The Austrian former GGMillion$ winner Bernhard Binder overcame poker legend Jen-Noel Thorel in The Bahamas last night to claim the WSOP Super Main Event title and top prize of $10 million. Along the way, a rollercoaster final table saw the former GGMillion$ Main Event winner claim by far the biggest win of his live poker career after qualifying into the event via GGPoker.

The GGMillion$ Legend

Bernhard Binder may not have been many live poker fans’ picks for champion at the start of the eight-handed final table, but for GGPoker players, ‘B Binder’ was a big chance from the first card. His record on the site is nothing short of phenomenal, with millions of dollars in results coming online, not least two GGMillion$ titles.

In one of those GGMillion$ victories, Binder’s win was worth $335,380 after he outlasted 164 opponents. In the other, however, he came top of 1,226 total entries in the GGMillion$ Main Event, taking down the top prize of $1,832,484 – his biggest win on the site. That pair of victories more than prove Binder’s prowess at the online felt but incredibly the WSOP Super Main Event was his first-ever live ranking tournament title.

Qualifying into the $25,000-entry event on GGPoker, Binder was a stealth fighter in the latter stages of the event. Whilst often making big moves, great calls and inspired plays, the Austrian flew under the radar due to controversial hands, dramatic laydown or brutal coolers like the slowroll that took out Benny Glaser on the final table bubble.

Early Eliminations Help Binder Rise

When the final table began, Binder was second in chips behind the runaway chip leader Thorel. The Frenchman bagged up 142 big blinds the night before, some way clear of Binder’s 53 bigs, but over the course of a dramatic final table, the Austrian was able to turn it around in style.

The first player to leave the party of eight was the Argentinian player Franco Spitale. All-in with ace-jack, he lost to Eric Wasserson’s pocket queens to cash for $1.1m in eighth place. Soon, the Canadian Peter Chien followed him from the felt, busting in seventh place for $1.4m when he lost with ace-king. It was Binder who eliminated him, as the only time he got really lucky at the final table played out, a four-flush in diamonds sending Chien home and bumping Binder up the ranks.

In sixth place, Natasha Mercier came oh so close to equalling Liv Boeree’s record score from last year’s Super Main Event. The regular tournament player – and devoted wife of six-time WSOP bracelet winner Jason – had performed brilliantly until the final table. Ultimately, she ran out of luck when it was most required, losing with ace-queen in cruel circumstances when she turned a queen but lost to Thorel’s king-eight when a king landed on the river.

Epic Heads-Up Earns First Major Live Title

“When I win something big, I think he’s happier for me than I am!”

Eric Wasserson was cast as the baddie by some the previous day after his clash with PokerStake’s Benny Glaser but no-one could begrudge the American the $2.35m he earned in fifth place after a very solid week at the felt. All-in with ace-jack, Wasserson had the best of it but Binder called with king-queen and made a diamond flush again with four cards coming on the board to send Wasserson to the rail.

Terrance Reid swapped his job on the media side of the fence to play this event, and his decision was super-smart, as he cashed for $3 million in fourth place. Shoving with middle pair on the flop and running into Binder’s made spade flush, Reid was unable to catch running cards to a full house and left before the podium places. Brazilian player Belarmino De Souza soon followed, winning $4m when he called all-in on the river of a board showing T-5-4-4-4 with ten-six for a full house only to run into Jean-Noel Thorel eight-four for quad fours.

Heads-up, Thorel came back from 2:1 down in chips to lead but as often in GGMillion$ finals, Binder wouldn’t go away and came back to lead before forcing the issue to regain a dominant lead. Thorel moved all- in with king-queen and was called by Binder with ace-eight. The Frenchman couldn’t find paint and when an eight fell on the river, it was all over and Binder had done it, winning his first WSOP bracelet and $10m.

“If I was here alone and won this, it wouldn’t mean a fragment of what it means right now to celebrate with so many people,” Binder said, paying tribute to his friends, including his fellow Austrian and former GGMillion$ winner   Samuel Mullur. “[He’s] my best friend for forever, basically. When he wins something big, I think I’m [happier] for him than he is for himself, and when I win something big, I think he’s happier for me than I am – it’s amazing to have such good friends.”

Here are all the winners, with every single member of the eight-handed WSOP Paradise Super Main Event taking home millions of dollars in The Bahamas.

WSOP Paradise 2025 $25,000 Super Main Event Final Table Results:
Position	Player	Country	Prize
1st	Bernhard Binder	Austria	$10,000,000
2nd	Jean-Noel Thorel	France	$6,000,000
3rd	Belarmino De Souza	Brazil	$4,000,000
4th	Terrance Reid	United States	$3,000,000
5th	Eric Wasserson	United States	$2,350,000
6th	Natasha Mercier	Lebanon	$1,800,000
7th	Peter Chien	Canada	$1,400,000
8th	Franco Spitale	Argentina	$1,100,000