Michael Mizrachi, Shiina Okamoto Make History At 2025 WSOP

It was arguably one of the most historic weekends in the history of the World Series of Poker. In two separate events, players would make their mark by achieving something that had never been done in the history of poker’s most storied event. As a result, Michael Mizrachi and Shiina Okamoto have etched their names into the annals of poker lore by becoming champions of the $50,000 Poker Players’ Championship and the $1000 Ladies’ Championship, respectively, at the 2025 WSOP.

Mizrachi Dominates En Route to Historic PPC Victory

He came to the final table with a massive chip lead, and Michael Mizrachi never let anyone get close to him taking the championship. Of the seven-handed final table, Mizrachi was the only player who would start the day over the ten million chip mark, with players like all-time money leader Bryn Kenney, Ben Lamb, and Andrew Yeh in pursuit. The biggest story OTHER than Mizrachi was Esther Taylor, who was the only woman to enter this year’s PPC and who powered her way into contention at the final table.

Mizrachi’s domination was obvious from the start. He would eliminate the first three players from the tournament, Lamb (seventh), Albert Daher (sixth), and Joao Vieira (fifth), to build a seventeen million-plus chip stack. His other three competitors could not even get close to that, with Kenney (5.825 million), Taylor (4.975 million), and Yeh (3.825 million) accounting for less than half the chips in action.

‘The Grinder’ lived up to his nickname after that. He simply decimated the spirit of those around him, other than Taylor, who appeared to be having the time of her life. Mizrachi’s domination continued with his knockout of Yeh in a hand of Pot Limit Omaha, and Kenney would try to make a stand by eliminating Taylor in third. But the chips don’t lie; Mizrachi had built a 29.975 million stack over the previous three hours, and Kenney’s 2.125 million didn’t stand a chance.

In twenty minutes, Mizrachi would rewrite poker history. In a final hand of Deuce to Seven Triple Draw, Kenney would pair up after his third draw, leaving Mizrachi’s ten-six low as the best hand, to put the checkmark in Mizrachi’s column. With that, Michael Mizrachi made poker history and will be a nearly automatic induction in 2026 for the Poker Hall of Fame.

1. Michael Mizrachi, $1,331,322
2. Bryn Kenney, $887,542
3. Esther Taylor, $595,136
4. Andrew Yeh, $413,740
5. Joao Viera, $298,614
6. Albert Daher, $224,077
7. Ben Lamb, $175,096

This was Mizrachi’s FOURTH victory in what is considered a true test of a poker player’s abilities because of its multi-game format. It separates him from Brian Rast, who picked up his third PPC victory in 2023 and was also inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in the same year. Mizrachi also earned his seventh bracelet overall, putting him in with such company as Poker Hall of Famers Daniel Negreanu, John Hennigan, and Billy Baxter, not to mention 2025 nominees Nick Shulman and Scott Seiver. Without a doubt, it establishes Mizrachi as one of poker’s all-time greats and should enshrine him in the Hall come next year.

Okamoto Continues Historic Run in Ladies’ Event

In what has been one of the most dominant runs in WSOP history, Japan’s Shiina Okamoto defended her Ladies’ Championship in a stirring run. Leading from the start of the final table to its conclusion, Okamoto defeated Heather Alcorn to capture her second Ladies’ Championship. This puts her in rare air with the Ladies’ Event history, and it also puts her in special company in the history of the WSOP overall.

Okamoto also came to the Ladies’ Event final table as the chip leader, and she improved on that by knocking off her countrywoman, Sumire Uenomachi, in eighth place. It wasn’t all roses for Okamoto, however, as she would give up the lead after some adventurous play. Stephani Hagberg would find her way to the lead for a bit in the early action, but Okamoto’s defeat of Juliet Hegedus in sixth place would push her into a lead that she would not give up.

Julie Huynh was able to pick up some much-needed chips by beating Sonia Shashikhina in fifth place, but it would turn out not to be enough to ensure survival. Huynh would move all in with pocket Jacks and run into the pocket Aces of Heather Alcorn and, after the board blanked for her, left Huynh with scraps; she would depart a couple of hands later in fourth place.

Three-handed, Okamoto’s domination was evident. Her 16.32 million stack dwarfed that of Alcorn (6.665 million) and Hagberg (4.39 million), and once Okamoto turned a flush against Hagberg’s turned two pair (and a blank on the river), Okamoto would take a 25.1 million stack up against Alcorn (2.275 million) for the Ladies’ Championship. Alcorn would fight a valiant battle, but she would finally fall at the hands of Okamoto. On the final hand, Alcorn failed to score with her A-2 against Okamoto’s pocket nines to deliver the title, for the second year in a row, to Shiina Okamoto.

1. Shiina Okamoto, $184,094
2. Heather Alcorn, $122,654
3. Stephani Hagberg, $87,695
4. Julie Huynh, $63,517
5. Sonia Shashikhina, $46,614
6. Juliet Hegedus, $34,667
7. Sumire Uenomachi, $26,131
8. Tanith Rothman, $19,969*
9. Elisa Nakagawa, $15,472*

(eliminated on Saturday, part of the official WSOP final table)

Okamoto became only the third woman in the history of the WSOP Ladies’ Event to capture back-to-back championships, joining Susie Isaacs (1996-97) and Nani Dollison (2000-01) in the achievement (and also joining Barbara Enright as a two-time WSOP Ladies’ Event winner). Putting the past two years together with Okamoto’s performance in 2023, when she was the runner-up to Jessica Teusl for the title, another immortal name in poker history has company. Okamoto’s 2-1-1 finishes matches that of the former World Champion Johnny Chan, who went 1-1-2 in his three-year run (1987-89) in the WSOP $10,000 Championship Event.

(Photo courtesy of PokerGO.com)