Robert Mizrachi Grabs WPT Title at Venetian; Tour Also Announces Legends of Poker Returning in September to Bicycle Casino
While much of the poker world has focused on another tournament series over the last week, the Las Vegas Strip also hosted a major World Poker Tour series as well. The $5,000 WPT Venetian saw longtime poker pro Robert Mizrachi rise to the top for a payday of $894,100 on Sunday.
Along with four World Series of Poker bracelets, Mizrachi also now has a WPT title as well. He now has $8.8 million in lifetime live tournament winnings and big performances on some of poker’s biggest stages,
Adding to a big poker record
Mizrachi came into the final table second in chips, but found some key hands and eliminations as the day’s action played out. The heads-up battle began with Mizrachi holding 45 million chips to Mike Vanier’s 14 million, more than a 3-to-1 chip advantage.
The heads-up battle lasted only about 10 minutes before Mizrachi vanquished Vanier. He busted four of the final seven players in the tournament.
Mizrachi now adds his name to the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup alongside his brother Michael Mizrachi, a two-time WPT champion. The win comes after Robert Mizrachi made two previous final tables on the tour.
Along with some WPT success, Mizrachi also helped author the new poker strategy book Short Stack Ninja. The recent success might add some extra buzz for the book.
A giant trophy and almost 900k for my co-author @PokerRob24! Congrats! pic.twitter.com/dWOGxZ67j0
— Chris Wallace (@foxpokerfox) July 18, 2022
As the winner, Mizrachi secures a $10,400 seat into the season-ending WPT Championship as well as the top prize. He also earned 1,300 Player of the Year points and moved into the third-place spot in the standings. Here’s a look at the payouts for the top six players from the Venetian.
WPT Venetian
- Robert Mizrachi – $894,100
- Mike Vanier – $595,000
- Yulian Bogdanov – $440,000
- Leon Sturm – $327,000
- Raul Manzanares – $247,000
- Javier Zarco – $188,000
Legends of Poker is back at The Bike
In addition to wrapping up the Venetian event, the WPT also announced a new tour stop last week. The Parkwest Bicycle Casino will once again host the Legends of Poker and WPT Week from Aug. 21 – Sept. 1.
“The Bike” is located in Bell Gardens, California, and was purchased by Parkwest Casinos in April. The property has hosted major poker tournaments for years and received a slight name change as part of the deal.
The $5,250 Legends of Poker runs Aug. 27 – Sept. 1 with a $2.5 million guarantee. The tournament hasn’t run since 2019 because of the pandemic and the championship highlights WPT Week at the casino.
“The Legends of Poker event holds a very special place in the history of the WPT,” tour CEO Adam Pliska said in a news release. “Collaborating with The Bike on another event is a fitting continuation of our 20th anniversary celebration.”
Along with the Main Tour event, players will find five side events with all tournaments awarding Player of the Festival leaderboard points. The winner earns a $1,100 WPT Prime Passport.
“The Legends of Poker festival is a cornerstone event for The Bike and we are excited knowing that our partnership with the World Poker Tour will continue,” Parkwest Bicycle tournament director Mo Fathipour said. “Players from around the world know that we take great pride in our hospitality, and they can expect that to continue all month leading up to the WPT final table.”
A deep history with the WPT
The Bike has been a major part of the WPT. The casino hosted the second WPT event in August 2002, with Chris Karagulleyan topping a field of 133 players for the title.
Throughout its history, some poker legends have fittingly won the event including Dan Harrington, Prahlad Friedman, and John Phan. Another highlight was Doyle Brunson topping a 667-player field in 2004 to win his first WPT title and $1.2 million.
That was the largest live tournament score of Brunson’s career. The WPT also recently named the Texan and Poker Hall of Fame member as a new company ambassador.
A broader Legends festival begins even before WPT Week, with events kicking off July 25. The main event schedule includes three starting flights from Aug. 27-29. Players can re-enter each starting flight one time.
* Photos courtesy WPT