How I Beat the Poker Champion at the World Series of Poker
Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi is a poker god—a true legend whose career has spanned decades, multiple game formats, and historic triumphs.
He accomplished the almost impossible in the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP): he won the prestigious Poker Player Championship for $1.3 million and then won the Main Event for $10 million.
Mizrachi's Unprecedented 2025 Run
1. Fourth $50K Poker Players Championship (PPC)
In June 2025, Mizrachi made WSOP history by winning the $50,000 buy-in PPC for the fourth time, topping a highly elite field and earning $1,331,322. This win not only broke his own record, but reaffirmed his status as the premier mixed‑game poker player in the world.
The PPC is widely considered the toughest event in poker—testing every major poker discipline. Mizrachi navigated rounds of Hold 'Em, Omaha, Stud, Razz, and more. The final table’s energy was electric, with spectators and competitors alike recognizing the rarity of a fourth win in this event.
2. Main Event Glory
July 2025 saw Mizrachi enter the $10,000 buy-in Main Event aiming for a career-defining victory. A massive field of 9,735 players competed for a $90.5 million prize pool. After surviving a short‑stack scuffle near Day 8—famously getting down to just crumbs in chips—he turned a pivotal double-up to vault himself into contention.
At the final table, he carried massive momentum. On Day 10, he eliminated the third- and fourth-place finishers in the first two hands, earning the victory in just 20 hands—one of the swiftest Main Event endings in history. His final victory (a flush against two pairs) earned him $10 million and his first Main Event bracelet. (A “bracelet” is the equivalent of winning a gold medal at the Olympics.)
3. Hall of Fame Induction
Immediately following his Main Event victory, Mizrachi received a rare and spontaneous Poker Hall of Fame induction, bypassing the usual waitlist of years. The unanimous vote came as his peers—including Phil Ivey, Brian Rast, Daniel Negreanu, and Phil Hellmuth—hailed his historic accomplishment of winning both the PPC and Main Event in the same year.
WSOP CEO Ty Stewart praised him, calling it “the most impressive feat in poker history."
Who Am I to Claim to Have Beaten Mizrachi at the World Series of Poker?
I am an amateur poker player. I have done a few other things noted in my bio below. My main poker accomplishment has been being the lead author of Poker for Dummies, which has outsold almost every poker book ever written. Timing is everything—I wrote that book right before the poker boom started.
Through luck, I have made four final tables at some of the World Series of Poker events, highlighting the important poker phrase that "it's better to be lucky than good."
So How Did I Beat Mizrachi at the World Series of Poker?
Ok, stay with me here. It's 2008 and I have entered the Pot Limit Omaha Championship at the World Series of Poker. I was doing terribly at Hold 'Em events, so I decided to try my luck at Omaha. It's a much trickier game than Hold 'Em (you get 4 starting cards in Omaha versus the 2 you get in Hold ‘Em and the strategy is more complicated). There are world-class experts in Omaha, like Noah Schwartz. I’m a less-than-world-class novice at the game.
But somehow, miracle upon miracle happened and I made the final table of that PLO Championship. And who was at the final table with me? Yes, Michael Mizrachi.
I wanted to avoid being in a hand with Michael—I knew his reputation and was not eager to play against him. But I found myself in a hand against him. He ended up with three 9's but I made a flush. A minor victory but a victory nevertheless.
Even after so many years, I am sure that hand still stings for Michael.
Now some of you may quibble and nitpick that beating Michael in one hand 17 years ago isn’t really “beating” him.
To that, I say…pshawww. It’s my delusional fantasy and I’m sticking with it.
If Michael wants to redeem himself, I challenge him to a winner-take-all heads-up Hold 'Em match. Mano a mano. Maybe Wynn, MGM, or Caesar’s can sponsor the event and put up the prize pool (hint, hint).
If he wins, I will also throw in my $12.99 poker bracelet that says “Poker Champion” on it that good friends gave to me.
If Michael beats me in that heads-up match, I will also admit that he is a slightly better poker player.
PokerChampion.com
I bought the domain name www.PokerChampion.com many years ago, hoping I would be able to use it someday. It looks like I will have to wait until next year's World Series of Poker.
But maybe Michael will want to buy it from me? It's for sale at slightly under $10 million. But he should hurry up and contact me, as I expect that other poker legends like Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, and Phil Ivey will want it as well.
And congrats to Michael! What an unbelievable accomplishment!
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