Talk about a double-up
Heading into the last day of the 2025 WSOP Main Event final table, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi was already dominating with nearly all the chips. It took him less than an hour to claim the rest. On Wednesday, Mizrachi concluded what many are calling the greatest World Series of Poker performance ever, securing the 2025 WSOP Main Event title and a $10m first prize.
As if that weren’t enough, WSOP VP Jack Effel and fellow poker stars surprised Mizrachi post-bracelet presentation with the news of his induction into the Poker Hall of Fame.
I’ll be back next year for a lot more.”
“I feel like (the Main Event) was cement. I cemented everything,” Mizrachi shared with the audience afterward. “All I wanted was the Main Event. I accomplished what I needed to in poker. Achieved the Hall of Fame. I’m not retiring, so don’t worry. I’ll be back next year for more.”
“Mizrachi has achieved what might be the most remarkable feat in poker history by winning the two toughest tournaments in the same year,” remarked WSOP CEO Ty Stewart, highlighting Mizrachi’s other summer win, his fourth in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship. “Welcome to the Gallery of Champions and the Poker Hall of Fame.”
The moment was all Mizrachi’s
Mizrachi dominated the two-day Main Event final table, needing only 79 hands to defeat the other eight players. It was the quickest final table in two decades, with Wednesday’s play wrapping up in under an hour.
He needed one major stroke of luck to reach Wednesday, going all-in with A-K against then-chip leader John Wasnock’s A-A. Mizrachi rivered an Ace to take the lead, ending the penultimate day holding over 75% of the chips.
Armed with a massive stack, extensive experience, and unwavering confidence, Mizrachi knew he would win, as did the spectators. Yet, just as he had come back from two big blinds on Day 8, his opponents could find a way back as well.
This was Michael Mizrachi’s day, and he wouldn’t be denied. He knocked out Kenny Hallaert and Braxton Dunaway on the first two hands, advancing to heads-up with Wasnock with a commanding 491 million-chip to 93.5 million-chip lead.
Wasnock edged over the 100 million-chip mark but didn’t yield, though without a couple of double-ups, it wasn’t meant to be. On the 18th and final hand of heads-up, Wasnock flopped two pair with A-9, but Mizrachi turned a flush. Unfortunately for Wasnock, he chose this moment to make a stand, betting 10 million and then going all-in after Mizrachi raised to 30 million. Mizrachi easily called, initially thinking Wasnock had no outs, overlooking that both his cards had paired. Mizrachi wasn’t fazed by the slim chance, and soon, he had his coveted Main Event bracelet.
Induction of a new legend
Before the final table, many poker pros, both jokingly and seriously, suggested on social media that if Mizrachi won the Main Event, he should be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame immediately, bypassing the wait until next year. Besides his other achievements, the Main Event would give him eight bracelets, including a record four Poker Players Championships, and over $29m in live earnings. This marked his second time winning the PPC and reaching the Main Event final table in the same year – a feat he first achieved in 2010.
As it happened, those calls were heard. Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth – Hall of Famers themselves – proposed to Jack Effel that if Mizrachi won the Main Event, the next year’s nomination and voting process should be bypassed, and he should be inducted into the Hall of Fame immediately. The other Poker Hall of Famers, who vote on new inductees, all supported the idea.
Thus, after receiving his gold and diamond bracelet, several Hall of Famers joined him on stage to bestow the honor and
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- Source: SCCGManagement.com