Reigning WSOP Champ Mizrachi Bags Big Stack in Europe Main Event
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GGPoker ambassador Michael Mizrachi knows a thing or two about making poker history, and the reigning world champion has once again placed himself in strong position after bagging a big stack on Day 1c of the 2026 WSOP Europe Main Event at King's Casino at Hilton Prague.
"The Grinder" was the first player to win three Poker Players Championship titles at the World Series of Poker (WSOP). After Brian Rast tied that feat, Mizrachi moved ahead once again by winning the PPC for a record fourth time at the 2025 WSOP. He then completed a double few thought possible, winning the WSOP Main Event just weeks later. The achievement was so remarkable that he was immediately inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame (PHOF).
Nine months later, he is positioning himself to write his name into the history books once again, with the 2026 WSOP Europe Main Event title now a possibility after finishing eighth on Day 1c with 344,000 chips, leaving him 24th overall among the returning players heading into Day 2.
A WSOP Main Event and WSOP Europe Main Event double has been achieved only once before, by all-time WSOP bracelet record holder Phil Hellmuth in 1989 and 2012.
Mizrachi ended the final starting flight of the WSOP Europe Main Event with 344,000 chips, though he needed a bit of luck to get there. Earlier in the day, he shoved with second pair on a seven-high board and was snapped off by pocket aces. Fortunately for Mizrachi, he turned two pair to secure a double-up. From there, he steadily built his stack, scoring several knockouts along the way.
Late in Day 1c, he eliminated Paulina Loeliger, who had flopped Broadway. But once again the turn favored Mizrachi, improving his two pair into a full house to seal the knockout.
Mizrachi has already enjoyed strong results in Prague, cashing three times prior to the Main Event:
- €1,100 The Opener Mystery Bounty - 103/2,195 for €1,350 plus €2,000 in mystery bounties
- €3,300 Mixed PLO - 24/181 for €6,545
- €565 COLOSSUS - 88/2,195 for €1,725
While Mizrachi was one of the 299 players to advance from the 713 Day 1c entrants, Austria's Daniel Rezaei stole the spotlight late in the day, finishing with the overall chip lead heading into Day 2.
Day 1 Flight Statistics:
| Flight | Entries | Players Advancing | Advancement Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1a | 803 | 336 | 41.8% |
| Day 1b | 653 | 269 | 41.2% |
| Day 1c | 713 | 299 | 41.9% |
Rezaei Leads Strong Field Into Day 2
Rezaei ended Day 1c with a tournament-leading stack of 639,000, the only player across all flights to surpass the 600,000 mark.
Going into the final level of the night, Rezaei had around 500,000 before notching a double knockout late on to cement the chip lead.
Germany's Jan-Henrik Westerhoff sits second overall with 499,000, while poker triple crown winner Roberto Romanello, who led the Day 1b field, returns third with 451,000.
WSOP bracelet winner Alex Keating (440,000) and China's Biao Ding (431,500) round out the top five, while Day 1a chip leader Aliaksei Boika remains firmly in contention with 424,500.
Start of Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Rezaei | Austria | 639,000 | 256 |
| 2 | Jan-Henrik Westerhoff | Germany | 499,000 | 200 |
| 3 | Roberto Romanello | Wales | 451,000 | 180 |
| 4 | Alex Keating | United States | 440,000 | 176 |
| 5 | Biao Ding | China | 431,500 | 173 |
| 6 | Martin Tsvetanov | Bulgaria | 428,000 | 171 |
| 7 | Aliaksei Boika | Belarus | 424,500 | 170 |
| 8 | Daan Mulders | Netherlands | 416,500 | 167 |
| 9 | Antonio Galiana | Spain | 399,000 | 160 |
| 10 | Niklas Deitmer | Germany | 398,000 | 159 |
Plan for Day 2
The record-breaking WSOP Europe Main Event has seen 2,169 entries across the Day 1 flights, with 904 players returning to their seats at noon local time on Monday, April 6.
With the €10,000,000 guarantee already surpassed, the total prize has climbed to €11,511,600, with further increases expected before registration officially closes. Final prize pool figures and the full payout structure will be released once the last entries are accounted for, with 15% of the field scheduled to finish in the money.
Late registration remains open for the first two levels of Day 2, closing at approximately 3:30 p.m.
When play resumes, blinds will pick up at 1,500/2,500 with a 2,500 big blind ante.
The plan for Day 2 is to play six 90-minute levels, with extended breaks after the first two levels. A dinner break is scheduled following the fourth level of the day.
