Mizrachi’s Impossible: PPC, Main Event, Hall of Fame

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Before the World Series began, we highlighted two of the most prestigious events: the $10,000 Main Event and the $50,000 Poker Players Championship. The probability of winning both in the same year? Practically zero. But Michael Mizrachi defied all the odds and made the impossible happen.

He started with the PPC, where Mizrachi absolutely dominated the field from start to finish. He stayed in the top three during the first three days, became the chip leader by the end of Day 4, and at the final table, he never looked back. That was his fourth victory in the PPC alone.

Then the Main Event began.

It was a strong start for “The Grinder” who finished Day 1B as the chip leader. He then dipped down to a short stack just before the bubble but climbed back up and once again became a threat to everyone at the table.

But Mizrachi’s game has never been about textbook strategy. On just the second hand of Day 8, he made a questionable shove of 19 big blinds from early position with A-J offsuit — only to be called by John Wasnock with A-Q.

Mizrachi was left with just three big blinds. But that’s where his story really began.
He staged an epic comeback, hitting back-to-back runner-runner flushes in a short span. He entered the final table second in chips.

At the final table, Mizrachi went on to win two massive preflop all-ins with Ace-King — first against John Wasnock’s pocket kings, and then against Adam Hendrix’s pocket jacks. In the first hand, he put his 36 big blinds and his tournament life on the line, spiking an ace on the river. In the second, he eliminated Hendrix in 6th place after hitting a king on the turn.

From there, Mizrachi just kept winning and winning and winning. He ended the day holding 76% of all the chips in play and promised he’d finish it all in just 60 minutes tomorrow.

One Hour Is Enough?

Mizrachi kept his promise, wrapping up the final day of the WSOP Main Event in just one hour. In the first two hands, he eliminated Kenny Hallaert and Braxton Dunaway. Over the next 18 hands he sealed the deal by defeating John Wasnock.

In total, only 79 hands were played across two days making this one of the fastest final tables in modern WSOP history.

Right after the tournament ended, Mizrachi was immediately inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame! It marked the first time the induction procedure was changed on the spot, but it happened in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time.

Mizrachi's Bracelets:

• 2010 – $50,000 Poker Players Championship – $1,559,046
• 2011 – €10,400 No Limit Hold’em (Split) – €336,008 (WSOP Europe)
• 2012 – $50,000 Poker Players Championship – $1,451,527
• 2018 – $50,000 Poker Players Championship – $1,239,126
• 2019 – $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better – $142,801
• 2024 – $888 No Limit Hold'em – Crazy 8's Encore (Online) – $108,815
• 2025 – $50,000 Poker Players Championship – $1,331,322
• 2025 – $10,000 Main Event World Championship – $10,000,000

What Else?

Leo Margets made history by becoming only the second woman to reach the WSOP Main Event final table, following Barbara Enright in 1995. She finished 7th after losing a coin flip to Kenny Hallaert.

For the first time ever, the average age of the final table players exceeded 40. Braxton Dunaway, 42, was the youngest player during 4-handed play, while Mizrachi is 44.

At the beginning of Day 8, only 10 Americans remained against 14 players from the rest of the world. But by the end, five Americans made it to the final table. Three of them completed the top three spots.

Matthew Frankland became the official bubble boy. Not only did he get his $10,000 buy-in back (shared with two other players), but he also received a $30,000 package to WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas!

This year’s WSOP Main Event became the third-largest in history, drawing 9,735 entries. The all-time record wasn’t far out of reach, but Day 1C underperformed, drawing about 850 fewer players than last year. Apparently, many Americans still prefer to celebrate the 4th of July away from the poker tables.

Final Results – Event #81: $10,000 MAIN EVENT No-Limit Hold'em World Championship

1. Michael Mizrachi - $10,000,000
2. John Wasnock - $6,000,000
3. Braxton Dunaway - $4,000,000
4. Kenny Hallaert - $3,000,000
5. Luka Bojovic - $2,400,000
6. Adam Hendrix - $1,900,000
7. Leo Margets - $1,500,000
8. Jarod Minghini - $1,250,000
9. Daehyung Lee - $1,000,000