Michael Mizrachi “The Grinder“

Birthplace
Miami, FL

Hometown
Hollywood, FL

Birthday
January 5

Total Winnings
$4,242,065

Family has always been a top priority for Michael Mizrachi, and his family's name is one of the biggest names in poker. Mizrachi grew up in Miami Beach, Florida in a family with four boys. His parents turned to games to keep their boys occupied and close to home. The entire family started playing poker to satisfy the boys' need for competition.

Mizrachi's older brother, Robert, was the first of the siblings to take an interest in poker as a career. Michael chose to go to college to pursue a degree in medicine, but he quickly started playing Limit Hold 'em online. His skills and passion for the game grew until he decided to leave school and play poker full-time. He gave himself the nickname "The Grinder" to signify his determination and competitive spirit.

Mizrachi grinded it out online and in tournaments until the birth of his son in 2004. That life-changing event led to a greater focus and catapulted Mizrachi to the top of the poker world. In January 2005, he entered the WPT Season III World Poker Open and made it to the final table. Several weeks later, he entered the L.A. Poker Classic and won it all, picking up his first WPT title and over $1.8 million.

Season III was an impressive one for Mizrachi, but Season IV was even better. Mizrachi returned to the World Poker Open in Tunica and improved upon his fifth place finish with a second place showing. He followed that up with a second title at the Borgata Poker Classic. One of the top performers in WPT history, Mizrachi has over $4.5 million in WPT earnings alone.

In the summer of 2010, Mizrachi made a comeback of sorts after a couple of years with no major results. In one of the more impressive feats in WSOP history, Mizrachi won the coveted $50,000 Poker Players’ Championship, picking up his first career bracelet, then followed that up by final tabling the WSOP Main Event.

The strong WSOP helped bump Mizrachi’s lifetime earnings to nearly $11.5 million and put his name in the crop of names that come up when discussing who is the best to have ever played the game.