Binder defeated Triton regular Jean-Noel Thorel heads-up to claim his first major live title, in an event which was never short of storylines throughout.
This week as Event #11: $25,000 Super Main Event thinned out its field, we were already hearing good things about Bernhard Binder from another Triton reg, Mario Mosöck.
The former footballer was convinced that his compatriot would be a breakout star in 2026 as he shifted some of his focus away from his more usual online arena.
This $25,000 buy-in tournament almost certainly wasn’t what Mosöck had in mind for his friend’s arrival on the elite stage.
This was a proper star-studded event with so many recognisable names, and it was fitting that it came down to a long, drawn-out battle at the finale.
Here was a young man showing the world he has what it takes and a 78-year-old man who is some 51 years older than his opponent, not that you could tell from the ebb and flow of the fight. Jean-Noel Thorel regularly lines up against the best in most of the Triton stops.
And let’s not forget that this event turned out to be the eighth biggest live poker tournament of all time. A $60 million guarantee sounds insane but for it to get obliterated with 2,891 entries building a prize pool of $72,275,000.
Action Recap
So much happened over the last week that it’s impossible to revisit everything. The event had it all, including plenty of Martin Kabrhel, just like usual these days.
The Czech nuisance barely shut up for a second throughout his run to 16th place and a $105,000 prize. His clash with Italian crusher Mustapha Kanit finally saw him on the other side of a verbal onslaught mid-hand.
Canada’s Peter Chien found himself all-in against Bernhard Binder and had the Austrian dominated, but a runner-runner flush ended his run in an event that isn’t his usual hunting ground.
We also had Natasha Mercier — wife of six-time bracelet winner Jason — challenging for the largest prize ever won by a female player in a poker tournament.
That accolade is held by Liv Boeree who bagged $2,800,000 in this event last year. Mercier ended her run in sixth place, taking home $1,800,000, which is the fifth largest prize on the leaderboard.
Eric Wasserson was next to leave, no doubt to the joy of those who thought his slowroll against Benny Glaser this week was a bit over the top and undeserved.
It was Binder who dealt with him, too. Ace-jack was looking good against king-queen but the four diamonds on the board sent the pot to the eventual champion.
Terrence Reid busted in fourth place when Binder flopped a flush to send him packing with a $3,000,000 payday.
That left only three to fight for what was a massive $6 million payjump from third to first.
Belarmino De Souza took the unlucky end of that deal, if you can call it that, crashing into the man of the moment, Jean-Noel Thorel.
Can we take a moment to appreciate how legendary Jean-Noël Thorel is? A pharmacist-biologist who founded the extremely successful beauty company NAOS (Bioderma). He's currently leading the 3k runner WSOP 25k Super Main with 19 people left. At 78 years old with significantly…
— Jason Koon (@JasonKoon) December 17, 2025
Approaching 80-years-old and suffering from failing eyesight, the Frenchman put on a show of mental stamina that would shame most of the younger generation. An incredible four-hour battle ensued where the chips only went into the middle a few times.
Both players were happy to feel their opponent out, rejecting the pressure release of a slightly profitable jam.
The end, it could be said, was a bit of an anti-climax. Thorel went with his king-queen and Binder was happy to call it off with ace-eight with the best hand winning.
Binder couldn’t have been any more ecstatic when it was all over, paying tribute to his friends and countrymen who supported him all the way through, including Samuel Mullur:
“That is the best. The best of all. If I was here alone and win this, it wouldn’t mean a fragment of what it means right now to celebrate with so many people. And to also have an impact for them, because a lot of them also had a share.
“When he wins something big, I think I’m more happy for him than he is for himself, and when I win something big, I think he’s more happy for me than I am for myself,” Binder said. “It’s amazing to have such good friends.”
Der Beitrag Bernhard Binder Victorious in WSOP Paradise Super Main Event erschien zuerst auf VIP-Grinders.
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