Through The Lens of Drew: Big Names Chase Big Dreams in the $50k

Drew Amato • Jun 19, 2018

Phil Ivey, Greg Mueller and Shaun Deeb short of the final table as Mizrachi Continues Another Dominating Run

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Drew Amato has been covering the World Series of Poker since 2014. This year he’s covered the U.S. Poker Open and Super High Roller Bowl for Poker Central. Twice per week, Amato will share his favorite images from the World Series of Poker. Enjoy this recurring piece as, in his own words, Amato describes the biggest moments in the game.

The final table is set for one of poker’s most prestigious events, and once against it’s Michael ‘The Grinder’ Mizrachi who leads the way. While Mizrachi goes for a record-breaking third title in this event, five hopefuls look to keep him from doing so. With $1.2 million up top, John Hennigan, Dan Smith, Aaron Katz, Benny Glaser and Mike Leah are the other remaining contenders.

Relive the Day 4 action on Twitch, and check out my photo recap below.

Deeb’s Struggle: Last year, Shaun Deeb bubbled the final table of this event, and this year he came close once again. In a hand versus Mike Leah, Deeb winced as he broke his 10-low in 2-7 Triple Draw in hopes of catching up with the Canadian pro. Leah tabled a 9-7 low, keeping Deeb’s hope alive with a 7-draw. Unfortunately, Deeb drew paint and was eliminated in 10th place.

Smile’s Turned Sour: Phil Ivey was all smiles earlier on Day 4, but unfortunately the 10-time bracelet winner will have to wait a little longer before #11. Ivey was eliminated in 9th place after his 9-low couldn’t hold against Greg Mueller. Mueller drew one and made a 7-6 low to send Ivey to the rail.

Mizrachi vs Leah: Day 4 was business as usual for Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, as the two-time PPC champion continued his dominance, taking over 8 million in chips to the final table. One of the biggest hands of the day came in No Limit when Mizrachi barreled three streets into Mike Leah. On the river Leah tanked for a while, eventually announcing to Mizrachi he had a pair before tossing his cards into the muck.

No Final for FBT: Cash games are Greg Mueller’s main game, but every now and then the Canadian giant drops the gloves for some tournament action. After chipping up for most of the day, it was the Mizrachi train that ran the former hockey pro over. Mueller finished in seventh place, the second biggest cash of his live tournament career.

Lights, Camera, Action: The stage is set for the 2018 $50,000 Poker Players Championship final table. Today, six players return to battle it out for the David ‘Chip’ Reese Memorial Trophy, a gold bracelet and $1.2 million. Will history be made by Michael Mizrachi winning an unprecedented third PPC title? Can John Hennigan take down this event again to tie Mizrachi? Will Benny Glaser get his fourth bracelet? Or maybe it’s Dan Smith winning his first ever bracelet?Be sure to tune into PokerGO to find out!

You’ll also enjoy “Super High Roller Bowl Highlights”, “Poker’s Annual Gold Rush” and “Doyle’s Final Ride” in the series “Through the Lens of Drew” by clicking the links.

Follow Drew Amato on Instagram. The 2018 World Series of Poker streams live on PokerGO now. Don’t miss a minute of the action by subscribing to PokerGO. The final table of this event will be live on PokerGO. Follow Poker Central on Twitter to stay up to date with all the latest from the world of poker.

Dan Smith, Phil Ivey, Shaun Deeb, Greg Mueller, John Hennigan, Michael Mizrachi, Drew Amato, 2018 World Series of Poker, Mike Leah