It might have taken an extra day, but it was worth the wait for reigning World Champion Michael Mizrachi. Going into overtime against two overmatched opponents, Mizrachi held over 80% of the chips in play in Event #70, the $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha World Championship. With such an advantage, Mizrachi barely broke a sweat on Monday in taking the ninth bracelet of his WSOP career.
Mizrachi Powers Through the Table
It might have been a bit audacious to expect the Omaha denizens to work to the champion in the span of a three-day tournament, but Mizrachi certainly gave it a shot. He was the leader on Sunday over the 37 players (Kristen Foxen was in the mix) that were left in the tournament. He held a dominant chip stack of 5.655 million, dwarfing his nearest competitors in Zarvan Tumboli (3.7 million) and Jesse Lonis (2.985 million). From the drop on Sunday, Mizrachi punished his opposition as he powered through the surviving players.
It seemed nobody could mount a challenge to Mizrachi, even as the players dropped. He would eliminate Francisco Perez and Syed Shah to crack the ten million chip mark, and ‘The Grinder’ didn’t slow down after that. Although he would lose the lead to Lonis once the official final table was determined, Mizrachi went on a run that firmly established the lead he would dominate the “overtime” action with on Monday.
Lonis and Mizrachi locked horns often in the action on Sunday, and it would be extremely beneficial for ‘The Grinder.’ After a raise from Lonis and a call from Mizrachi, a 2-3-7 flop was spread. It brought a check-called pot bet by Mizrachi, and when Lonis potted again on a nine turn, Mizrachi paused. After what might have seemed to be an eternity, Mizrachi potted himself, which required the remainder of his stack. Lonis called the bet, and the duo turned up their cards.
Lonis (UTG): A-J-10-7 (pair of sevens)
Mizrachi (hijack): A-A-8-3 (pair of Aces)
Mizrachi only needed to avoid a second pairing card for Lonis (a Jack or ten) or a seven for trips, and the reigning World Champion welcomed the King on the river. As Mizrachi celebrated the double to 21.5 million chips, Lonis sank to 4.7 million, and the tournament was basically decided.
‘The Grinder’ mowed down much of the final table. He would take out Toby Joyce (eighth place), Lonis (seventh), Ian Matakis (fifth), and Martin Zamani (fourth), with his run interrupted only by Michael Hahn eliminating Raj Vohra in sixth place. About the only place Mizrachi failed was in winning the tournament in the three scheduled days of the event; with the clock passing 3 AM on Monday, it was suspended until later in the day.
A Mere Formality
By the time the three men – Mizrachi (40.225 million), Tumboli (5.5 million), and Hahn (4.45 million) – came to the unscheduled fourth day, it was a mere formality who was going to win. The only real question was how long it would take for Mizrachi to complete the job. The answer? Roughly three hours.
Tumboli would make a stand in doubling through Mizrachi, but Hahn couldn’t find the same fortune. He would fall at the hands of Mizrachi, his A-J-9-3 failing to connect on a Q-7-3-Q-2 board as Mizrachi’s J-J-4-2 double suited stood tall. Tumboli, to his credit, gave Mizrachi all he could with his dwarfed stack, but it was only a matter of time (a couple of hours) before Mizrachi ground Tumboli into the felt.
On the final hand, Mizrachi upped the betting to a million chips, and Tumboli pushed for three million. Mizrachi made the call, and the 8-8-J flop hit the baize. Tumboli committed his final chips and, after Mizrachi called, the cards were unveiled:
Mizrachi (small blind/button): J-10-7-6 (two pair, gut-shot straight draw))
Tumboli (big blind): A-A-6-3 (better two pair)
Omaha is a cruel mistress, however. A four on the turn opened more straight outs for Mizrachi, and the nine on the river was one of those outs. With his rivered straight, Michael Mizrachi captured his ninth WSOP bracelet and the world championship of Pot Limit Omaha:
1. Michael Mizrachi, $1,350,203
2. Zarvan Tumboli, $900,088
3. Michael Hahn, $627,832
4. Martin Zamani, $445,080
5. Ian Matakis, $320,763
6. Raj Vohra, $235,073
7. Jesse Lonis, $175,233
8. Toby Joyce, $132,908
Mizrachi is now a part of an extremely small fraternity. He joins seven other men – Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan, Erik Seidel, the late Doyle Brunson and Johnny Moss, and Benny Glaser – as the only players who have won nine or more bracelets. The victory also thrusts Mizrachi into the Top Ten in the race for the WSOP Player of the Year, as the 1,187 points earned with the victory pushed him into tenth place with 2,052 points.
The post 2026 WSOP: Ground to Dust Again – Michael Mizrachi Earns Ninth Bracelet in $10K PLO appeared first on Poker News Daily.
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