button in SafariMichael Mizrachi Crushes PLO Event for Ninth WSOP Bracelet and $1.3 Million
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At just 45 years old, Michael Mizrachi has already built a poker resume that rivals even the most elite players of the game. With over $30 million in career earnings, four Poker Players Championship titles, a WSOP Main Event victory, and a recent induction into the Poker Hall of Fame, Mizrachi has cemented himself as one of the game's all-time greats.
And yet, “The Grinder” showed once again that his legendary career is far from complete by capturing the 2026 $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship for his ninth WSOP gold bracelet and $1,350,203 top prize.
Mizrachi now joins a select club of only seven other players who have won at least nine bracelets, alongside Benny Glaser (9), Johnny Moss (9), Doyle Brunson (10), Erik Seidel (10), Johnny Chan (10), Phil Ivey (11), and Phil Hellmuth (17).
Event #70: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Mizrachi | United States | $1,350,203 |
| 2 | Zarvan Tumboli | India | $900,088 |
| 3 | Michael Hahn | United States | $627,832 |
| 4 | Martin Zamani | United States | $445,080 |
| 5 | Ian Matakis | United States | $320,763 |
| 6 | Raj Vohra | United States | $235,073 |
| 7 | Jesse Lonis | United States | $175,233 |
| 8 | Toby Joyce | Ireland | $132,908 |
The Grind Will Continue
Speaking with PokerNews shortly after his victory, Mizrachi reflected on winning his ninth bracelet.
"Obviously every bracelet is amazing to win, to win the [Poker Players Championship] four times, to win the Main Event is crazy. But I was tired of winning the PPC. I had to do something different. So we mix it up this year. I think I would take the PLO over the PPC right now just to have something different on my belt."
Despite his many accolades, Mizrachi has no plans of stepping away from the felt anytime soon. Rather, he has made it a personal goal to chase Hellmuth's record 17 bracelets.
"I mean, we've got to catch Hellmuth, right? So that's the goal. We're catching Hellmuth. We got a long way to go... I need to average about two or three a year. So hopefully we get one more this summer, then a few in the wintertime [at the Bahamas]."
With the Main Event just around the corner, Mizrachi said he isn't yet focused on his title defense. Rather, true to his name, "The Grinder" intends to take little time off and hop right into the $10k Stud Hi-Lo championship in pursuit of his next bracelet.
"My my focus is now on the Stud Hi-Lo. So we're going to buy in late tomorrow. Just for today, [the plan is to] relax, have some fun and hang out with the family and friends and have a good dinner."
Mizrachi Dominates From Start to Finish
From late on Day 1 inside the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, Mizrachi established a commanding lead and carried it all the way to the final table, where Jesse Lonis briefly claimed the top spot after eliminating Aaron Kupin in a large pot. However, just as Lonis looked poised to pull away, Mizrachi took a stand against “The Gorilla” in the biggest pot of the tournament.
In the hand, Mizrachi called a preflop raise and a continuation bet from Lonis before moving all in with a pair of aces after Lonis fired a sizable turn barrel. The timing proved impeccable, as Lonis had been applying pressure with only second pair and a gutshot straight draw. Lonis called to put Mizrachi at risk, but the river failed to improve him, awarding Mizrachi the double-up and a commanding chip lead that he immediately put to use.
"I think he made an amazing play," Mizrachi said of Lonis. "But I was probably the wrong person to do it against. The Gorilla puts a lot of pressure. I know if I busted, I'm gonna come seventh. [If I folded] I know I could ladder up. But we don't play to ladder up. We play to win. So I'm going to take that shot against him."
From there, Mizrachi made quick work of the final table, eliminating Toby Joyce, Lonis, Ian Matakis, and Martin Zamani in a series of showdowns that all fell in his favor before Day 3 came to an end.
With approximately 80 percent of the chips in play against Michael Hahn and Zarvan Tumboli entering Day 4, it seemed only a matter of time before "The Grinder" finished the job. Unsurprisingly, it only took a few hands for Tumboli to commit his stack into the middle against Mizrachi, but the risining Indian star proved resilient by doubling through Mizrachi after hitting a flush on the turn against two pair.
Mizrachi continued to apply pressure and grind Hahn and Tumboli down, but both players managed to double up once more before Mizrachi was able send Hahn out in third with unimproved jacks.
Despite the sizable chip deficit, heads-up between Tumboli and Miarachi proved to be a competitive one, with Zumboli closing the gap substantially after winning in a full house over full house cooler.
Try as he may, however, Tumboli was unable to overcome Mizrachi. After a level of jousting back and forth, Mizrachi took a 5:1 chip lead by rivering a full house against Tumboli's trips. Not long after, Tumboli managed to get his chips in good with aces against Mizrachi and was one card away from a double-up. It didn't matter in the end, as Mizrachi drilled the river to make a straight — securing his ninth gold bracelet and adding another chapter to one of poker’s most remarkable careers.
