The Season XV Monster WPT Tournament of Champions kicked off on Friday, and 66 World Poker Tour Champions Club members traded blows all day long on the first day of play. At the end of Day 1 of this exclusive event, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi bagged the chip lead with a stack of 287,600.
Mizrachi needs little introduction on the World Poker Tour. “The Grinder” holds two WPT titles and more than $4.8 million in earnings on the World Poker Tour.
Mizrachi helped earn the chip lead when he eliminated another two-time WPT champion, Mohsin Charania, late on Friday.
With the blinds at 800/1,600 with a 200 ante in the final level of the day, Charania moved all in from under the gun for 16,200. Mizrachi called from the small blind with the 
. Charania was on the ropes with the 
. The board ran out 
, and Charania was eliminated.
Season XV Monster WPT Tournament of Champions Day 1 Top 10
1. Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi – 287,600
2. James Romero – 276,000
3. Griffin Paul – 214,300
4. Tyler Patterson – 199,300
5. Erik Seidel – 179,200
6. Justin Young – 177,800
7. David Ormsby – 173,000
8. Jonathan Jaffe – 152,000
9. Jesse Sylvia – 148,000
10. Daniel Weinman – 137,900
“Everything turned out well,” Mizrachi told WPT reporters after Day 1 had ended. “I had a few bluffs that got away, a few big hands that got paid off, so it turned out well for me.”
Outside of his two wins, Mizrachi has reached four WPT final tables, including one in last season’s Monster WPT Tournament of Champions, when he took third place for $140,450. This year, he’s already positioned himself as best he could to make another run at becoming the champion of champions, which would come with a new 2018 Audi S5 Coupe.
“I came third last year,” Mizrachi said. “I actually do great when I can win cars. I know there was two WPTs they gave cars away. I won the first one, the second one I came close, but hopefully the third one I win another car.”
More than half of the field hit the rail on Day 1, including WPT Co-Commentator Mike Sexton and Ema Zajmovic, the first woman to win an open event on the WPT Main Tour.
Darren Elias, a three-time WPT champion, was also eliminated on Day 1, but Anthony Zinno, a fellow three-time WPT champion, advanced with 41,700 in chips.
A few of the others to make it to Day 2 included Scott Seiver (129,500), Jonathan Little (124,100), and Lee Markholt (85,400). Markholt holds the record for most WPT cashes all time with 25.
With 66 entries and an additional $100,000 in cash added by Monster, the event’s title sponsor, the prize pool for this event came to $1.09 million. The top nine players will finish in the money with the winner taking home $381,500 in first-place prize money.
Not only will the winner take home the lion’s share of the prize pool and a brand new 2018 Audi S5 Coupe, but the Season XV Monster WPT Tournament of Champions winner will receive the following prizes on behalf of the event’s amazing sponsors: A pair of Rose Gold Wireless Over-Ear Element Headphones from Monster, a Hublot King Power Unico Carbon and Red watch, a custom premium poker table from BBO Poker Tables, a seat in Tiger’s Poker Night Presented by World Poker Tour, and a one-week stay with Wyndham Extra Holidays.
All six players at the televised WPT Final Table will receive a Monster Superstar Ravebox, courtesy of Monster, and all participants in the Season XV Monster WPT Tournament of Champions received a custom-fitted pair of sunglasses from Maui Jim, maker of premium, PolarizedPlus2® color-enhancing sunglasses.
Day 2 will begin on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The field is scheduled to play down to the official televised WPT final table of six, and you can catch all of the action right here on WPT.com.