The first month of the 2025 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas is in the books, and it’s been another historic summer. Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi won the $50,000 buy-in Poker Player’s Championship for a record fourth time. With seven WSOP bracelets, Mizrachi finds himself in a unique group of players.
PPC History
The WSOP wanted to create a special event with a much higher buy-in to differentiate the top pros in the world from the masses during the height of the online poker boom. The Poker Players Championship was initially established in 2006 when it was known as the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship. The $50,000 entry fee was the highest price point at the time. The mixed-games format was also a challenging way to gauge the best all-around player.
Chip Reese won the inaugural $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship during a marathon heads-up battle against Andy Bloch that lasted past sunrise on the final day. When Reese tragically passed away in 2007, the WSOP named a special champion’s trophy after him, starting with the 2008 WSOP.
In 2010, the $50K H.O.R.S.E. event was rebranded as the Poker Players Championship. The format changed from the five games in H.O.R.S.E. to an 8-game mix. The WSOP briefly experimented with a 10-game mix in 2015, before it reverted to an 8-game mix in 2016. At the 2021 WSOP, the format changed to a 9-game mix, which is its current iteration.
The Grinder Wins Fourth Chip Reese Trophy
Mizrachi won his first bracelet at the 2010 WSOP with a victory in the Poker Players Championship. He faded 116 players and defeated Vladimir Shchemelev heads-up for the title to win nearly $1.6 million.
Mizrachi added a second PPC title two summers later at the 2012 WSOP. He outlasted a field of 108 runners and defeated Chris Klodnicki heads up for the coveted Chip Reese trophy. First place paid out $1.45 million, and the victory marked a third career bracelet for Mizrachi.
At the 2018 WSOP, Mizrachi returned to the limelight when he won the Poker Players Championship for a record third time. He navigated a tough field of 87 players and defeated Johnny ‘World’ Hennigan in a heads-up battle. Hennigan had won the PPC back in 2014, so he was also attempting to win the prestigious event multiple times. Mizrachi banked $1.24 million for the victory and snagged his fourth career bracelet.
This year’s Poker Players Championship had a field of 107 players. Mizrachi found himself heads-up against Bryn Kenney. No one has won more money than Kenney, who is at the top of Hendon Mob’s rankings with a whopping $78.2 million in career earnings, which is at least $10 million more than Stephen Chidwick in second place with $68 million.
Mizrachi denied Kenney his first PPC title and knocked him out in second place. Mizrachi won the 2025 Poker Players Championship for $1,331,322, which also marked his seventh career bracelet victory.
The Grinder Joins Seven-Timers Club
Mizrachi became only the 15th player in WSOP history to win at least seven bracelets. Four of his bracelets were in the Poker Players Championship, and he won three others in three different WSOP events.
Mizrachi won his second bracelet at the 2011 WSOP Europe in France in €10,400 NLH. His fifth bracelet victory occurred at the 2019 WSOP in $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo. At the 2024 WSOP Online, Mizrachi won his sixth bracelet when he was the last virtual player remaining in $888 NLH Crazy 8’s Encore.
Only seven players won more bracelets than Mizrachi. That truly elite group includes Phil Hellmuth (17), Phil Ivey (11), Doyle Brunson (10), Johnny Chan (10), Erik Seidel (9), Johnny Moss (9), and Benny Glaser (8). Glaser has been on fire this summer, winning three bracelets so far at the 2025 WSOP.
Dozen Bracelets for the Mizrachi Brothers
Michael’s older brother Robert, is no stranger to the winner’s circle. Robert is a mixed-games specialist who won five WSOP bracelets in four different formats, including three $10K championship events.
Robert won his first bracelet at the 2007 WSOP with a victory in $10,000 PLO. He waited seven years before adding a second bracelet, but that victory triggered a run with three bracelets in three years. He won his second bracelet at the 2014 WSOP in $1,500 Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed, added a third bracelet at the 2015 WSOP in $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo, then won a fourth at the 2016 WSOP in $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship.
Last summer at the 2024 WSOP, Robert secured his fifth bracelet with a victory in $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship. At the time, he tied his younger brother with five bracelets each before Michael regained family bragging rights with his sixth piece of hardware at the 2024 WSOP Online.
Shaun Deeb Misses Bracelet #8
Shaun Deeb became the 16th player to win seven bracelets when he took down Event #79 $100,000 PLO High Roller. Deeb outlasted a field of 121 PLO gurus to win $2,957,229. He edged out Isaac Haxton in an epic heads-up battle, and also outslugged a final table that included Phil Ivey, Alex Foxen, Ben Lamb, and Arthur Morris.
Deeb won his first bracelet at the 2015 WSOP in $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em. He’s also won bracelets in $1,500 Seven Card Stud, $25,000 PLO 8 High Roller, $10,000 NLH Six-Handed Championship, $25,000 PLO High Roller, and $1,500 Eight-Game Mixed.
There are currently nine players in the WSOP Seven-Timers Club, including Billy Baxter, Men Nguyen, John Hennigan, Daniel Negreanu, Scott Seiver, Nick Schulman, Brian Rast, Michael Mizrachi, and Deeb. Schulman, Rast, Mizrachi, and Deeb joined the exclusive club this year.
Deeb came close to winning an eighth bracelet a couple of days after he shipped the $100K PLO High Roller. He reached the final table of Event #84 $1,000 NLH, which attracted 1,873 entrants, but he busted in second place. Zdenek Zizka from the Czech Republic denied Deeb another bracelet. For a runner-up finish, Deeb won $154,906.
Earlier this summer, Deeb went super deep yet finished in second place in Event #43 $1,500 Limit Razz. Allan Le cruised to a victory when he knocked out Deeb in second place.
It’s been a profitable summer for Deeb. He cashed in 16 events and reached four final tables. In addition to his bracelet victory, he was a runner-up twice and added one third-place finish.
At the start of the 2025 WSOP Main Event, Deeb sat in first place in the WSOP Player of the Year Leaderboard. Deeb won the 2018 WSOP POY thanks to two bracelet victories that summer.
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