I get frequent e-mail queries from publicists seeking some run for a lot of different things, few of them of interest to the general public. But a few days ago someone offered to hook me up with a phone interview with Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi for his thoughts on the Super Bowl. So I thought, sure. I doubted Mizrachi had any special Super Bowl insights, but when a guy is coming off a year in which he was named Player of the Year by CardPlayer Magazine -- a poker bible -- and won $6 million, he must be a pretty sharp fellow.
Mizrachi picks the Colts by 3. Now about the poker ...
"I try to keep myself in shape. I go to the gym. I'll hit the steam room before a tournament to clear my head. I try to have a good breakfast, or lunch or dinner. You've got to come in with a clear mind. You've got to be in shape in all aspects, physically and mentally, to be prepared for any situation. I'm 26. I'm a person that doesn't need much sleep, three hours every night. That's why you see so many younger kids making it now in poker. The older you get, the more you start losing focus and needing some sleep. So I try to play as many hours as I can now."
"I gave myself the name 'Grinder' eight years ago playing online. When somebody grinds, it means they win slowly but surely. That name was to try to make me more intimidating, to try to gain respect. My family calls me 'Grinder.' If you call me Michael, I won't turn around. Michael's a common name."
"I'm at home in Hollywood, Florida, right now. I'm going back to Las Vegas Monday. When I'm in Las Vegas, it's all work. I'll do a few photo shoots Monday with Absolute Poker. Then I'll drive to Los Angeles for a heads-up poker tournament with a $10,000 buy-in. I'll play a few more tourneys, come back to Las Vegas for the NBA All-Star Game, then be back in L.A. again. Then it's off to the East Coast, or maybe Monte Carlo. I'm doing something every single day."
"You have to have great instincts in poker, great reads. You have to know what to do in every situation. Most people are taught the basics and read all the books. I know how everyone's taught, which books they've read, and I take full advantage of it. It takes me 15, 20 minutes, maybe an hour, to tell how somebody plays. I've got to play a few hands with them. Last week in about 10 minutes I knew the two worst players at my table in a tournament. They ended up being the first two out."
"I pretty much always knew how good I was at poker. It was in the genes. My mom was a good poker player. I learned a lot from my older brother, Robert. He brought me into the game 10 years ago. He started taking me on cruise ships. He'd work with me on hand-analysis throughout the day, and money management. He took me on my first poker trip, to Gila River Casino in Arizona. I had a bankroll of $1,000 on me. He put $150 in envelopes, one for each day. He said if lost the $150, I was done for the day. But I went through every single envelope the first day. But I still broke even and made enough to cover expenses for the trip. And I've been winning since Day 1."