Table of Contents
WCOOP STATS
STAT TRACKER
Tournaments completed: 378
Total entries: 763,364
Prize pools: $73,956,113
First-place prizes: $12,571,424
DAILY UPDATES
THURSDAY 02/10
My friends, we’ve reached the end. Well done. 378 poker tournaments completed. Hundreds of champions crowned.
But as the beaming lights of this championship dim, let us not think of an ending, but of a beginning. Ask not what you could have done differently this WCOOP, but rather, when can I play WCOOP again?
The answer is in 2026. For now, we’ve got a series to wrap up. Here’s what happened on the final day of this incredible series.
EPT CHAMP REDACTED WINS $10K MAIN EVENT: One of the cool things about being into poker for longer than we’d care to admit is you get to see careers blossom and bloom in front of your eyes. REDACTED “REDACTED” REDACTED from the Netherlands is a great example. He dropped out of college at age 19, playing $0.50-$3.30 tournaments with a dream of becoming a professional poker player. He boosted his profile. He left streaming behind as he moved to Austria and climbed up the stakes. He broke through on the live circuit with a massive victory at EPT Cyprus in 2023 for $1,042,000. And now he’s a WCOOP Main Event champion, winning the 407-entry $10K edition for $736,327. Where he’ll go next is anyone’s guess–the sky’s the limit.
$10K WCOOP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OF NLHE (#108-H) RESULTS
1. Redacted “Redacted” Redacted – $736,327
2. “arodnaS” – $560,367
3. Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi – $426,455
4. “sebasnato” – $324,545
5. Prebben “prebz” Stokkan – $246,989
6. “ILS007” – $187,966
7. “AchoBogdanov” – $143,047
8. “mjw006” – $108,864
CHAMAS WINS TWO IN ONE NIGHT: What an unbelievable session Rayan “Beriuzy” Chamas had on Wednesday. First, he rode his start-of-final-table chip lead all the way to the $109 Main Event title, topping a massive 20,587 entries to bank $212,827. But that wasn’t the end; four hours later, he also took down the $1K PLO (#122-H) for $24,136, beating Joao “Naza114” Vieira heads-up. Add those two titles to the hat trick he won in 2022 and Chamas is up to five WCOOP wins for his career.
$109 WCOOP NLHE MAIN EVENT (#108-L) RESULTS
1. Rayan “Beriuzy” Chamas – $212,827
2. “ernandul27” – $151,700
3. “m.o_4515” – $108,138
4. “NielsMinten” – $77,084
5. “titzovaca” – $54,948
6. “LiroLa” – $39,169
7. “Elppex” – $27,921
8. “fatallrfehlr” – $19,904
MAIN MASTERY BY MIMIKYOLO: Over in the $1K Main Event, it was Ukraine’s “MiMikyolo” who bested the 3,394-entry field, adding $487,131 to their bankroll. They defeated Brazil’s Dennys “dennysramos2” Ramos heads-up to claim their second WCOOP title in one of the series’ most prestigious events.
$1,050 WCOOP NLHE MAIN EVENT (#108-M) RESULTS
1. “MiMikyolo” – $487,131
2. Dennys “dennysramos2” Ramos – $347,242
3. “MaCheCazzoFai” – $247,526
4. “777acenace77” – $176,445
5. “viinig” – $125,776
6. “maagrella” – $89,658
7. “WishICouldFold” – $63,911
8. “kobyy” – $45,558
PLAYER OF THE SERIES
LONG LIVE THE KING: They led the way for pretty much the entire series, and now we can officially crown “king153246” the overall Player of the Series for WCOOP 2025. The Albanian crusher topped the Overall board with a final score of 3,715 points, ahead of “FAL1st” with 3,515 and Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi with 2,965. For their efforts, they’ll bank $25,000.
King153246 also won the Low leaderboard for an additional $5,000 and finished second on the Medium and High boards for $7,500 and $10,000, respectively, demonstrating consistency across all buy-in levels.
Congratulations to Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi, who won $10,000 for topping the Medium Leader Board, and “FAL1st”, who picked up $15,000 for winning the High board.
Take a look through all the WCOOP 2025 Leader Boards here.
