Robert Mizrachi surpasses famous brother with fourth WSOP bracelet

Robert Mizrachi won his fourth career World Series of Poker bracelet late Monday, breaking a tie with his younger — and better-known — brother Michael on the all-time list.

Mizrachi was victorious in the $10,000 buy-in Seven-Card Stud Championship at the Rio Convention Center and joins Amarillo Slim, Huck Seed, Mike Matusow and 10 others with four bracelets. It is the third consecutive year the 37-year-old professional poker player originally from Miami has won a WSOP event.

Mizrachi defeated Matt Grapenthien of Chicago in a back-and-forth heads-up duel and collected $242,662 for the win.

Robert is the oldest of the four Mizrachi brothers, who all learned poker from their mother. Michael Mizrachi, nicknamed “The Grinder,” has nearly $7.4 million in career WSOP tournament earnings along with three bracelets.

Robert Mizrachi’s latest tournament victory cements his reputation as one of the top mixed-game players. He won the $1,500 buy-in Omaha High-Low 8-or-Better tournament last year and was first in the inaugural $1,500 buy-in Dealer’s Choice Six-Handed event in 2014. Mizrachi’s first bracelet came in pot-limit Omaha in 2007.

The latest triumph puts Mizrachi over $2.4 million in career WSOP earnings.

Mizrachi entered the six-handed final table as the chip leader, with Grapenthien in second. The two had nearly 60 percent of the chips in play when action resumed Monday afternoon.

Mizrachi and Grapenthien each dipped as low as 12 big blinds during heads-up play before Mizrachi won four straight hands late in the match to take control.

Grapenthien, the winner of this event in 2014, earned $149,976 as runner-up.

The Seven-Card Stud Championship drew 87 entrants, including poker pariah Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, who returned to the World Series for the first time since 2010, for a prize pool of $817,800.

‘COLOSSUS’ DOWN TO NINE — Jiri Horak of the Czech Republic will have the chip lead when the final table of the $565 buy-in “Colossus II” No-limit Hold ‘em tournament resumes Tuesday.

Horak bagged 25.425 million chips as play was halted after 1 a.m. Tuesday when Hayden Glassman of Rochester, New York, went out in 10th place.

The “Colossus II,” which drew 21,613 entrants and is the second-largest live poker tournament in history, is scheduled to resume at 2 p.m. Tuesday with a $1 million prize up top. The nine remaining players are guaranteed a minimum of $92,291.

Horak cashed in last year’s “Colossus” event, his only other WSOP in-the-money finish. Benjamin Keeline, who won a WSOP circuit ring in 2013, is the most accomplished player remaining in the field and sits second with 19.9 million chips.

NAME GAME — Kyle Julius earned more than his first career WSOP bracelet when he won the $1,000 buy-in Top Up No-Limit Hold ’em tournament Monday. The 29-year-old professional poker player from Naperville, Illinois, also gets naming rights.

Julius and his fiancee are expecting their first child in late July, and by virtue of his win, Julius now gets to choose the name on the birth certificate.

“We’ve been arguing about names (for the baby), and my fiancee said that if I won a gold bracelet I could pick the name of the baby,” Julius told WSOP.com. “It’s still going to be mutual – we’re going to name the kid together — but now I have a little more say.”

Julius took home $142,972 for his first live tournament victory. He was second in a $5,000 buy-in No-limit Hold ‘em event in 2012 and now has more than $900,000 in career WSOP earnings.

‘JESUS’ MAKES MONEY — The Stud Championship wasn’t the only event Ferguson entered.

The five-time bracelet winner also registered for the $1,500 buy-in Dealer’s Choice Six-Handed tournament and went on to finish in 19th place for $4,069.

Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidSchoenLVRJ