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Michael Mizrachi, known as “The Grinder”, is an American professional poker player, born in Miami, Florida, in 1981. He has won nine World Series of Poker bracelets, including the 2025 Main Event for $10,000,000, and a record four titles in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship. On the day he won the Main Event he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame by special exemption. [1][3][4]
Michael Mizrachi: key facts
| Full name | Michael Mizrachi |
|---|---|
| Nickname | “The Grinder” [1] |
| Country | United States [1] |
| Born | 1981, Miami, Florida [1] |
| Hometown | Hollywood, Florida [12] |
| Known for | 2025 WSOP Main Event title; four Poker Players Championship wins; mixed games |
| Poker Hall of Fame | Inducted 2025 [3] |
| WSOP bracelets | 9 (153 WSOP cashes, 39 final tables) [2] |
| WSOP Main Event | Champion 2025; 5th in 2010 [4][6] |
| Other major titles | WPT L.A. Poker Classic 2005; WPT Borgata Winter Open 2006 [6] |
| Live tournament earnings | $30,699,393 as of October 5, 2026 [1] |
Early life and family
Mizrachi grew up in Florida in a family of poker players. His mother, Susan Laufer, known as “Momma Grinder”, taught her sons to play as children, and his older brother Robert Mizrachi, a five-time WSOP bracelet winner, became his guide and mentor in the game. His brothers Eric and Donny also play poker. He has three children: Paul, who is also a poker player, Julie and Joseph. [1]
Growing up, he wanted to become a doctor. Once he realized he could make serious money playing poker, he dropped out of college to play full time. [1]
Beginning in poker: online play and the World Poker Tour
Mizrachi started out online and worked his way up the limits. His first seven-figure scores came on the World Poker Tour: in 2005 he won the $10,000 L.A. Poker Classic Main Event for $1,859,909, and in January 2006 he won the WPT Borgata Winter Open for $1,173,373. In the same month he finished second at the Gold Strike World Poker Open in Tunica for $566,352. [6]
At the WSOP, success took longer. In 2008 he led going into the final table of the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha World Championship and finished third for $331,279. [1][6]
Playing style
According to PokerNews, Mizrachi earned his nickname for a solid, consistent style, steadily “grinding” his way through tournament fields. [1] His bracelets cover several formats: No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo and the mixed-game Poker Players Championship. After his 2019 Stud Hi-Lo win he described his approach against a tough table: “I played those hands where I know they’re going to fold and that way I can win a lot of antes and bring-ins.” [9]
Before his 2025 Hall of Fame induction, Daniel Negreanu said of him: “The Grinder should have been in already. The guy’s a legend and an icon. He’s exactly what poker needs.” [3]
Greatest achievements
WSOP bracelets
| Year | Event | Prize | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $10,000 Main Event (9,735 entries) | $10,000,000 | [4] |
| 2010 | $50,000 Poker Players Championship | $1,559,046 | [6] |
| 2012 | $50,000 Poker Players Championship | $1,451,527 | [1] |
| 2026 | $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship | $1,350,203 | [11] |
| 2025 | $50,000 Poker Players Championship (107 entries) | $1,331,322 | [7] |
| 2018 | $50,000 Poker Players Championship | $1,239,126 | [8] |
| 2011 | WSOP Europe, Cannes: €10,400 No-Limit Hold’em (Split Format) | €336,008 | [1] |
| 2019 | $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better (460 entries) | $142,801 | [9] |
| 2024 | WSOP Online: $888 Crazy Eights Encore (931 entries) | $108,815 | [10] |
Other notable results
| Year | Event | Result | Prize | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | WSOP Main Event | 5th | $2,332,992 | [6] |
| 2005 | WPT L.A. Poker Classic Main Event | 1st | $1,859,909 | [6] |
| 2006 | WPT Borgata Winter Open | 1st | $1,173,373 | [6] |
| 2008 | WSOP $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha World Championship | 3rd | $331,279 | [6] |
The Poker Players Championship record
Mizrachi won his first bracelet in the 2010 $50,000 Poker Players Championship, with his brother Robert finishing fifth in the same event. Later that summer he reached the Main Event final table, the November Nine, and finished fifth for $2,332,992 as Jonathan Duhamel won the title. [6] He won the Poker Players Championship again in 2012, and in 2018 he became its first three-time winner, beating John Hennigan heads-up. [1][8]
On June 28, 2025, he won it a fourth time, a record. He beat a field of 107 entries and Bryn Kenney heads-up, and collected $1,331,322 from a prize pool of $5,162,750. [7]
2025 WSOP Main Event champion
A few weeks after his fourth Poker Players Championship, Mizrachi won the 2025 Main Event from a field of 9,735 players, earning $10,000,000 and his eighth bracelet. [4] His run included a comeback: on the first hand of Day 8 he lost all but three big blinds, and he then won nine preflop all-ins in a row. [5] At the final table he needed 79 hands, 20 of them on the final day, to beat John Wasnock heads-up on July 16, 2025. Wasnock received $6,000,000. [4] On the last hand Mizrachi’s ten-three of clubs made a flush on the turn against Wasnock’s two pair. [5]
No player had won the Poker Players Championship and the Main Event in the same year before. [6] Card Player called it “the most incredible double in poker history”. [5]
Ninth bracelet, 2026
At the 2026 WSOP he won Event #70, the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship, for $1,350,203, beating Zarvan Tumboli heads-up. The win made him one of eight players with at least nine bracelets, alongside Benny Glaser, Johnny Moss, Doyle Brunson, Erik Seidel, Johnny Chan, Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth. [11] His WSOP.com profile lists nine bracelets, 153 cashes, 39 final tables and $27,546,741 in WSOP earnings. [2]
Poker Hall of Fame, 2025
Mizrachi was not among the 2025 Hall of Fame nominees, and Nick Schulman had been named the year’s inductee earlier the same week. After the Main Event win, WSOP Vice President Jack Effel announced Mizrachi’s induction on stage, breaking with the one-induction-per-year standard; fellow members including Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Brian Rast and Jennifer Harman joined him there. [3][4] Card Player reported that the induction followed a spontaneous, unanimous, 33-for-33 vote. [5]
In his own words
- “To win the first one was amazing. The second one was great. The third one is unheard of.” After his third Poker Players Championship, 2018. [8]
- “I probably played better than the last three I won.” After his fourth Poker Players Championship, 2025. [7]
- “The World Series of Poker is the greatest tournament on Earth!” Before the 2025 Main Event final table. [12]
- “I played my best poker in my life.” After winning the Main Event, 2025. [5]
- “I cemented everything. That’s all I wanted was the Main Event.” 2025. [4]
- “I’m never going to retire, so don’t worry about that.” 2025. [4]
- “I mean, we’ve got to catch Hellmuth, right? So that’s the goal.” After his ninth bracelet, 2026. [11]
Iconic hands and moments
His 2025 WSOP Main Event story (World Series of Poker)
Pokerography: The Story of Michael Mizrachi (PokerGO)
The ninth bracelet, 2026 (PokerGO)
FAQ about Michael Mizrachi
How old is Michael Mizrachi?
Michael Mizrachi was born in 1981, according to his PokerNews player profile. PokerNews described him as 45 years old when he won his ninth bracelet in June 2026. [1][11]
Where is Michael Mizrachi from?
He is American, born in Miami, Florida. His hometown is listed as Hollywood, Florida. [1][12]
What is Michael Mizrachi’s net worth?
There is no reliable public figure for his net worth. What can be verified is his live tournament record: $30,699,393 in earnings as of October 5, 2026, according to PokerNews. [1]
How many WSOP bracelets does Michael Mizrachi have?
Nine. The most recent came in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship at the 2026 WSOP. [2][11]
Did Michael Mizrachi win the WSOP Main Event?
Yes. He won the 2025 Main Event for $10,000,000, beating a field of 9,735 players. He had also finished fifth in 2010. [4][6]
Is Michael Mizrachi in the Poker Hall of Fame?
Yes. He was inducted in 2025, immediately after winning the Main Event, by special exemption outside the usual one-inductee-per-year process. [3]
How many times has Michael Mizrachi won the Poker Players Championship?
Four times, in 2010, 2012, 2018 and 2025, a record for the event. [7]
Why is Michael Mizrachi called “The Grinder”?
The nickname comes from his solid, consistent style of play, steadily grinding his way through tournament fields. [1]
Is Michael Mizrachi related to Robert Mizrachi?
Yes. Robert Mizrachi, a five-time WSOP bracelet winner, is his older brother and taught him to play poker. [1]
Related Poker Legends
Read more about Phil Hellmuth, whose bracelet record Mizrachi has set as his goal, Daniel Negreanu, who campaigned for his induction, and Phil Ivey, who joined him on stage as he entered the Hall of Fame.
Sources
- PokerNews, Michael Mizrachi player profile, accessed October 5, 2026.
- WSOP.com, Michael Mizrachi player profile, accessed October 5, 2026.
- PokerNews, Poker Hall of Fame Makes Special Exemption to Induct Michael Mizrachi, July 16, 2025.
- PokerNews, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi Ascends to Legendary Status With 2025 WSOP Main Event Title, July 16, 2025.
- Card Player, Year Of The Grinder: Michael Mizrachi Crushes World Series Of Poker Main Event, July 17, 2025.
- PokerNews, From Grinder to World Champion: The Career of Michael Mizrachi, July 16, 2025.
- PokerNews, Michael Mizrachi Makes History with Fourth $50K PPC Title at 2025 WSOP, June 28, 2025.
- PokerNews, 2018 WSOP Event 33: Michael Mizrachi Wins His Third Poker Players Championship Title, June 19, 2018.
- PokerNews, Michael Mizrachi Wins His Fifth Bracelet!, June 13, 2019.
- PokerNews, 2024 WSOP Online: Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi Wins Sixth WSOP Bracelet, July 31, 2024.
- PokerNews, Michael Mizrachi Crushes PLO Event for Ninth WSOP Bracelet and $1.3 Million, June 29, 2026.
- PokerNews, 2025 WSOP Main Event Final Table Profile: Michael Mizrachi, July 2025.
Last verified: October 5, 2026. Figures that change over time, such as career earnings, are given with the date they were checked.
