Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi got his start in poker from his older brother Robert Mizrachi. Michael saw how much his brother was making at playing poker online that he started to play and after while had moved up in limit up to $100-$200 Limit Holdem. Mizrachi was actually studying to become a doctor but dropped out of college to pursue professional poker.

Mizrachi first started playing on the tournament circuit in 2004. He had some mild success that first year. He won a weekly tournament at the Bellagio in Vegas and finished 11th in the $1,500 No Limit Event at the World Series of Poker that year. It wasn’t until near the end of the year that he hit his first large score when he won a preliminary event at the World Poker Classic for $273,040. Little did anyone know what type of success Mizrachi would have, and that success would start in 2005 on the World Poker Tour.

Mizrachi made his first WPT cash and final table at the 2005 Jack Binion World Poker Open in Tunica, MS. He would finish 5th at a table that would include Daniel Negreanu, Chau Giang, and Scotty Nguyen. Clearly this fanned the flamed of Mizrachi as not only did he make the final table of the very next WPT event, but he won it. Mizrachi would outlast a strong final table including Hung La, Ted Forrest, and Erick Lindgren to win his first WPT title and $1.85 Million. A couple of months later he would finish 11th at the WPT Championship.

2006 would see Mizrachi have back to back final tables as well. First, he finished 2nd at the World Poker Open in Tunica, MS behind Scotty Nguyen. Nguyen gave Mizrachi a huge compliment during the event saying that Mizrachi was the real deal. Just 10 days later, Mizrachi took his 2nd WPT title at the Borgata Winter Open when he outlasted John D’Agostino to win the $1.17 Million top prize. In total, Mizrachi has won over $4.16 Million on the World Poker Tour.

To date, Mizrach has not won a bracelet at the World Series of Poker. He came close in 2008 when he finished 3rd in the Pot Limit Omaha World Championship. Of course, Mizrachi is still only 27 years old, so he still has many more chances to try and win his bracelet, and with his skills, one should be in reach soon.

For his career, Mizrachi has won over $6.7 Million in live tournaments. At just 27, he is 22nd on the all-time money list. He also ranks 4th all-time on the WPT money list. His ability to grind people down at the table earned him his nickname of “The Grinder.” Mizrachi is one of the most feared and respected No Limit players at the table today. His grinding style has allowed him to win more money by 27 than most players earn for their entire career. Expect to continue seeing great things from Michael Mizrachi, including a few more titles in both the WPT and WSOP.