Bernhard Binder WINS WSOP Paradise Super Main Event as GGPoker Qualifiers DOMINATE!!!
Congratulations to Bernhard Binder, who won $10,000,000 after defeating Jean-Noel Thorel in heads-up play to earn the coveted WSOP bracelet to become the newest WSOP Paradise champion.
The 2025 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event has written itself into poker history. With 2,891 entries flooding into the Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas, the $25,000 buy-in championship generated a staggering $72,275,000 prize pool—the largest ever assembled outside of the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas and good enough to crack the all-time top ten, sitting eighth among the biggest tournament prize pools in poker history. The numbers tell a story of unprecedented scale: a $10,000,000 first-place prize awaiting the champion, $6,000,000 for the runner-up, and life-changing payouts down through the field. The tournament obliterated its own record-breaking $60,000,000 guarantee by more than $12 million, surpassing the 2019 Triton Million by nearly $7 million, although it still holds the crown as the largest non-WSOP Main Event prize pool of all time.
For players who secured a min-cash of $50,000, simply surviving the brutal bubble was an achievement in itself. The Day 2a bubble claimed Manuel Pochat as its victim in cruel fashion—his ace-king running into pocket kings on the stone bubble—while Day 2b’s money bubble lasted nearly two hours before Robert Cowen and Aylar Lie were eliminated simultaneously, splitting the 202nd place min-cash prize. But among the thousands who competed, a special contingent of players carried extra significance: the GGPoker qualifiers. These online grinders transformed satellite victories into seats alongside poker’s elite, proving once again that the digital felt can be the launching pad for glory on the game’s grandest stages. While high rollers and sponsored pros commanded attention, the GGPoker qualifiers wrote their own stories—some surviving deep into the money, others falling just short, but all of them earning their place in this historic field. Here’s how GGPoker’s representatives fared at the 2025 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event…
By the Numbers: GGPoker’s Dominant Presence
GGPoker qualifiers didn’t just participate in the 2025 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event—they made up a significant portion of the field. A total of 516 buy-ins came from GGPoker qualifiers, representing nearly 18% of the entire 2,891-entry field. The results exceeded expectations. Of those 516 entries, 95 GGPoker qualifiers finished in the money—an 18.4% cash rate that outpaced the field average. Together, these players took home over $ 25 million in combined earnings, delivering a massive return for those who turned affordable satellite buy-ins into five- and six-figure scores. But the raw numbers only tell part of the story. For players who qualified through GGPoker’s WSOP Express satellite system, the value proposition was extraordinary. Starting from buy-ins as low as $0.50, players could climb through four steps—$0.50, $2, $10, and $150—before reaching the $2,500 Super Step that awards a $30,000 Super Pass package, complete with tournament entry, accommodations at Atlantis, and access to the GGPoker Platinum Lounge.
| Metric | GGPoker Qualifiers | Overall Field |
|---|---|---|
| Total Entries | 516 | 2,891 |
| Share of Field | 17.8% | 100% |
| Players In The Money | 95 | 436 |
| Cash Rate | 18.4% | 15% |
| Combined Earnings | $23,055,875 | $72,275,000 |
| Share of Prize Pool | 32.02% | 100% |
From $150 to $1.1 Million: Franco Spitale’s Incredible Journey
No story better illustrates the power of GGPoker’s satellite system than Franco Spitale’s remarkable run. The WSOP bracelet winner—who claimed the 2024 Millionaire Maker title for $1,250,125—qualified for the Super Main Event through the WSOP Express, starting with a $150 Step 4 buy-in. From there, Spitale advanced to the $2,500 Super Step, secured his Super Pass, and traveled to Paradise to compete against poker’s elite. He showed up and dominated. Navigating a field of nearly 3,000 players to reach the final table of eight. Though he entered the final day as the short stack with just eight big blinds, Spitale’s $150 investment transformed into a guaranteed $1,100,000 payday for his 8th-place finish, a staggering 7,333x return on his original satellite buy-in.
Bernhard Binder: From Super Step to Seven Figures
Austrian player Bernhard Binder took a slightly different path, entering through the $2,500 Super Step and earning his Super Pass to Paradise. His investment of $2,500 proved to be one of his most valuable satellite entries. Binder played exceptional poker throughout the tournament, outlasting 2,890 competitors to become the champion. His 1st-place finish earned him $10,000,000—a 4,000x return on his original buy-in and a life-changing score that began with a single online satellite victory.
Your Path to Paradise Starts Here
The 2025 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event proved what GGPoker players already know: the skills you develop on GGPoker translate directly to success on poker’s biggest stages. With a cash rate that outpaced the field average and nearly a third of the total prize pool going home with GGPoker qualifiers, the numbers don’t lie. GGPoker players come to compete, and they delivered. But beyond the statistics, it’s the stories that matter. Players like Franco Spitale and Bernhard Binder have sharpened their games through countless hands on GGPoker’s tables, battled through competitive satellite fields, and arrived in the Bahamas ready to take on the best in the world. A $150 buy-in became $1.1 million. A $2,500 Super Step entry turned into $10 million. These are the real results of poker players, like us, who trusted their skills and took their shot. The next WSOP event is already on the horizon, and your seat is waiting. Through WSOP Express, you can start your journey for as little as $0.50 and climb through the steps toward a tournament event package of your choosing. Whether you’re a seasoned grinder or just getting started, GGPoker’s satellite system offers the cleanest and clearest path from your screen to poker’s most prestigious live tournament tables. The 2025 GGPoker qualifiers prove they belong amongst poker’s elite. In 2026, add your name to that list. Your road to the WSOP starts at GGPoker.
Watch the final table play out again on the WSOP YouTube channel right here:
