To be named Player of the Year is always a great accomplishment and a huge honor for any poker pro. It’s pretty difficult to stand above the rest, especially in these days when poker pros can come from any corner of the world. So for Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi must be truly pleased with winning the Player of the Year award from Ante Up Magazine.

Why Mizrachi?

Some avid poker fans might be wondering why Mizrachi got the award this year, considering that he didn’t even win that much compared to others. But if you know what’s going on behind the scenes, then you’ll probably agree with Ante Up Magazine’s decision. Mizrachi was going through a pretty rough patch financially recently. In fact, he’s running at a negative even now despite his recent winnings. What Ante Up noticed him for, however, was his sheer courage. Just this summer, he showed exceptional progress, earning several winnings from the WSOP, including a 6^th place finish at the Seven-card Stud, an 8^th place finish in the Limit Hold’em Championship, and most importantly, his inclusion in the November Nine.

All in all, he managed to get $2.4 million dollars in the past two months alone. That’s a pretty amazing feat for anyone, especially if you consider the slump he’s been going through these past few years. Just sticking with poker was already an admirable act of fierce determination.

A Close Second

Of course, there was one other person who came close to winning the Player of the Year award. Frank Kassel was second in line to get the award from Ante Up but fell short when the magazine ultimately chose Mizrachi, probably for the possibility of his winning the Main Event. Still, Frank Kassel won two WSOP bracelets this year alone. He also managed to get into three final tables for this year. Indeed, Frank Kassel’s performance was beyond stellar. In fact, some publications and organizations chose him to be the Player of the Year.

Ante Up cites Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi’s strength and great skill as reasons for the choice. Whether or not this award is well-deserved will probably depend on Mizrachi’s performance on November. Everyone’s already looking forward to that event a lot, especially since poker has gathered more fans during the past year, and the number is ever increasing. Indeed, it’ll be pretty exciting watching the Main Event Final table unfold this coming Fall.

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