Familiar face near top as World Series of Poker Main Event winds down

By Case Keefer (contact)

Friday, July 16, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

The bracelet around Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi's wrist at the Rio served as both a reminder and a motivating factor.

Mizrachi wants the World Series of Poker to end like it started — with him at the top. Mizrachi sported the bracelet he won in the $50,000 Poker Player's Championship, the second most prestigious event of the series, as he marched through Day 6 of the $10,000 Main Event Thursday at the Rio.

With 78 players remaining, Mizrachi's 7.5 million chips are second to only Danish pro Theo Jorgensen's 9.2 million.

"It was a great day, everything went my way," Mizrachi said. "People bluffed at the wrong times when I had hands and I got aces and kings a few times, which always helps."

No one has made the final table in both the Main Event and the Player's Championship in the same year since the World Series began hosting the $50,000 event four years ago.

From beginning to end of this year's World Series, all eyes have been on Mizrachi. He's not the least bit surprised.

"I was trying to have a great summer from the beginning," Mizrachi said. "Hopefully now we're going to start off with a great winter."

The Main Event will whittle down to 27 players today, before nine emerge Saturday night at the Rio to make up November's final table. First place pays $8.9 million.

The field is stacked as these players outlasted 99 percent of the entrants in the Main Event. Russian star Alexander Kostritsyn and Matt Affleck, who finished 80th in the 2009 Main Event, are two players trailing Jorgensen and Mizrachi closely.

Last year's CardPlayer Magazine Player of the Year Eric Baldwin survived Day 6 as did professionals David Benyamine, Jean-Robert Bellande and Scott Clements.

"It's a great field," Mizrachi said. "Hasan Habib is also still in, so I've got a lot of my guys out there."

Thursday also saw its fair share of eliminations. Most surprisingly, Johnny Chan did not last long after entering the day as one of the chip leaders.

Chan lost most of his chips early when his pocket kings ran into another player's pocket aces. Chan's quest to tie Phil Hellmuth for the most World Series of Poker bracelets in history will have to wait until next year.

"Looks like 11 will come in 2011," Chan tweeted after his exit. "Thanks everyone for your support."

Chan finished in 156th for $57,102. The next big-name pro to go was online poker luminary Phil Galfond, who also earned $57,102 for going in 141st.

The 78 players coming back for Day 7 are guaranteed at least $94,942. But the pay jumps are quickly becoming more meaningful.

Don't think players like Jorgensen aren't noticing. Jorgensen acquired a lot of his chips Thursday by pulling massive bluffs.

On at least two occasions, Jorgensen put in a fifth bet before the flop to induce a fold from an opponent. He then flashed small cards to show he was making a move.

"Showing the big bluffs, I think it affects you when I do it in big tournaments like the Main Event," Jorgensen said. "That's why I did it."

Although Jorgensen has begun to garner attention from onlookers and ESPN cameras, Mizrachi has spent the whole summer with the spotlight.

In unprecedented fashion, all four Mizrachi brothers cashed in the Main Event. Michael Mizrachi's older brother, Robert Mizrachi, lasted until Thursday when he finished in 116th.

As the Main Event enters its final stages, The Grinder is the last Mizrachi standing.

"I said I was hoping one of us would make the final nine," Michael Mizrachi said. "I'm looking for more than that — I'm trying to get that bracelet."

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer for live updates from the Main Event.