WEDNESDAY 01/10
MAIN EVENT FINAL TABLES SET: We’ve done it… almost. It’s the fourth day in all WCOOP NLHE Main Events, and the final day of the series overall. Try not to get too emotional, though, as we have a lot to cover.
Nine players remain in each event, and there are notable names among them. In the $10K (#108-H), we’ve got EPT Cyprus winner Redacted “Redacted” Redacted second in chips, and Renan “Internett930” Bruschi in third, seeking his third title of the year. Ukraine’s “arodnaS” chip leads with $736,327 awaiting the winner.
Over the $109 Low edition, it’s Rayan “Beriuzy” Chamas who boasts a healthy chip lead, topping the final nine from a whopping 20,587 entries. There’s $212,827 up top in that one.
PLO WORLD CHAMPIONS: Pascal “Pass_72” Lefrancois is officially the world champ of PLO, taking down the $10K Main Event (#111-H) for $211,535 on Tuesday after three days of play. The event received 67 total entries and resulted in an exciting final table that included Andras “probirs” Nemeth, Gruffudd “d.apollo777” Jones, Patrick “pads1161” Leonard, and Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser. But Lefrancois got the best of it, winning his first title of the year and second overall.
$211K score for Lefrancois
In the 1,727-entry $109 edition, it was Latvia’s “RovoDice” who claimed their second WCOOP title for $26,079–the first coming way back in 2018. The $1K Medium was won by Finland’s “O.Klunssila”, who outlasted 499 entries to bank $88,539 and their maiden title.
YAN BANKS BIGGEST: New Zealand’s David “MissOracle” Yan took down the biggest prize of the series so far on Tuesday (until the NLHE Main Events finish!), winning the 42-entry $25K Super High Roller (#115-H) for $362,102 and his third career title. Pedro “PaDiLhA SP” Padilha of Brazil finished runner-up for $247,923, while Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi was the unfortunate bubble boy, busting in seventh with six places paid.
Yan now has three WCOOP wins
WINS FOR KLEM90, PARDO, DARIE: Austrian high roller “klem90” is on the winner’s sheet, taking down the second title of his career in the $1K Series Saver PKO (#114-H) for $139,803, including $80,810 in bounties. The final table included Daniel “NukeTheFish!” Wilson and Ognyan “cocojamb0” Dimov.
Andorra-based Spaniard Juan “Malaka$tyle” Pardo picked up his second of the year and seventh overall in the $2K NLHE (#115-M). The event had 123 entries–five of which came from Pardo, but it was all worth it when he beat Mikita “fish2013” Badziakouski after a heads-up deal to bank $51,268, leaving Badziakouski with $44,428.
Vlad “dariepoker” Darie has now won two high Super Tuesday titles in as many years. The Romanian won a $5K edition for $132,607 in 2024 and yesterday took down the $1K Super Tuesday (#118-H) for $41,177. Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser finished third out of 211 entries for $23,929.
PLAYER OF THE SERIES LEADER DOES DOUBLE: Pardo wasn’t the only player to do the double on Tuesday. Player of the Series leader “king153246” of Albania also won their second of the year, extending their lead on the leader board with victory in the $530 PL Badugi (#119-H). They banked $8,981 for topping the 47-entry field, having already won a $530 NLO8 event for $13,809.
TREMZIN MAKES IT EIGHT: Gleb “Ti0373” Tremzin is now an eight-time WCOOP champion, picking up his second title of the year in the 1,380-entry $55 Turbo Heads-Up TKO Zoom (#120-M) for $6,142 in bounties, plus $700 for finishing first. Incredibly, the Russian, who finished second at EPT Prague in 2015 and now plays online from Mexico, also finished runner-up in the $530 High edition for $11,145, falling heads-up to Marius “DEX888” Gierse. This is the Austria-based German’s first WCOOP win, and it was worth $31,285.
Eight for Gleb “Ti0373” Tremzin
Brazil’s “pycadasgalax” also picked up their second title of the year, winning the $215 Super Tuesday (#118-M) for $29,746, topping an 895-entry field. They won a $109 Deep Stack #47-M earlier in the series for $21,459.
TUESDAY 30/09
SECONDS FOR LEONARD: While the NLHE Main Events marched into the money on Day 2, those already out weren’t left twiddling their thumbs. They had another shot at glory in the Main Event Second Chance (#116) Turbo events, featuring $55, $530, and $5,200 buy-ins.
