Mizrachi wins first-ever $1,500 buy-in Dealer’s Choice
Robert Mizrachi won the first-ever $1,500 buy-in Dealer’s Choice event Saturday night during the World Series of Poker at the Rio Convention Center.
It was the second career bracelet for Mizrachi, who collected $147,092 for the victory. Aaron Schaff, who entered the six-handed final table as the chip leader, finished second following a heads-up duel that lasted nearly two hours.
The tournament drew 419 players for a prize pool of $565,650.
“It’s tough to win. The players are getting tougher,” Mizrachi told WSOP.com. “There’s definitely a lot of pride in winning this event. I’d like to see a higher-buy-in event for this next year, where the big names could all play deeper. It’s a very skilled event. You not only have to know all the games, but you have to pick the games that your opponents don’t play as well.”
The Dealer’s Choice event was added to the schedule this year, and players positioned on the button chose from one of 16 different games, including some that had never been played at the WSOP (Badeucey, Badacey and Pot-Limit Five-Card Draw). Another one of the games, Five-Card Draw, had not been played at the WSOP since 1982.
“It would be nice if the $50K (Poker Players Championship) was exactly the same way as this, because you can guarantee all the players would still play it, and the skill really shows,” Mizrachi told WSOP.com. “I think this would be good for a $10K buy-in, or maybe a $25K buy-in. But we should still keep this one because you want to introduce players to the game.”
This was the third cash of the summer for Mizrachi, who resides in Miami and is the older brother of three-time bracelet winner Michael Mizrachi. The well-known pro is now just under $2 million in career earnings at the WSOP.
Schaff, from New Brunswick, N.J., took home more than $90,000 for his fifth career WSOP cash.
