Bernhard Binder wins the WSOP Paradise Main Event

An Austrian poker pro defeats billionaire Jean-Noel Thorel heads-up for $10 million in the Bahamas.

History has been made in the Bahamas, and 2025 belongs to a Bernhard Binder of Austria. 

Everyone at the final table was guaranteed at least a seven-figure prize, courtesy of the record breaking field that crushed the $60 million guarantee. It also meant that the first prize was the same size as Michael Mizrachi's Main Event purse. 

Professional poker player Binder got heads-up with Jean-Noel Thorel, a man who must have a claim to being the best recreational player in the game, after regularly competing with the best in the Super High Rollers. 

Binder had career earnings of $328,000 prior to this win and now sits alongside some of the greats in the game. He admitted afterwards that he was nervous during his heads-up battle where he slowly grinded away at Thorel:

"It was stressful. To be honest, heads-up is not my specialty. When you’re a tournament player, you rarely play heads-up, and with big blind ante, it’s a completely different game. I’m not really that comfortable with it, and I hope I didn’t make too many big mistakes, but none of this matters now, I won it.”

Fellow Austrian and CoinPoker Pro Mario Mosbock called Binder, who only started playing in 2021, already one of the best MTT players in the world:

Unrelated to recent events 😄 Bernhard Binder is one of the very best MTT players in the world right now!

He started playing poker in 2021 🤯 https://t.co/RREY01KjWV pic.twitter.com/7nJP5KXPso

— Mario Mosböck (@mariomosboeck) December 19, 2025

As 2025 draws to a close, it won't be long until the World Series of Poker returns, WSOP Europe begins in April, which is also the start of the Player of the Year race.