Mizrachi wins the WSOP Main Event, and Margets overcomes a 30-year drought for female pros.
Leo Margets didn't beat Michael Mizrachi in Vegas, but she was the first woman to make it to the final table since 1995.
Leo Margets at the World Series of Poker
Two professional poker players departed the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event this week with big career goals.
Michael Mizrachi won everything on Wednesday night, ending a great show at the Las Vegas Horseshoe and Paris. Mizrachi, who is 44 years old, won the Main Event and brought home the $10 million grand prize. The win comes weeks after he won the WSOP Poker Players Championship last month.
Leo Margets joined Mizrachi in the final nine. She was the first woman to make it to the final table in 30 years.
Getting a win through hard work
Mizrachi, who was nicknamed "The Grinder" because he never gave up at the table, had to deal with very tough times to win the bracelet.
He saw his chip stack go down to only three large blinds at one point on Day 8. Mizrachi was a big underdog in the hand because his opponent had an Ace-7. But Mizrachi got a flush with two cards in a row to win the hand. The Florida poker veteran was still in the bottom of the 24 remaining players, though, with less than 8 million chips in his stack.
He soon caught runner-runner again, this time with a king-high flush that beat a pair of 5's. Mizrachi's chip stack slowly grew to about 16 million.
Mizrachi had a big lead going into the last session, with almost 75% of the chips left. He promptly got rid of Kenny Hallaert and Braxton Dunaway, who came in third, and then he faced John Wasnock in a heads-up match.
This time, Mizrachi's flush beat Wasnock's two-pair to win. Mizrachi has won eight WSOP bracelets and two World Poker Tour crowns, making him one of the most decorated players in the game.
He might also be the most successful player to win the main event since Chris "Jesus" Ferguson did it in 2020. Ferguson beat 511 other players in that Covid year to win the bracelet. This year, Mizrachi won against 9,735 other players in the main event.
First woman at the final table since 1995
Before Mizrachi won, Leo Margets was trying to do something that had never been done before. The 30-year-old woman from Spain tried to be the first woman to win the WSOP Main Event.
Margets made it to the final table but finished in seventh place. She is the first woman to make it to the final table since Barbara Enright did it 30 years ago.
Margets got an Ace on the turn for the top pair on the last hand. But when a river spade finished Hallaert's flush, she witnessed her hopes come true.
People praised Margets for how graciously she handled losing.
"Leo is an inspiration for all poker players, not just women." Ty Stewart, the CEO of the WSOP, stated in a statement, "This performance was nothing short of historic. We wish her many more deep runs."
"It won't be 30 more years until another woman makes it to the Main Event Final Table, and Leo is a significant reason why. The WSOP appreciates her for being humble and kind throughout the competition, even to the last card.
Mizrachi, on the other hand, is the first player to win both the Main Event and the Players Championship in the same year. Because of his wins, Mizrachi was quickly inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, even though the goal was to do it in 2026.
Stewart went on to say, "Mizrachi has done what may be the most amazing thing in poker history by winning the two hardest tournaments to win in the same year."
