The Immortals of Poker: Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, the master of resilience

Michael David Mizrachi was born on 5 January 1981 in Miami to a Sephardic Jewish family. His father, Ezra Mizrachi, is of Iraqi Jewish descent, so Michael grew up speaking Hebrew. He is the second of four brothers: his elder brother Robert Mizrachi is also a successful professional poker player; his twin brother Eric is a semi‑professional, and the youngest sibling Daniel is a DJ and occasional poker player. Michael originally planned to become a doctor but eventually left college to pursue poker full‑time.

Mizrachi discovered poker as a teenager. He started playing at 15 years old and, by his own admission, sometimes snuck onto cruise‑ship casinos that forbade under‑18 players. He attended Hollywood Hills High School and graduated from Hallandale High in 1999. In 2002 he worked as a dealer at the Seminole Hollywood Casino, where he met his future wife, Aidiliy. Family is woven into his career: the nickname “The Grinder” was applied not only to Michael but also to his wife (“Mrs. Grinder”), his mother (“Mama Grinder”), and his children (“Baby Grinders”).

Mizrachi’s career began to take shape in the early 2000s. Initially he honed his craft in online cash games, then in 2004 he started appearing in Florida live tournaments, racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings. He burst onto the international scene in 2005: after finishing fifth at the World Poker Tour (WPT) World Poker Open, he captured the L.A. Poker Classic title for $1.859 million. This victory launched the legend of “The Grinder.”

The 2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP) saw him cash in seven events, tying the single‑season record for most cashes. In 2006 he captured another WPT title and amassed so many big results that CardPlayer Magazine named him its Player of the Year.

The bright start, however, was followed by serious financial trouble. After the 2008 financial crisis, the Florida and Nevada real‑estate markets collapsed; Mizrachi had invested at the worst possible time, and his properties quickly lost value. In early 2010 the IRS filed a lien against him for $339,711 in federal taxes. A Hollywood condominium he co‑owned with his brother went to foreclosure, and his Miramar home was also seized. The player admitted that mismanaging his poker winnings and poor advice from an accountant had contributed to the mess, so he fired his accountant and hired a new professional.

The financial turmoil showed up in his tournament results: in 2009 he won only about $325,000 and had just one significant cash at the start of 2010. Yet the crisis also fueled his motivation. “The tax stories came out right before the Championship, and that’s what motivated me the most,” he said. Between caring for his family he played private games in Florida to regain form.

Despite the hardships, Mizrachi enjoyed the performance of a lifetime at the 2010 WSOP. In the $50,000 Poker Players Championship (PPC) – an eight‑game mixed event – he triumphed over 116 elite players, earning $1.56 million and capturing his first WSOP bracelet. His brother Robert also made the final table, but it was Michael who ultimately took the title after busting his sibling. He went on to notch four more WSOP cashes and three final tables that summer. The series culminated with his run to the final table of the 2010 Main Event, where he finished fifth for $2.33 million.

Although many felt his achievements merited the WSOP Player of the Year award, the scoring system favored Frank Kassela, leading ESPN commentator Norman Chad to dub 2010 the “Year of the Grinder”. The massive winnings helped him settle his finances and gave his career renewed momentum.

Mizrachi added to his legacy in subsequent years. At the 2011 WSOP Europe he captured his second bracelet by defeating Shawn Buchanan in the €10,400 No‑Limit Hold’em Split Format event. In 2012 he successfully defended his PPC title, winning the $50,000 mixed event again for $1.45 million. The following year he won the WSOP Africa $3,300 Main Event, earning his first WSOP Circuit ring.

These years reinforced his status as a master of mixed games. He also remained a regular in high‑stakes cash games, including as a fixture on the television show High Stakes Poker.

The late 2010s brought another surge of success. In 2018 he captured his third $50,000 PPC title, becoming the first player ever to win the event three times. In 2019 he added a victory in the Seven Card Stud Hi‑Lo 8 or Better event for his fifth bracelet.

In the 2024 WSOP Online series – at 43 years old – he proved he could still compete online: he won the $888 Crazy Eights Encore event, outlasting 931 players to earn $108,815 and his sixth bracelet. The victory also put him back ahead of his brother Robert in their personal bracelet rivalry.

June 2025 delivered a historic milestone: Mizrachi captured his fourth Poker Players Championship title by topping a field of 107 entrants and outlasting Bryn Kenney, Esther Taylor and Ben Lamb. The $1,331,322 first prize brought him his seventh WSOP bracelet and cemented him as the PPC record holder. According to the PokerGO Tour (PGT), his live tournament earnings at that point exceeded $19 million, ranking him 68th on the all‑time money list.

Mizrachi’s historic summer did not end there. A few weeks after his PPC win, he entered the 2025 WSOP Main Event and emerged as chip leader on Day 1B of the 9,735‑player field. During the following days he dipped to a short stack several times but survived with dramatic back‑to‑back runner‑runner flushes and bold all‑in calls.

He reached the final table with 76 % of the chips in play. In the shortened final session, he eliminated Kenny Hallaert, Braxton Dunaway and John Wasnock in just 79 hands – one of the fastest Main Event finales in modern WSOP history. In the winning hand his ten‑three suited made a flush against Wasnock’s ace‑nine two pair, giving him the world championship and $10 million.

The event’s historic weight increased when WSOP Vice President Jack Effel, at the recommendation of Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu and other legends, inducted Mizrachi into the Poker Hall of Fame during the winner’s ceremony. Such an immediate induction was unprecedented. “All I wanted was to win the Main Event – this crowns everything. I’ll never retire; I’ll be back next year,” he said. Commentators noted that his dual victories (PPC and Main Event) cemented his place among poker’s immortals.

His moniker – The Grinder – reflects his methodical, persistent approach. Where Tom Dwan gained fame for hyper‑aggression, Mizrachi builds his stack patiently, applying continuous pressure to extract small edges and rarely taking huge risks. He excels across multiple variants – Hold’em, Omaha, Stud and 2–7 Triple Draw – and adapts to both short‑stack and deep‑stack situations. The 2010 Players Championship final demonstrated his ability to thrive with a short stack and in deep‑structured games.

An example of his calculated aggression came during the final days of the 2025 Main Event, when he twice risked more than 30 big blinds with ace‑king against opponents holding pocket pairs and improved on the river both times. While he does not follow Game Theory Optimal charts rigidly, he trusts his instincts and reads on players – a style that has proven effective even against the solver‑oriented new generation.

Mizrachi is the father of three children: Paul William, Julie and Joseph. After his early successes he bought a motor‑home to travel with his family during tournament seasons, but later sold it amid divorce and depreciation. He and his wife Aidiliy divorced in 2016.

Despite his financial troubles he never abandoned his family; during the 2010 crisis he stayed home with his children and relied on online poker to get by. He continues to reside in Hollywood, Florida, remains active in his community and often supports charity events.

Michael Mizrachi’s career is a contradictory yet inspiring tale in poker. He ascended rapidly in the mid‑2000s, fell into severe financial and personal crisis, yet returned to become one of the most successful mixed‑game players of all time. His four Poker Players Championship titles and 2025 Main Event victory constitute an unparalleled achievement; he is the first player to win both the toughest mixed‑game event and the Main Event in the same WSOP season.

The Grinder’s story shows that resilience and adaptability can lift you from the depths. Many in the poker community look up to him as an example: he blends old‑school intuition with modern analysis, prioritises family life and displays unshakable faith. Michael Mizrachi is today not only a master of mixed games but also a bridge between generations – an immortal whose name is now permanently etched into poker history.