29-year-old poker pro Mizrachi grinds to mixed-game title at World Series of Poker, $1.56M

Mizrachi, 29, grinds to $1.56M mixed-game WSOP win

LAS VEGAS — A 29-year-old Miami poker professional nicknamed “The Grinder” outlasted a 37-year-old Russian banker early Wednesday to win a mixed-game title at the World Series of Poker worth $1.56 million.

Michael Mizrachi beat Vladimir Schmelev of St. Petersburg, Russia, in a no-limit Texas Hold ‘em final table to take the series’ first tournament, the $50,000 buy-in Poker Player’s Championship.

Schmelev gambled the last of his chips with a queen-eight and Mizrachi called with a queen-five and a dominant chip lead.

A five on the turn gave Mizrachi a pair and his first gold bracelet at the series after 19 cashes without a tournament win.

“This was definitely worth the wait,” said Mizrachi, who had $7.2 million in previous tournament winnings, including two World Poker Tour titles and $587,000 at the WSOP since 2004.

“It’s one of the greatest accomplishments someone could ask for,” he said.

Schmelev won $963,375 for second place after the session that started Tuesday afternoon and lasted nearly nine hours, excluding breaks.

Mizrachi went into heads-up play with a chip lead over Schmelev, but Schmelev regained the lead after six hands, winning several showdowns and seeming to grow more confident with quick, forceful raises.

Schmelev was one card from eliminating Mizrachi and winning the tournament himself after Mizrachi gambled with an ace-seven of clubs against Schmelev’s ace-jack of diamonds. Mizrachi was far behind in the hand, but hit a flush on the final community card to pull even with Schmelev.

During a break, Mizrachi said he received advice from fellow poker players including Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, J.C. Tran and others, who told him to slow down his play to frustrate Schmelev.

“Mike Matusow took me to the back and we were doing jumping jacks and running in circles,” Mizrachi said. “He said, ‘Get your blood flowing, get your blood flowing.”

As the night progressed, several tournament pros, friends and family members rooted Mizrachi on, chanting “Grinder” each time he won a hand.

Mizrachi’s run included eliminating his brother, Robert Mizrachi, in fifth place during the final table. Their finish is the best for two siblings in any World Series of Poker tournament.

“Inside, to me, I didn’t know if I wanted to win or if I wanted him to win,” Mizrachi said. “It was a feeling I never felt before because I’ve never knocked him out of a tournament.”

Mizrachi also stopped a remarkable effort from David Oppenheim, a 37-year-old cash game professional from Calabasas, Calif., who started the final table with 2.5 percent of the chips in play but climbed back to finish third. Oppenheim was one card from crippling Mizrachi’s stack but was eliminated when a river card gave Mizrachi a pair of queens.

“That would have given me the chip lead,” Oppenheim said. “That’s what happens in Hold ‘em.”

A total of 116 players entered the mixed-game tournament on Friday. The event is a modified version of the series’ H.O.R.S.E. tournament and is widely considered the series’ most prestigious event besides the $10,000 buy-in no-limit Texas Hold ‘em main event.

The eight poker variations tested players in limit Texas Hold ‘em, Omaha high-low split, seven-card razz, seven-card stud, seven-card stud high-low, no-limit Texas Hold ‘em, pot-limit Omaha and deuce-to-seven triple-draw lowball.

But the final table played no-limit Texas Hold ‘em — poker’s most popular variation — to help make the tournament’s finale more friendly for a television audience.