It was in the $5K High Roller where Patrick “pads1161” Leonard struck gold again, securing his second title of the year—and the 13th of his career. The Brit navigated the 54-entry field to bank $77,990 after cutting a deal heads-up with Austria’s “RhoNin9”, who actually walked away with the bigger payday—$81,911—despite finishing runner-up.
In the other editions, two players from Malta, ”Brelarsssssssss” and “BigBeautyWhale”, were victorious, winning $14,473 and $45,575, respectively.
Here’s a look at all 13 of Leonard’s WCOOP titles:
2015 – $700 NLHE 6-Max – $108,416
2016 – $700 NLHE Ultra-Deep – $162,055
2021 – 08-H: $5,200 NLHE PKO HR – $121,328
2021 – 15-H: $1,050 NL 2-7 SD – $20,475
2022 – 67-H: $1,050 6+ Hold’em – $17,445
2023 – 105-H: $1,050 NLHE Super Tuesday – $54,506
2023 – 46-M: $109 FLHE 6-Max – $4,011
2023 – 93-M: $109 NLO8 – $7,449
2023 – $5,200 WC Heads-Up NLHE – $80,500
2024 – $1,050 WC of Razz – $19,414
2024 – 107-H: $2,100 NLHE Warm-Up – $103,349
2025 – 36-M: $109 Sunday Kickoff – $28,023
2025 – 116-H: $5,200 Main Event Second Chance Turbo – $77,990
MAIN EVENTS: All six NLHE and PLO Main Events are deep into the money. Here’s where they stand heading into Day 3:
- $109 NLHE – 158 of 20,587 remain – $212,827 up top
- $1,050 NLHE – 80/3,394 – $487,131 (Alisson “heyalisson” Piekazewicz is chip leader)
- $10,300 NLHE – 39/407 – $736,327 (“13santoy13”)
- $109 PLO – 18/1,727 – $26,078 (Pavel “silentm0de” Plesuv)
- $1,050 PLO – 18/499 – $88,539 (“O.Klunssila”)
$10K PLO – 7/67 – $211,535 – FINAL TABLE
Gruffudd “d.apollo777” Jones – 5.2M
Pascal “Pass_72” Lefrancois – 3M
“Lateski” – 2.2M
Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser – 1.9M
Patrick “pads1161” Leonard – 1.8M
“Imbajimbaa” – 1.5M
Andras “probirs” Nemeth – 870K
OTHER HEADLINES: Austria’s “HighRiskHReward” has enjoyed a COOP breakthrough in 2025, winning three SCOOP titles earlier this year and now clinching their maiden WCOOP. To do it, they had to beat Niklas “Lena900” Astedt heads-up in the 2,193-entry $215 PKO Sunday Warm-Up (#107-M), denying the Swede his 13th title. For their efforts, HighRiskHReward collected $43,905, including $15,996 in bounties.
We added one double champion on Monday: Mario “t4t0PAGAU” Navarro, playing from Andorra, who took down the $2K PKO Sunday Warm-Up (#107-H) for $83,974, more than half of which came in bounties. His first of the year was in a $530 Bounty Builder High Roller (#20-M) worth $39,846.
MONDAY 29/09
RAIDALOT MADE A LOT: Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi is now a seven-time WCOOP champion, after winning two events over the weekend. The British hedge fund manager and long-time poker crusher had come close so many times throughout the series but managed to break through in Saturday’s $1K NLHE Deep Stack (#100-H) for $39,725. The event had 203 entries and a stacked final table that included Vlad “dariepoker” Darie, Juan “Malaka$tyle” Pardo, and Teun “tinnoemulder2 Mulder. Shakerchi then finished his Sunday session with a win in the $530 Hyper Supersonic (#113-H), besting 296 entries to bank $33,157, denying Brazil’s “Team PokerBR” their hat trick.
Shakerchi has made 25 final tables in WCOOP 2025
THREE FOR ELGSTROM: Speaking of hat tricks, Denmark’s Christian “CMoosepower” Elgstrom (who plays from Austria) also won two events over the weekend, taking his series total up to three. Elgstrom took down the $215 8-Game (#96-M) for $6,981, his second 8-Game title of the year (he also finished third in the $109 edition). Elgstrom then won the $1K Stud (#101-H) for $16,715, beating 32 entries and Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi heads-up, while Patrick “pads1161” Leonard finished third. Elgstrom now has six WCOOP wins overall.
