The Grinder's Life: Not Such a Grind These Days

Michael Mizrachi is off to the fastest start in Player of the Year history this year, by Richard Belsky

During the 2006 L.A. Poker Classic, I had a rare chance to sit down with Michael The Grinder Mizrachi. I say rare only because he happened not to make the final table at this years event. Had he done so, it would have been a record three World Poker Tour final tables in a row. A win at the event would have given him back-to-back WPT victories, back-to-back victories at the same event, and more than $4 million in winnings before the end of February.

Rich Belsky: With all of that riding on the line, was busting out of this tournament harder to swallow than usual?

Michael Mizrachi: This was the hardest tournament to bust out of. I just came off back-to-back WPT final tables, and now people expect me to make the final table every time. Nobody would have been shocked if I had made the final table here, but they were that I busted out on day one. I really wanted to perform at this event and make history, but you have to get lucky in these things, and it just didnt happen this time.

RB: What happened?

MM: I started out playing a ton of hands, trying to pick up chips at my table, because people seemed nervous to play against me. People just seem to be “check-content,” wanting to call me down with hands like sets, because they don’t want to play me. In one hand, I had pocket kings and some guy hit a set of sevens and check-called the entire way to the river. There were so many situations where hands were misplayed against me and people should have gotten more chips from me. I tried to take advantage of that, but just couldn’t get any flops or good situations. I busted out nine hours into the event. I was a little bit frustrated, but I said to myself, “I know I can’t win them all, and I’ll just move on to the next one.”RB: Your start this year is the fastest in the history of the Player of the Year race. To what do you attribute your amazing recent success — good cards, good luck, or good play?

MM: I’m running really well, playing really well, and making great laydowns. There have been a lot of situations where most people would call a bet or pay someone off, and I lay down. My instincts have always been good, especially lately. I’ve also been hitting cards when it really counts late in events. Also, every time I have a kid [Grinder’s second child, a daughter, was born 16 days before this interview], I start winning big events. I should have a kid every year (laughing). Maybe God is looking out for me; he knows I have more responsibilities.

RB: Some people say you have only one gear. What do you say to that?

MM: Those people haven’t watched me enough. They may have seen me play a couple of times, or seen me only at the early stages of an event, but mostly they are just listening to things they’ve heard other people say. I don’t mind being criticized, and I hope it continues to happen. I want people to think I’m bad and aggressive, and that they have an edge on me; then, I’ll get all their chips. I just want to be The Grinder — how I always have been.

RB: Speaking of the Player of the Year race, did you make it to the Player of the Year awards on Feb. 15? If so, what did you think?

MM: I was at the awards this year. Not many people recognized me, as I looked very different in a suit. My hair was back, and it was different for people to see me without a hat and my Grinder gear. Sometimes I can look normal, you know. It was a very cool experience. I can’t believe Brad Garrett didn’t pick on me — like, “Grinder, what the ---- is a grinder?” The red carpet was great, and getting treated like a celebrity was really nice. It was something I never thought I’d see. Next year will be even better, and that’s perfect; they’re saving it for my Player of the Year award.

RB: Is it about awards and accomplishments for you, or more about the money?

MM: I just like to win; I like to do it for the people who love me and my friends. I came to the poker world, and I’m trying to shatter all records. The way I play, I know I can keep winning and winning.

RB: Tell me a little bit about what you do with your money. I mean, look at these results so far in 2006:Borgata Winter Poker Open; no-limit hold’em championship, first place, $1,173,373L.A. Poker Classic; no-limit hold’em, second place, $124,402Gold Strike World Poker Open; no-limit hold’em championship, second place, $566,352What do you do when you make almost $2 million in the first 45 days of the year? That’s $44,444 per day, or about $1,851 per hour. Sick!

MM: I’m spending a lot. I got a black American Express card for spending over $250,000 on the card last year. I buy houses: I have one in Vegas and in Florida, and I’m thinking about moving to L.A. My wife wants a place to settle and have the kids go to school. I also really like cars. I have a 2006 BMW M4, two Lincoln Navigators (’06 and ’04), and an ’06 Escalade for winning the Borgata WPT event. My knock-around car is a Grand Marquis, and I also have an Impala. I just got rid of the RV bus. It was just one big migraine. I knew I had this big bus just sitting in Vegas depreciating in value, so I figured I might as well sell it. I also just started investing in mutual funds to save for my kids’ futures.

RB: Let’s talk a little bit about your family. What are their names and ages?
MM: My wife is Aidily; we’ve been together two and a half years. My son is Paul; he’s a year and 5 months old. My 16-day-old daughter is Julie Malka, which means queen in Hebrew. My brothers are Robert, 27; my twin, Eric, 25; and Daniel, 19, who’s a professional magician.

RB: You are a dedicated husband, brother, and father. How does your life as a circuit-traveling player affect your family?
MM: It’s kind of frustrating and depressing sometimes. So often, I wish I could just be home with the kids; I mean, they need me. They can’t be without a father. It’s really hard being away from Aidiliy, too. That’s why we just need a place to settle down. I can’t wait to be able to just come home from work and see the family every day. My family has always been very close. We are all always there for each other and it’s always been that way. Family always comes first for us, and I plan on keeping it that way.

