We wanted to save this profile for last, as he is the guy everybody in the poker world is rooting for in many respects. But why wait. Just before the World Series started, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi was at the epicenter of a storm of rumors that he was broke that circulated in every casino. The 29 year-old poker pro from Miami Beach, Florida is now the center of a firestorm of a different sort.
Back then back-taxes, foreclosures, and poorly managed tournament wins among a spiderweb of backing agreements were topics everybody were discussing in regard to Mizrachi. He seemed in a hole with no way out, he’d almost be better off hitting the slots. Using the World Series results of the Grinder in the past, most thought that summer would only make things worse. Sure, the Grinder has had 15 cashes at the World Series but five of the came in his rookie season in 2005. As for a big score? He had never won a bracelet and seemed to run as bad or worse than anybody when it mattered most.
One tournament into the Series, the 50k buy-in Players Championship, turned into his first bracelet, and all those whispered conversations had changed into euphoric loud congratulations. Even if he was broke surely he had won enough to be at least be back to even. Well liked on the circuit it was a feel good story, and if that was the conclusion to the tale it was a satisfactory one.
Mizrachi wasn’t done. With a strong follow up in several other events and more cashes during the World Series, Mizrachi entered the Main Event as one of the few players to be able to win the Player of the Year award. Granted it was an almost impossible shot to tie Frank Kasella on points, because all Mizrachi had to do was win the entire thing. With over 7000 runners this year that seemed preposterous, but then again a couple of months ago it seemed like Mizrachi’s financials would drown his poker career and he’d go the way of sob stories TJ Cloutier and Eskimo Clark.
Mizrachi comes from a family of gamblers and while nobody’s suggested Mizrachi has played craps at the stakes or regularity of Cloutier or Phil Ivey, there were whispers going up and down the Rio’s hallways he was broke. Now, the only whispers are about whether or no Mizrachi can do what Phil Ivey couldn’t do last year and be the big name pro at the final table that wins the title.
Mizrachi’s success on the WPT, which got a lot of TV time during the Travel Channel’s high day of broadcasting the game, makes him a bit of a household name. Well, as “household” as a poker player not named Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, or Phil Hellmuth can be. If he wins this Main Event in November he’ll move into that category. Again, prior to the World Series or even during it, that type of recognition seemed light years away.
Don’t underestimate the Grinder. Mizrachi lived up to his nickname on his way to the final table. His stack got precipitously short on a number of occasions and he just dug in and grinded his way back. He climbed all the way to the top of the chip-leaders and battled back after losing big pots. His steady play and steely disposition had to put fear in his opponents when they return.
Certainly, eyes will be on John Duhamel and John Dolan, who are 1-2 in chips but nobody’s going to tangle with the Grinder too much if they can help it. Dolan showed the nerve to amass chips on the bubble and Duhamel won a couple of critical and huge pots, but the Grinder isn’t going anywhere.