Jared Bleznick was in the commentary booth when Michael Mizrachi won the Poker Players Championship for a fourth time — and he was by Mizrachi’s side when he pulled off the near-impossible: winning the WSOP Main Event as well.
“The Grinder is super talented,” shared Bleznick. “He’s one of the best dudes I've ever met in poker. And I love saying this, he's also the humblest dude I've met in the game.”
In part one of PokerOrg’s engaging conversation with Bleznick, we get a glimpse into the role Bleznick played in Mizrachi’s incredible win.
Many players who make the Main Event final table work with a coach. Were you part of Mizrachi’s crew?
When Grinder reached the final table, a few people recommended he get some coaching. I looked at them and said, ‘Michael got here on his own, right? He doesn’t need to talk to any of these coaches.’ I told him, ‘Keep doing what you're doing. Play your game — and run over that table.’
Did he ask you for any additional advice?
I'm not going to use the word coach, because I didn't coach him. I mentored him. I was there every step of the way. I don't want to take anything away from Grinder. He's the talent. He's the best in the world at that tournament. But there were a lot of little things I did to help along the way. I helped Grinder get to the finish line. I'm not taking credit for it. I just wanted to ensure that he would win the Main Event.
Note: Bleznick predicted Grinder would win the Main Event. Watch the clip here.
There was some speculation that you had a piece of him — is there any truth to that?
I had no monetary investment in him winning the Main, not even 1% of him. I'm saying that because I probably had around 60 people message me, implying that I must have made a ton. I didn't earn a dollar. I did bet him at the final table; he was +330. I bet the maximum I could get down on him to win. I thought it was a great price, and he won. But no, I had no percentage in him.
What impressed you the most about Mizrachi’s play in the Main Event?
I have two things I'd like to share. I hope a lot of people listen to this. Number one: I was there with him on the sideline since day five of the main, and not once did Michael ever ask me what someone else had in a hand. Not once. Everyone else is watching the delay and telling all their friends what their opponent had in some spots. There's nothing wrong with that. Grinder didn't care what anyone had at any point of the tournament.
Think about that. We didn't talk about the past. That's how talented he is. I don't know one person in the world who would not ask. Well, there is one. The only other person that I could think of that would not care to ask about hands is Phil Ivey.
What’s number two?
You get a 15-minute break every two hours in that tournament. You know what Grinder was doing on every break? He was taking a million pictures with a ton of people. This guy's playing for $10 million and he’s got to go to the bathroom. Instead, he's just taking pictures to the point where, at the end, I had to tell people to relax; no more pictures. He didn't turn down a single picture throughout the entire event. What does that say to you about a guy like that?
He's just very humble and gracious to the people that support him. I'll tell you this right now. I'm a nice guy. But I'm not taking a million pictures; I'm playing for a lot of money. I want to get the job done. I need to focus. He also did all the interviews. He’s all about the people. And that’s what poker should be about. You’re supposed to be a leader, right? Especially when you're an ambassador of the game.
His win has got to be good for the game, right?
Grinder is great for poker. Daniel Negreanu is also a great ambassador and one of the best things for poker; he gives everything to the game. Phil Hellmuth, too. At times he can be a little rough with people, but he’s still great for the game.
Back in my 20s, I never looked at poker from a business standpoint — I was one of the biggest winners in the world. Now that I play poker for fun, I look at it from a business perspective. If you take players like Ivey, Helmuth, and Negreanu out of poker, then poker wouldn't be what it is today. It’s not the same. We need to appreciate the people who grew the game more.
What inspired you to learn the game?
The 2003 World Series of Poker — when Chris Moneymaker won — is what got many people involved, myself included. Chris has been great for the growth of the game.
What I love most about poker is the diversity of personalities. So many players have given a lot to this game. Take someone like Mike Matusow — I have the greatest respect for him and what he’s contributed to poker. My online screen name, harrington25, actually came from Dan Harrington. I used to love watching him play.
This year, though, it feels like we’ve shied away from those personalities. For example, during this WSOP, we saw a lot of Martin Kabrhel. I think he’s amazing for poker. Martin brings something different — he’s a character. And when people are talking, even if it's controversial, that’s usually a good thing. You need characters in the game. You need something to talk about, right?
Stay tuned for Part Two, where Jared explains why he skipped playing the PPC to step into the commentary booth. Check out Jared’s cutting-edge card-collecting company, Blez Online, and follow him on X.