RB: You are always traveling with an entourage. Who are the permanent members?
MM: My brothers Robert, Eric, and Daniel, and Recaldo Tyrell, Frank Sinopoli, Little Mike, Chris Gregorian, Louie Calvo, David “Chino” Rheem, and my parents, Susan Laufer and Ezra Mizrachi. There are many more, so I’m sorry if I left anyone out. We all support each other. If any of us make it, we’ll be there for each other.

RB: Are you the unofficial “king” of the crew because of your recent success?

MM: I guess I’m kind of the king of the crew now, but that’s because I’m doing well. I really don’t mind if that changes, because that means that they are doing well. I just play more tournaments than they do. We all give advice to each other and learn from each other.

RB: Last night I saw you and Mike Matusow going at it pretty hard at the Chinese poker table here at Commerce Casino. Is this a new favorite game for you? How’d you do? Mike said he busted you; is that a common occurrence?

MM: I was playing $600-$1,200 H.O.E. (hold’em, Omaha, and stud eight-or-better). I played Chinese to take a break, and stayed up all night. It’s just about setting cards up right; there’s no skill, really. It’s just a fun game for socializing, and I get to hear how bad I am. When Mike talks bad about your game, you know you’ve done well, so it doesn’t bother me at all. He didn’t bust me; I probably lost a thousand bucks.

RB: Chinese is fun, but what other games are you the most skillful at playing? You recently finished second in a pot-limit Omaha event; does Omaha fit nicely into your aggressive style?

MM: Omaha definitely fits very well with my style. Almost any tournament game, I can adapt to. Poker is my thing. It’s my talent, and there’s nothing else I’m that good at. Give me cards and I’ll play them well, and that’s the key to my success. I play a lot of stud, as well, mostly cash games. I played for a month and a half straight at Foxwoods and never lost. I actually prefer stud over hold’em because there are more bad players in stud. Hold’em is faster, but in stud, if you pay attention, as many people don’t, you have a huge edge. I really love mixed games, as well.

RB: Have you ever played in the “big game”?

MM: One time. I bought in for $100,000, played for 10 hours, and lost it. I was running pretty bad, though; the cards really weren’t going my way. I don’t think I scooped a pot all night. I wasn’t worried in the game, though. It’s just a higher skill level, and I wanted to test myself against them. I don’t really know where I’d stand in the game, because I played it only once. It’s just probably not the best spot for my money. The swings are huge, and I could probably be more profitable in a good $400-$800 or $600-$1,200 game.

RB: Let’s talk about your style a little bit. Everyone knows you are ultra-aggressive. In the past, ultra-aggressive players have burned brightly for a bit, then faded some. But you haven’t. What is it about your style that keeps you winning?

MM: Now, players have changed the way they play against me. Instead of giving me their chips, they don’t want to get involved. People are more cautious about playing me, whereas before, they wanted to beat me, bluff me, and do whatever they could to beat The Grinder. I just had to change my style a little. I’m gonna pick off a lot of small pots, so that I’ll be able to afford losing some bigger ones later on.

RB: Your style also has led to some huge blowups; for example, the 2005 WPT Championship. People talk about that as being one of the biggest blowups of all time. What happened?

MM: People think it was a blowup, but I was just playing my opponent. I knew Hasan (Habib) didn’t have aces or kings that hand. It was sixhanded, and Tuan (Le) opened for $120,000. I called it from the small blind and Hasan raised it $700,000 more. Tuan folded, and I instantly moved in. I wanted to confuse him and make him put me on a huge hand. It looked like he was going to fold a few times; he was just in complete shock at the move I made. If I had aces or kings, it would have been a genius play, or if he had folded, it would have been genius. As it turned out, he had queens and made a good call against my sixes. I moved in the next hand with A-J, Rob Hollink called with A-Q, and I was out. Everyone talks negative because I lost the hand, but if I had won, it would have been a different story. It is true that I didn’t have to get involved in that situation, but I’m a different kind of player. People say don’t get involved in big pots with the chip leader, but I like to do the opposite. I want them to be afraid of me coming after their chips.

RB: After this year’s start, where do you see yourself by the end of the year in terms of money winnings, POY points, and final tables?

MM: Tournament money winnings, $4.8 million; Player of the year points, 10,000; and final-table appearances, 12.

RB: What kind of deals do you have going on right now? Are you associated with an online site?

MM: I’m probably the biggest player right now who doesn’t have an online deal, but I’m working on it. I’m also involved with Get Lucky clothing, which is my father’s company. It’s a really good clothing line. I have a couple of deals in the works, but the details will come out later. I also have my website, http://www.thegrinderpoker.com/.

RB: Where do you see poker being in five years?

MM: I think it’s going to stop booming the way that it has, but it will continue to grow slowly. There may be a couple hundred more players per major event, but I don’t see 7,500 people in the World Series main event. I just hope poker goes the way that it’s going right now. There are all these young players coming up right now, but they don’t realize that the expense absolutely kills you. You have to be able to cover your traveling and other expenses, and it’s not as easy as people think it is.

RB: Will The Grinder ever stop grinding?

MM: What else would I do? Why would anyone stop doing what he loves? When I make enough money, I’ll probably just be a part-time player instead of playing full time. I’d take time to enjoy my kids, have fun, and maybe play poker with them instead of without them. I want to be there with my family, so I’d just spend more time with them and show them how Daddy makes his money — after they did their homework, of course.