /   to make a full house. Sopko bricked out on his low draw, catching   , and then the  , with that pair of jacks nowhere near good enough. His deep run was still worth $60,330.

Mizrachi began heads-up play with a lead against Gray, and though Gray briefly took the lead, it wasn't long before Mizrachi applied steady pressure and whittled down Gray's stack. Gray survived two all-in hands but not a third. In the final hand, Gray was all in on fourth street and had the lead at that point, with a pair of kings and neither player likely to make a better, but Mizrachi caught better on the later streets. Their final hands were these:

Gray –    /      /  
Mizrachi –    /      /  

Mizrachi's sixth-street trey gave him two pair, which was good for the win as Gray blanked out.

Event #27, $1,500 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo 8 or Better, drew 460 entries to create a $621,000 prize pool. 69players cashed and a min-cash earned $2,265.

Among those cashing in Event #27 were Yuval Bronshtein (13th, $5,794), Jon Turner (15th, $4,747), Eric Rodawig (22nd, $3,977), Dave Alfa (25th, $3,409), Barbara Enright (27th, $3,409), Steve Zolotow (29th, $3,409), Georgios Manousos Sotiropo (32nd, $3,409), Yeuqi Zhu (38th, $2,991), and Filippos Stavrakis (38th, $2,991).

Click here for Full Results.
Click here for live updates from Event #27.

Final-Table Payouts:

1st: Michael Mizrachi, $142,801
2nd: Robert Gray, $88,254
3rd: Mike Sopko, $60,330
4th: Elias Hourani, $42,014
5th: Jan Stein, $29,818
6th: Jose Paz-Gutierrez, $21,575
7th: Martin Sawtell, $15,921
8th: Matthew Schultz, $11,986