This year, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi (pictured) made history by becoming the first two-time WSOP Poker Player’s Championship winner. His victories, which came in 2010 and 2012, earned him a total of $3 million. He’s a face of the all-new DeepStacks Poker Tour, of which PocketFives is the Official Digital Partner, and was in Boston on his way to Mohegan Sun in Connecticut when we tracked him down.

We asked for questions from the PocketFives community for “The Grinder” and we’re thrilled that he was able to answer so many of them. Let’s get on to the interview.

PocketFives Member: I played against “The Grinder” in Montreal a couple of years back and he made life pretty difficult for me. What were his overall thoughts and impressions about the poker scene in Montreal?

Michael Mizrachi: I taught a class there too. Montreal is, from what I remember, a pretty cool place. I had lots of fun. I didn’t have enough time to play with everyone, but the poker is good there. It would be a good place to make money. Overall, everyone was very nice.

PocketFives Member: As an up-and-coming player, what was the most valuable advice anyone gave you that has helped shape you as a successful pro?

Michael Mizrachi: I always give thanks to my older brother Robert because he was always there for me. You couldn’t ask for a better person. The first thing he stressed was money management. I’m not saying that’s great for me now, though. The first time I went to a casino in Arizona, Robert divided my money into seven envelopes and said, “This is the amount you have per day.” All seven envelopes were opened the first day. I’ve smarted up since I’ve gotten older.

PocketFives Member: Can you tell us how you got started in poker?

Michael Mizrachi: It was because of my family and my mom. Early on, I started going on a cruise ship called the SeaScape out of Fort Lauderdale. I used to go to the Seminole Casino and play quarters. I would also play in private games and online.

PocketFives Member: Did you put in serious volume online at any point in your career?

Michael Mizrachi: I used to play online poker back before Black Friday. I never kept large amounts of money online, but I used to play as big as I could for the amount of money I had. It was bad money management, but I would play any limit I could afford. I wouldn’t say that was good advice, but I like to take shots. I risk a little to win a lot. I was always very successful in online poker. Now, I am being patient until the legal environment changes in the United States.

PocketFives Member: A while back, I read that when you got your start, you essentially were a shot-taker and didn’t have much regard for bankroll management. Is that true? How do you address the topic of bankroll management now that you are married with a family?

Michael Mizrachi: In poker, everyone has his ups and downs. It’s part of life too, even outside of poker. It’s a roller coaster ride. Before, I had things like nice cars, first class plane tickets, and nice hotels. Now, I want the best for my kids. They are my first priority. I gave up everything for them. I’d rather see them in a nice school than have a nice car. My expenses were probably $20,000 to $30,000 a month. Now, they are $6,000 to $8,000.

PocketFives: How hard of an adjustment was that?

Michael Mizrachi: It was a big adjustment. The only things I splurge on now are clothes, but I don’t get expensive clothes. I just buy a lot of things. My bad habit is shopping now. Every time I go on a trip, I leave with one bag and come back with two.

PocketFives Member: Assess how the live scene has changed over the past decade in terms of the median skill level of today’s tournament players. In general terms, can you share how you’ve adjusted to today’s more solid tournament players?

Michael Mizrachi: Back in the day, I had a different style where I would play a lot of hands and get away with a lot. Now, people have seen me on TV. I never know what I am going to do next, though. I go with instincts and reads. I’m known to bluff a lot, so I try to minimize that as much as I can. It depends on who is at your table in terms of what you can get away with. If I play at smaller casinos around the world where people don’t have as much experience, I can get away with a lot of the stuff I could get away with back in the day.

The median skill level has gone up a great amount. Poker isn’t the same as it used to be. To be successful at poker now, you have to be great. You have taxes and expenses and things you want to do. A lot of people have goals in life they want to achieve and to make it in poker is very, very tough. It sounds like a fun job, but it’s not that easy. The hardest part is the traveling. When you’re living in hotels half your life away from your family, it’s depressing. Sometimes I just want to be home, but you have to sacrifice.

PocketFives Member: Is there anything more important for a winning player to have an extremely successful career other than sheer time put in at the tables and correct bankroll management?

Michael Mizrachi: You have to make smart decisions and learn from other people’s mistakes. I am still learning. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I’ve learned from them.

PocketFives Member: Which WSOP bracelet or WPT title means the most to you?

Michael Mizrachi: They all mean the same to me, whether it’s a $50K or $1K buy-in. Winning the Player’s Championship twice was big for me, but everything I won means a lot. I appreciate my success.

PocketFives: Has winning the WSOP Player’s Championship twicechanged you?

Michael Mizrachi: No, it hasn’t changed me at all. I know winning it twice is an accomplishment, but I never got that high from the second one. It was like, “Onto the next tournament.” I still feel the same way. I’m looking forward to a third title in 2013.

PocketFives Member: Do you play cash games more often than tournaments?

Michael Mizrachi: I play more cash games, but it’s fairly close. It’s probably easier to play cash games than tournaments because tournaments can be very streaky for people. To beat tournaments, you have to be really good. For cash games, it’s a lot easier because if you know all of the games, you can pick and choose your spots.

PocketFives Member: Your all-round game is one of the best out there, but which poker game would you classify as your strongest?

Michael Mizrachi: I play a lot of Seven Card Stud, so maybe that, but I play everything pretty well. In cash games, I play a lot of PLO and Mixed Games. Usually when I go to the Commerce Casino, I play in the $100/$200 Seven Card game there. Most of the East Coast players are Seven Card Stud players. If I find a Seven Card Stud game that’s good, I’ll play that over No Limit Hold’em. My weakest games are probably the Draw games or Open Faced Chinese.

PocketFives: How did you get involved with DeepStacks? Are you looking forward to the DeepStacks Poker Tour over the next year?

Michael Mizrachi: When I made the WSOP Main Event final table, Mike Matusow called me up and asked if I would be interested in getting involved with DeepStacks. I’ve never been happier. Now, we have a tour, which is getting a lot stronger. As it stands, I’ll be at 11 of the 12 stops for the 2012-2013 season.

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