'The Grinder' Talks Family, Four PPC Titles & Main Event Glory on 888Ride
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Michael Mizrachi — a few months removed from winning both the 2025 World Series of Poker Main Event and the Poker Player’s Championship — was the latest guest on 888Ride, presented by 888poker.
The newly inducted Poker Hall of Famer, who will also be the headline guest at the upcoming World Tournament of Slots in The Bahamas, joined David Tuchman for a drive to reflect on his unprecedented WSOP summer, his poker-playing family, and prop bets with Chino Rheem.
Poker Playing Family
It’s no secret that the Mizrachi name is poker royalty.
Between Michael and his brothers Robert, Eric, and Daniel, the family boasts 13 WSOP bracelets, three World Poker Tour (WPT) titles, and over $39 million in Hendon Mob earnings, with Michael explaining they're all self-taught players with little appetite for GTO theory.
Michael’s mother, Susan Laufer, recalled to PokerNews in a summer interview how cards were always around when her kids were growing up in Miami.
“I played a lot of cards with friends and my kids would be there watching (and say), ‘Mommy has an ace and joker!’” Laufer said. “And then I would yell at them and they would go downstairs and make their own games.”
The next generation is already stepping up. Michael’s son Paul, who turns 21 soon, has begun dipping his toe into the game, including playing events in Cyprus at the Onyx Super High Roller Series after the WSOP.
Still, Dad is keen on keeping him disciplined.
“He’s like, ‘Dad, let me play on WSOP.com — it’s okay,’” Mizrachi said. “But when he wanted to play casino games online, I told him, ‘We’re not going to start here. This is exactly what you don’t want to do.’”
Mizrachi Taking Ambassadorial Role Seriously
Mizrachi remains the only player in history to win the Poker Player’s Championship four times, and he shared some insight into why he thrives in the event.
“I perform my best against the best players in the world,” he said. “The PPC is my tournament, it’s experience. I’ve been in the spotlight, I’ve gone deep, and I know what to do in a lot of those situations by rewinding the past. I just feel very comfortable playing that event.”
That confidence only builds with each victory.
“I come in every year thinking, ‘Yeah, I’ve already won this three times, what’s so hard about winning a fourth?’ Now I’ll come back next year saying, ‘What’s so hard about winning five, when I’ve already won four?’”
Beyond his results, Mizrachi has also embraced his role as an ambassador for the game, something that became especially clear after his Main Event triumph.
Many thanked him for “saving poker” following last year’s controversial finale, when Jonathan Tamayo’s victory left fans frustrated after he was repeatedly spotted running back and forth to his rail to check spots. Mizrachi recognizes the importance of presenting the game in the right way.
“I try to make people have a great experience, it doesn’t matter who I’m playing with,” he said. “I’m not one of those guys who takes things too seriously when I sit down. I enjoy myself, I want people to smile, and I want people coming back to the poker table.
“We gotta get rid of these hoodies and sunglasses. We’re trying to make poker fun again. That’s what I want to do for poker.”
Watch the Full Interview
You can catch the full conversation with Michael Mizrachi on the 888poker YouTube channel, where “The Grinder” dives even deeper into his WSOP summer, family life, and what’s next.
