When Michael 'The Grinder' Mizrachi took his seat at the final table of the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, he found himself in familiar territory. With three prior victories in the event under his belt, Mizrachi had the experience and know-how to finish the job for a fourth time — and he did just that.
It took roughly four hours of play for Mizrachi to collect all of the chips, with the final hurdle coming in the form of poker's highest-earning tournament player of all time, Bryn Kenney.
The deciding moment of the heads-up battle came in the Limit 2-7 Triple Draw format – a game in which players try to make the worst possible five-card hand – when Mizrachi pressured his opponent into making a costly mistake.
Kenney breaks the winner
With nearly a 15-to-1 chip deficit to overcome, Kenney limped in from the button with 
and Mizrachi opted to check his option with 
. Mizrachi then elected to draw two cards, discarding his and , while Kenney ditched his , , and .
Mizrachi caught the 
and 
, while Kenney improved significantly as he picked up the 
, 
, and 
. Despite the pair in his hand, Mizrachi decided to lead into his opponent. Kenney, having made a nine-low, raised, and Mizrachi called without hesitation.
On the second draw, Mizrachi chose to discard his and was dealt the 
in return. Kenney, meanwhile, opted to stand pat and, when Mizrachi checked to him, fired out another bet. With less than a single bet remaining in his opponent's stack, Mizrachi put in a check-raise to force Kenney all-in.
It's here that the hand got really interesting.
Mizrachi makes history, Kenney annoyed
With , Kenney made the call to put his tournament life on the line with one draw remaining. Mizrachi then chose to stand pat with his – representing a much stronger holding than his ten-low.
Kenney had the winner, but he had no way of knowing, and Mizrachi's action had him in a bind. If he stood pat and Mizrachi had an eight-low or better, or even a better nine – entirely possible based on his play in the hand thus far – it was all over. If he drew again, he could improve but risked pairing one of his cards or catching a higher card.
"All he has to do is pat and he's doubling up," said Jared Bleznick from the commentary booth.
As Kenney thought through the spot, Mizrachi asked, "What are you thinking there with?"
"What am I thinking? How tilting it'll be if I break the winner," Kenney responded.
After a few more seconds, Kenney decided to break his nine-low and draw another card – a decision that ultimately led to his elimination as he caught the 
to pair up. Kenney was left visibly frustrated while Mizrachi celebrated an incredible achievement, perhaps the biggest, in tournament poker.
