The Brothers Mizrachi
The Poker Players Championship was the first major event in WSOP 2010 and the brothers Mizrachi passed the test with flying colors. Though both brothers acquitted themselves well it was Michael who came out tops defeating Vladimir Schmelev in the heads up and winning over $1.55 million and his first WSOP gold bracelet. The enormity of his achievement can be judged from the fact that there were 54 bracelet holders in the field. This win means that Michael has to give up the unofficial title of being the best poker player not to have won a WSOP bracelet, but as he said he has no regrets on relinquishing that title. The Poker Players Championship also carries the Chip Reese’s Trophy, which perhaps is the best of the three things Michael has won. He said, “To win Chip Reese’s trophy is really special to me. I hope to be able to honor him in the way he deserves.”
Michael’s elder brother, Robert, had also made it to the final table but had been eliminated in the fifth position. Robert has won a gold bracelet in WSOP 2010 and now both brothers have one each. Robert won $341,428 for his effort in the Poker Players Championship. Their combined booty of $1.9 million is the highest ever by two siblings appearing together on the same WSOP final table. This is the third time that two siblings have been on the same WSOP final table. The first was in 1995 when the brother-sister duo of Annie Duke and Howard Lederer made it. The next pair was that of Ross Boatman and Barney Boatman in 2002.
This event showed why Michael is nicknamed The Grinder. He started WSOP under extreme pressure with the IRS dragging him to the racks and even putting his two homes on the auction block. But Michael was able to put his IRS worries behind him and focus on the task at hand. Soon after the heads up Schmelev secured a 3 to 1 chip advantage, but Michael kept clawing. After about 30 hands Michael drew level and then never looker back.
It has been reported that the financially down Michael had someone backing him and that person will obviously get a cut from the winnings. Let us hope that Mizrachi’s new accountant has done the legal work correctly so that he does not have to pay taxes on the monies that have not actually come to him though they may be standing against his name.
The 2010 November Nine said
am July 18 2010 @ 9:14 pm
[...] has had an excellent run this WSOP. He has already captured a bracelet in the prestigious $50,000 Players’ Championships and if he wins the Main Event it will be an unparalleled double. Michael is short stacked going in [...]