Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi -- WPT Champion
Posted: Tue, Feb 22, 05, 3:30 PM
For those who missed a fantastic final table, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi enters with a massive chip lead, then falls far behind, and then rebounds to claim the title. Check out the live updates for details.
Hand #159: The Final Showdown
Posted: Tue, Feb 22, 05, 3:20 PM
In Hand #159, Haralabos goes all in preflop, and Grinder quickly calls. Haralabos has nothing but 10-3, and Grinder shows A-9. A flop of A-K-2 just about seals the victory for Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, and another 2 on the turn makes it a done deal. Grinder's supporters storm the stage in excitement, but green-coated security guards quickly restore order and remove them from the stage. (Security doesn't like that much chaos around $1.9 million just sitting on the table.) For posterity's sake, the river card was a 3, but it didn't matter. Haralabos is eliminated in second place, earning a substantial $904,122. And your champion of the 2005 LA Poker Classic at the Commerce Casino is Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, who claims the top prize of $1,859,909.
Hands #156, 157, 158
Posted: Tue, Feb 22, 05, 3:10 PM
Haralabos wins Hand #156 preflop, and Grinder wins Hand #157 preflop. Hand #158 quickly develops into an all in situation preflop, but both players show essentially the same hand: A-3 for Grinder and A-2 for Haralabos. It's almost a certain chop situation, and sure enough the board comes Q-9-8-J-K.
Chip Counts
Posted: Tue, Feb 22, 05, 3:06 PM
Haralabos is crippled with only $940,000, and Grinder has the rest ($4.44 million).
Hand #155: Another Showdown
Posted: Tue, Feb 22, 05, 3:05 PM
In Hand #155, Haralabos goes all in preflop, and Grinder calls with A-K. Haralabos was bluffing with K-2, and when the board comes Q-6-5-6-6, Grinder doubles up and takes a huge chip lead.
Hands #153, 154
Posted: Tue, Feb 22, 05, 3:01 PM
Grinder wins #153 preflop, and Haralabos wins #154 preflop.
Hand #152: The Players Make It All the Way to the Turn Card
Posted: Tue, Feb 22, 05, 2:59 PM
In Hand #152, the flop comes Q-8-2, and Haralabos checks. Grinder bets $200,000, and Haralabos calls. The turn card is another queen. Haralabos goes all in, and Grinder folds.
Hands #150, 151: We Finally See a Flop!
Posted: Tue, Feb 22, 05, 2:58 PM
Grinder wins Hand #150 preflop. In Hand #151, they see a flop of J-8-3, all diamonds. Grinder checks, Haralabos bets $240,000, and Grinder check-raises all in. Haralabos folds, and Grinder has had the chip lead for a few hands now.
Haralabos has a narrow chip lead with about $3 million, while Grinder has roughly $2.5 million. In Hand #145, Haralabos wins preflop, and Grinder wins Hands #146 147, and 148 preflop. Haralabos wins Hand #149 preflop.
Hands #140, 141, 142, 143, 144 -- The Blinds Increase Again
Posted: Tue, Feb 22, 05, 2:50 PM
In Hand #140, both players check all the way down to see a board of Q-9-4-K-J, and Haralabos bets $160,000 on the river. Grinder folds, showing a jack. Grinder wins Hands #141, 142, and 143 preflop, and Haralabos takes Hand #144 preflop. The blinds have increased (before Hand #141) to $100,000-$200,000, with a $20,000 ante.