Up in the $1K 8-Game (#96-H), Brazil’s “gganbu” denied Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser his 17th title, topping the 54-entry field for $18,983 and their second WCOOP title. Glaser settled for $12,573.
Daniel “SmilleThHero” Smiljkovic
WINS FOR SMILJKOVIC AND PIEKAZEWICZ: Two high rollers took down titles over the weekend, at opposite ends of their buy-in range. Daniel “SmilleThHero” Smiljkovic is no stranger to big buy-ins, but his first title of the year (and second overall) came in the $33 NLHE (#95-L), where he beat a whopping 3,712 entries to win $15,930.
Over in the $10K Thursday Thrill PKO (#97-H), an understandably smaller field of 59 entries was logged, creating a $590K prize pool. Brazil’s Alisson “heyalisson” Piekazewicz took the chip lead into the final session and rode it to his maiden WCOOP title, banking $193,235, with a staggering $114,375 coming from bounties. The final table included runner-up “NAME REDACTED”, as well as Dimitar “KuuL” Danchev, Ben “bencb789” Rolle, Pedro “PaDiLhA SP” Padilha, Pascal “Pass_72” Lefrancois, and “drew.derzh”.
Alisson “heyalisson” Piekazewicz
DOUBLE CHAMPS: Four more players won their second titles of the year over the weekend.
“BadBeatLust” from Greece won the $55 8-Game (#96-L) for $3,973, topping 502 entries. Their first title was in a $109 NL 2-7 Single Draw for $3,573.
Brazil’s “zilbeee” clinched the 305-entry $109 NLO8 (#103-M) for $5,049, after a heads-up deal with “tgrigoletti”. They won a $109 HORSE event earlier this series.
“Juicy_J_93” of Canada picked up their second of the year in the 66-entry $1K NLO8 for $23,202. Their first was a nice one–the $1K PLO8 World Championship for $33,376.
Another Brazilian, Marcelo “Marceloaziz” Aziz, took down the $1K NLHE Turbo PKO (#105-H) for $40,479, including $15,291 in bounties. They’d already won a $215 PKO for 31,463.
BADUGI WORLD CHAMP: Another championship event played out on Saturday. Canada’s “Unassigned” won the $1K World Championship of Badugi for $18,386, beating 44 entries. “FAL1st” was the runner-up, just missing out on their fourth of the year.
FRIDAY 26/09
ASTEDT BREAKS THROUGH: After an incredible four-title 2024 series, Niklas “Lena900” Astedt has been conspicuous by his absence from the WCOOP 2025 winner’s sheet. The Swede has been close plenty of times–including three runner-up finishes–but a win had eluded him… until Thursday. Astedt broke through with victory in the $530 5-Card PLO (#94-H) for $22,842, a variant he also won a title in last year. One of the GOATs of tournament poker, Astedt now boasts 12 WCOOP titles for his storied career.
Niklas Astedt’s 12 titles:
2018 – 27-M: PLO [6-Max] – $58,228
2020 – 39-H: $5,200 NLHE PKO HR – $201,055
2020 – 44-H: $2,100 NLHE – $80,642
2022 – 04-M: $109 NLO8 – $6,567
2022 – 20-H: $5,200 Closer – $94,468
2023 – 38-H: $5,200 NLHE PKO HR – $113,570
2023 – 93-H: $1,050 NLO8 – $22,224
2024 – 36-H: $1,050 NLHE Kickoff – $47,687
2024 – 39-H: $2,100 5-Card PLO – $51,257
2024 – 97-H: $10,300 NLHE PKO HR – $188,988
2024 – 110-H: $530 NLHE PKO – $83,541
2025 – 94-H: $530 5-Card PLO – $22,842
Astedt was online poker’s biggest money winner with more than $50 million in cashes before tracked records were taken offline
TWO DOUBLE CHAMPS CROWNED: Austria-based player Ilija “isavevski” Savevski scored his second title of the year, and third overall, in the $215 NLHE PKO (#91-M) for $24,008, including $10,717 in bounties. The event had 840 entries and a $175K prize pool.
