Poker Writer
Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi dominated the first day WSOP Main Event final table and now has three-quarters of the chips in play, with four players remaining. That result seems almost too crazy to believe after an action-packed first day of the final table that saw Mizrachi a single card away from elimination at one point.
The seven-time bracelet winner started the day with the second-largest chip stack and ended as the overwhelming chip leader. It only took three and a half hours for the table to play down from nine players to four. It was a day that seemed to revolve entirely around Mizrachi, who has already been one of the top stories of the summer.
And yet, neither the final table nor the run-up to it have been particularly smooth sailing for the Grinder.
His current dominant position represents a remarkable change from Day 8, when he found himself down to two and a half big blinds with three tables left. Aside from everything else he’s achieved, a win for Mizrachi would rank his story among the greatest comebacks in poker history. Greg Merson also came back from less than three big blinds to win the 2012 Main Event, but his moment of short-stacked survival came earlier in the event.
Mizrachi set a record earlier in the series by winning the Poker Players Championship for a fourth time. He now looks almost certain to make history again by taking down the PPC and the Main Event in the same year, a feat that’s unlikely to be repeated by anyone.
Early Fireworks at the Final Table
The day began with a bang, but not for Mizrachi.
In the very first hand of play, short stack Daehyung Lee flopped top pair, top kicker holding Ace-Queen. Unfortunately, he ran into a set of Fives held by chip leader John Wasnock. That set made Lee’s elimination in 9th place inevitable and gave Wasnock what looked like an overwhelming advantage.
Meanwhile, the Grinder’s day was off to a somewhat slow start. His first few raises didn’t work and led to the loss of 20 million chips, about a quarter of his stack.
His run looked like it would end in a disappointing fizzle a few hands later, after Jarod Minghini’s elimination in eighth. With seven players left, Mizrachi found Ace-King and got his 71 million chip stack in against Wasnock, only to find himself up against pocket Kings. One Ace had already been folded preflop, so Mizrachi was drawing thin and found little help among the first four community cards.
In all probability, that should have been the end of the Grinder’s plot arc. But fate had other plans.
The BIGGEST POT of the @WSOP Main Event! 🔥@TheGrinder44 ALL-IN at RISK against John Wasnock.
Watch LIVE on https://t.co/2RQh5ROjQG pic.twitter.com/uYmBU5SiUD
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) July 15, 2025
The Ace of Diamonds on the river sent the entire Horseshoe crowd into raptures. It was one of the loudest reactions you will ever hear at a poker event. Instead of being out in seventh, the Grinder was the overwhelming chip leader.
From that point on, it was “The Grinder Show.” Mizrachi continued to vacuum up chips through a combination of well-timed bluffs and making his hands.
Although the miracle Ace on the river stands as the defining moment of Day 9, two other hands are worth mentioning.
- Mizrachi eliminated one dangerous opponent, Adam Hendrix, in another preflop all-in featuring Ace-King against a big pocket pair. Hendrix was all-in for his tournament life with pocket Jacks, and Mizrachi again had the Big Slick. Although Mizrachi was in much better shape against Hendrix than he had been against Wasnock, he again missed the flop. But a King on the turn ensured Hendrix was out and sent a 118 million chip pot the Grinder’s way.
- With Hendrix out, Kenny Hallaert was definitely the greatest threat to Mizrachi’s chances, especially having the second-deepest stack. However, Mizrachi chopped his legs out from under him in a key hand late in the day. Once again, the Grinder got some help from the deck, turning two pair with Queen-Ten to overcome Hallaert’s top pair of Kings. On the river, Mizrachi bet 60 million into a 68 million pot. Hallaert thought long and hard about a fold, but ultimately could not get away from his hand. That left Hallaert with just ten big blinds, which is where he’ll start the tournament’s final day.
Looking Ahead to the Final Day
There’s no such thing as a done deal in tournament poker. However, it would require an extraordinary reversal of fortunes for Mizrachi not to close things out as they stand.
Here’s what the chip counts look like heading into the second day of final table action, and the last of the tournament:
- Michael Mizrachi – 445 million (178bb)
- John Wasnock – 94.5 million (38bb)
- Braxton Dunaway – 25.5 million (10bb)
- Kenny Hallaert – 19 million (8bb)
Mizrachi has his closest competitor covered by a factor of more than four. Moreover, that second-place player is former chip leader John Wasnock, the least experienced of the nine players who began the final table. Hallaert is still in it, but has a push-or-fold stack and will need at least a couple of double-ups before he can put Mizrachi on any complicated decisions. Meanwhile, Hallaert and Dunaway are both stuck in a position where pay jump considerations will force them to play tight. They have similarly-sized stacks, and either man stands to earn $1 million if the other goes out first.
After the day concluded, PokerGO’s Jeff Platt asked Mizrachi, “What’s it going to take for you to close this out tomorrow?”
In classic Grinder fashion, Mizrachi responded: “An hour”.
