There were two parties very happy that Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi won the first big tournament of the 2010 WSOP, the $50,000 Poker Players Championship: the United States Internal Revenue Service and Patrik Antonius.

Back in March, a US newspaper reported that The Grinder owed the government $339,000 in taxes and was facing foreclosure on two homes in the state of Florida. A lot of the confusion came from staking deals, according to Mizrachi. Mizrachi estimated that of the roughly $6.7 million he won from 2004 to 2007, approximately $3.7 million went to backers. Despite giving another person his winnings, Mizrachi had to pay the taxes on the entire amount.

A chunk of that money is going to the IRS.

There were jokes that the IRS as waiting at podium to pick up Mizarchi’s check for him — just after he paid Antonius. Rumour was, Antonius paid half of Michael and his brother Robert’s entry fees for half their winnings. With Mizrachi taking home $1,559,046 and Robert winning $341,000 for finishing fifth, that’s a big pay-day for Antonius, whose biggest WSOP cash is $311,394 from finishing third in a 2007 $10,000 Omaha event.

With the victory, Michael and brother Robert joined Blair and Grant Hinkle, Annie Duke and Howard Lederer as the only siblings to each win WSOP bracelets. Grinder and Rob also joined Duke, Lederer and Barney and Ross Boatman as the only siblings to share WSOP final table experiences with one another. Grinder was the first in that group to emerge victorious.

Here’s a Tony Poker WSOP update: Here’s how I went out of Event No. 3. Toward the end of day 1B of the event, I shoved with about 18 big blinds with pocket queens on a 3-3-6 board, my big-stacked opponent called with pocket tens and proceeded to hit a ten on the turn. But I played well again, accumulating a big stack early in the tournament, until I lost most of it when I flopped two pair and my opponent rivered a flush.

I played five more hours after my event Sunday and won about $500 in $2/$5 Omaha. I’m feeling good and I’ve added Event No. 14, $1,500 2-7 Draw Lowball to my schedule. I’ll update later.