We also saw Belarus-based Russian player Viktor “papan9_p$” Ustimov become a double champion, taking down the 256-entry $530 NLHE 7-Max Turbo PKO (#99-H) for $25,880, including $15,070 in bounties. He won a $1K NLHE event for $45,471 earlier this series and now has six titles to his career.
OTHER NEWS: Long-time crusher “hello_totti”, who plays from Mexico, picked up their maiden WCOOP on Thursday with victory in the 66-entry $2K NLHE Turbo (#98-H) for $41,016. They defeated Felipe “lipe piv” Boianovsky heads-up.
Only five players remain in the $1K World Championship of Badugi and its “FAL1st”, who takes the chip lead into the final session on Saturday, looking for their fourth win of the year. Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser is still in contention, looking for his 17th WCOOP title, but he’s got his work cut out as the short stack.
Over in the $10K Thursday Thrill PKO, just seven of the 59 entries remain, led by Alisson “heyalisson” Piekazewicz. The remaining field is made up of Dimitar “KuuL” Danchev, Pedro “PaDiLhA SP” Padilha, Ben “bencb789” Rolle, “Name Redacted”, Pascal “Pass_72” Lefrancois, and “drew.derzh”. There’s $78,860 up top, plus bounties.
THURSDAY 25/09
NEMETH DOES THE DOUBLE: After an uncharacteristically quiet WCOOP in 2024, Andras “probirs” Nemeth is back on the winner’s sheet for the second time in 2025, taking down the $530 PLO PKO (#90-H) for $23,717, including $15,219 in bounties. Nemeth topped the 196-entry event to clinch his seventh career WCOOP (five of which have come in PLO variants). His second victory takes Hungary up to six titles for the series.
Nemeth up to seven
SUPER WEDNESDAY FOR YURASOV: After two days of play, Dmitry “Yurasov1990” Yurasov “Yurasov1990” of Belarus was crowned the $1K Super Tuesday champ (#86-M). This is Yurasov’s third career WCOOP, and to secure it, he had to battle through 348 entries, then, after making a heads-up deal, beat Latvia’s “Rigapols81” heads up. Yurasov came out on top, earning $59,161, while Rigapols81 took second place for $54,957. PokerStars Ambassador Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg had a deep run in this one, but a lengthy stretch of being card dead saw his stack dwindle before busting in 12th for $5,723.
THE GREAT NAME REDACTED: Austria’s “NAME REDACTED” worked wonders in the $5K Super Tuesday High Roller (#86-H), locking up the third WCOOP title of his career—and the third in as many years. NAME REDACTED battled through a field of 107 elite entries before coming out on top for $123,283.
ENTER SANDMAN: Canada’s “sandman201” had a dream session on Wednesday, capturing their fourth career WCOOP title in the $1K HORSE (#88-H). The 53-entry field was stacked, featuring the likes of “FAL1st” (hunting a fourth win of the series), “CMoosepower” (going for a double), and Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi (eyeing a hat trick). In the end, sandman201 proved unshakable, claiming the $20,254 top prize. All four of their titles have come in mixed-game formats, including last year’s $2K World Championship of 8-Game. They also finished third in the PLO event that Nemeth won.
WEDNESDAY 24/09
WILSON HITS SERIES TRIPLE: Andy “BowieEffect” Wilson became the fourth player to win three titles in 2025 on Tuesday, defeating his friend Tomi “elmerixx” Brouk heads-up to win the $1K NLHE (#77-H) for $47,568. After battling through the 271-entry field, the pair made a deal that secured Brouk $42,915, but the Finnish player will have to wait for his second WCOOP title. Wilson, on the other hand, is now up to five for his career.
Wilson keeps winning
FAL1ST WINS 11TH: One of the COOP greats, “FAL1st”, also secured a hat trick yesterday, topping the 31-entry $2K FL 2-7 Triple Draw (#85-H) for $25,969. The Russian all-rounder, who plays from Thailand, won two events on the same day last weekend (and won an incredible five titles in 2024). This latest victory takes them up to 11 for their career. Speaking of COOP greats, Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser finished fourth in this one, a day after he won his record-extending 16th WCOOP title.
