Michael Mizrachi Wins Event #45, Poker Players Championship; 2nd in Three Years
This marks Mizrachi's second Poker Players Championship win at the WSOP, his first having come in 2010 when he topped a field of 116 to win $1,559,046. Mizrachi also won a WSOP Europe bracelet last fall in the €10,400 "split format" no-limit hold'em tourney.
After five days' worth of playing eight different games against poker's best, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi emerged Thursday as the winner of Event #45, the Poker Players Championship. Mizrachi ran through a tough eight-handed final table in short order, outlasting Chris Klodnicki to take the bracelet, the David "Chip" Reese Memorial Trophy, and the $1,451,527 first prize.
The final day of play began auspiciously for Mizrachi as he knocked out both Frenchman Bruno Fitoussi and Pennsylvanian Bill Chen in the same no-limit hold'em hand. Mizrachi cut the field down to six when the Floridian's Ad-Ac held up against Chen's Ah-Kc and Fitoussi's 8c-7c.
Mizrachi would take care of the next elimination as well, knocking out the Englishman Stephen Chidwick in sixth in a hand of pot-limit Omaha. Chidwick would commit his last chips on the turn with the board showing 8c-8d-2h-3h and Chidwick holding Ks-Kd-5c-4s for two pair. Mizrachi, meanwhile, had Ad-8h-4d-2c for eights full of twos, and when the river came the 3d they were swiftly down to five.
Roland Israelashvili was the next to fall in fifth, having become short-stacked before finding himself all in before the draws versus both Mizrachi and the Californian Andy Bloch in a 2-7 triple draw hand. In the end Bloch's eight-low beat Israelashvili's J-low to send the New Yorker out in fifth.
Chris Klodnicki of New Jersey next knocked out Londoner Luke Schwartz in a no-limit hold'em hand in which Schwartz Ac-9d failed to hold versus Klodnicki's Ad-6h when a six fell on the river.
Mizrachi led with three left, although Klodnicki would take the chip lead away momentarily as the day wore on. Then Mizrachi claimed a huge pot off of Bloch in a PLO hand that saw Bloch call a big river raise by Mizrachi with the board showing Ks-Qd-2h-2c-10h. Bloch held Qc-Qs-8d-5s for queens full, but Mizrachi had the better full house with Kd-Kc-9s-7h.
Soon after that hand, Bloch would be all in preflop versus both opponents in a limit hold'em hand, and by the showdown Klodnicki would be left to knock out Bloch with Ad-Js versus Bloch's Qh-4h after neither improved.
Mizrachi enjoyed a 2-to-1 lead over Klodnicki to start heads-up play, soon whittling him down until he was all in during an Omaha/8 hand with As-Jh-9c-2s against Mizrachi's Qd-Jc-9h-8h. The board came 10c-10s-7s-6h-Ah, meaning neither made a low and Mizrachi's ten-high straight was enough to scoop the pot and the title.
2012 WSOP Event #45: Poker Players Championship ($50,000):
1. Michael Mizrachi -- $1,451,527
2. Chris Klodnicki -- $896,935
3. Andy Bloch -- $561,738
4. Luke Schwartz -- $704,736
5. Roland Israelashvili -- $317,882
6. Stephen Chidwick -- $253,497
7. Bill Chen -- $205,856
8. Bruno Fitoussi -- $169,879
This marks Mizrachi's second Poker Players Championship win at the WSOP, his first having come in 2010 when he topped a field of 116 to win $1,559,046. Mizrachi also won a WSOP Europe bracelet last fall in the €10,400 "split format" no-limit hold'em tourney.