They don't call him "The Grinder" for nothing. Down to just two and a half big blinds with three tables left, Michael Mizrachi has clawed his way back in classic fashion. Now, with only four players standing between him and poker's most coveted title, he holds over three-quarters of the chips in play and is on the verge of writing his name into the World Series of Poker history books.
Already a seven-time bracelet winner, Mizrachi has his sights set firmly on number eight, and of course, the $10 million first-place prize. With 234 big blinds in total circulation when play resumes on Wednesday, July 16, Mizrachi will return stacked with a jaw-dropping 178 big blinds. That's how dominant his Day 9 performance was.
Even before the final four were set, Mizrachi's run was being hailed as one of the greatest comebacks live poker has ever seen. After missing out on Hall of Fame induction earlier this year, many in the poker community are now calling for his name to be etched in gold once and for all.
This isn't Mizrachi's first Main Event final table either. Back in 2010, he entered as the chip leader but fell in fifth. This year, after capturing his fourth $50,000 Poker Players Championship title earlier this summer, "The Grinder" came back with vengeance, and is now the clear favorite out of a massive 9,735-player field.
"I'm feeling great, but I'll be feeling much better when I have 100 percent," Mizrachi said with a confident smile, just one step away from glory.
His road to dominance wasn't without a little run-good. Facing elimination against then-chip-leader John Wasnock, Mizrachi got it in preflop with ace-king versus kings, and drilled an ace on the river to stay alive. That hand flipped the tournament on its head.
"It was one of the best feelings. It was like when I had my firstborn. It was a great feeling. That changed everything. That ace saved my tournament and everything. Made a lot more money with that ace, for sure. That was definitely the biggest card of my career. Before it was against Duhamel, when I had threes against ace-nine, but that was bigger. That pot was so huge."
Following that monster double, Mizrachi surged to 445,500,000 in chips, more than half the chips in play, within just one and a half levels.
The Final Four: Stacks and Stories John Wasnock, the 50-year-old investment banker turned Main Event dark horse, sits second with 94,500,000. He may have taken the beat of the tournament but remains upbeat and battle-ready.
"Still feeling good. Other than that one beat I took on the river, feel pretty good. Obviously, I feel pretty good about how that hand played, just not the result. But I still feel confident. We've got a couple of short stacks left. I've got enough chips to do some damage if it comes to that."
Wasnock has held his composure, navigating Mizrachi's aggressive play with care and discipline. "Can't change what happened. I still had more chips than I started the day with. We're so deep. These pots have been so many bigs deep, sometimes unnecessarily, so it's been going fast. But we've still got a lot of play if you look at how deep-stacked we are."
Third in chips is Braxton Dunaway with 25,500,000, while Kenny Hallaert, a familiar face in deep WSOP runs, rounds out the field with 19,000,000. Hallaert had been chip leader on Days 6 and 7 but now finds himself on the short stack.
Day 9 Recap: Chaos at the Horseshoe The final table kicked off with fireworks. On the very first hand, Daehyung Lee from South Korea raised with ace-queen and flopped top pair, only to run into Wasnock's flopped set. A full house on the river sealed Lee's fate. Just like that, the South Korean rail was silenced.
Minutes later, in Hand #7, Jarod Minghini moved in with ace-queen suited against Hallaert's pocket fours in a classic flip. The board bricked, and the former snowboarder hit the rail next.
From there, things only escalated. Adam Hendrix pulled off a daring four-bet bluff with six-deuce on a queen-high flop to get Luka Bojovic to fold, then proudly showed the bluff.
Momentum seemed to be swinging Wasnock's way until the pivotal ace-king vs. kings showdown that sent Mizrachi flying into orbit.
Then came Leo Margets, chasing history as only the second woman ever to make a WSOP Main Event final table (after Barbara Enright in 1995). She got her chips in with ace-ten suited against Hallaert's pocket sixes. An ace on the turn gave her hope, but a rivered flush for Hallaert ended her remarkable run in seventh, good for $1.5 million.
The BIGGEST POT of the @WSOP Main Event! 🔥@TheGrinder44 ALL-IN at RISK against John Wasnock.
Ironically, Margets had been on the good side of a rivered flush just days earlier against Sergio Veloso, but this time, the deck had other plans.
Only two hands later, Mizrachi eliminated Adam Hendrix in another preflop clash - ace-king once again doing the damage, this time spiking a king on the turn to crack Hendrix's jacks.
With that, five players remained and Mizrachi controlled more than half the chips on the table. His relentless aggression continued, winning even the biggest non-showdown pot of the day when he triple-barreled into Hallaert with two pair, besting top pair and adding to his overwhelming chip advantage.
The Final Blow Luka Bojovic, the last to bust on Day 9, got it in with ace-king against Wasnock's ace-jack, but a jack on the turn sealed his fate. He took home fifth place honors as the final four locked up at least $3 million apiece.
From there, chips mostly flowed toward Mizrachi. The day wrapped with "The Grinder" bagging a monstrous lead, and many wondering if the title could've been wrapped up right then and there.
"I wanted to keep going. I didn't want to stop. We would've been done in an hour if we kept going. I wanted to finish it off today, but I know they can't. They have a schedule," Mizrachi said as he left the Horseshoe Event Center.
With $90,535,500 in the prize pool and seven-figure pay jumps still in play, all eyes will be on Mizrachi when cards go in the air for the final time. He is not just chasing a title - he's chasing poker immortality.
2025 WSOP Main Event Final Table - Results and Remaining Payouts
Its not see that main event will be over soon and only 4 players are left! I am glad to see that player from serbia got big amount for fifth place, 2,4 million dollars! Congratulations to all!
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