FAL1st’s 11 WCOOP titles:
2021: 15-M – $109 NL 2-7 Single Draw – $6,300
2021: 98-M – $109 6+ Hold’em 6-Max – $8,039
2023: 30-H – $1,050 FLO8 [6-Max] – $20,522
2024: 33-H – $1,050 FLO8 [6-Max] – $17,365
2024: 55-H – $1,050 NL 2-7 Single Draw [7-Max] – $19,490
2024: 61-M – $1,050 8 Game [6-Max] – $22,061
2024: 74-H – $2,100 NLO8 [6-Max, Progressive KO] – $19,122
2024: 113-H – $530 NLHE [7-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Mystery Supersonic] – $21,212
2025: 61-H – $1,050 8 Game – $18,354
2025: 61-H – $1,050 NL 5-Card Draw – $16,714
2025: 85-H – $2,100 FL 2-7 Triple Draw – $25,969
CAMOSCI DENIES SCHEMION: Malta-based Italian high stakes pro Enrico “WhaTisL0v3” Camosci won his second WCOOP title in 2024 after a six-year wait, but he’s only had to wait another year for his third. It was a big one, too: the $5K Bounty Builder SHR (#78-H) for $108,259, including $62,734 in bounties. Ole “wizowizo” Schemion finished second in this 86-entry event, while Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi made yet another final table. No title for him today, though.
Camosci now has three WCOOP titles
8-GAME CHAMP CROWNED: The $2K World Championship of 8-Game came to an end on Tuesday after two days of play, with Finland’s “Peraaukonseutu” winning their maiden WCOOP for $43,565. The event had 57 entries and a final table that included “king153246” (2nd), Blaz “Scarmak3r” Zerjav (4th), and Patrick “pads1161” Leonard (6th).
What makes Peraaukonseutu’s victory even more special is that they qualified for the event for just $11, and beat some of the game’s best players. An incredible result for the recreational player.
TWO DOUBLE CHAMPS: Tuesday saw two players win their second titles of the series. “Team PokerBR” of Brazil won the $1K NLHE Freezeout (#80-H) for $29,596, having won a $2K Bounty Builder earlier this month. The other two-timer was Canada’s “PokinStaR”, who won the 151-entry $530 PLO8 (#83-H) for $15,303, beating Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi heads up. They’d already won a $2K PLO8 event.
TUESDAY 23/09
NEYMAR SO NEAR: Neymar Jr couldn’t have come closer to scoring his first WCOOP title on Monday, as the football legend finished runner-up in the $5K Titans (#73-H) for $99,075. It’s clear Neymar is in his poker prime right now, and the PokerStars Ambassador held a big chip lead when the 112-entry field (made up of the game’s very best players) was down to three. But Canada’s “Notmystyle” closed the gap by knocking out Nikita “Ebaaa11” Kuznetcov in third, then doubled up heads-up with top pair versus a flush draw to grab the lead, which they never relinquished. Notmystyle collected $129,044 and their maiden WCOOP—something Neymar Jr will keep battling for.
The WCOOP GOAT: Benny Glaser
RECORD-EXTENDING 16TH FOR GLASER: The most notable name in WCOOP has been missing from the winner’s list, but it was just a matter of time. Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser–who won a record seven titles in 2023–extended his lead as WCOOP’s all-time title winner on Monday, picking up his 16th trophy. And this wasn’t in a small field mixed-game event; Glaser’s latest victory saw him tear through 2,592 entries in the $55 6-Max Turbo PKO (#81-M), banking $14,516, including $6,480 in bounties. Glaser is now two ahead of his nearest rival Denis “aDrENalin710” Strebkov, who has already won two this year to take his tally up to 14.
GLASER’S 16 WCOOP TITLES:
2018 – 27-L: PLO [6-Max] – $18,058
2019 – $109 Razz – $10,924
2020 – 55-H: $2,100 HORSE – $43,055
2021 – 50-M: $55 NLO8 6-Max – $9,293
2022 – 09-H: $2,100 HORSE – $33,300
2022 – 18-H: $1,050 PLO – $39,638
2022 – 04-L: $11 NLO8 (6-max) – $2,334
2022 – 14-H: $1,050 HORSE – $19,107
2023 – 16-M: $109 FL Badugi – $3,550
2023 – 50-H: $1,050 NL 2-7 SD – $19,490
2023 – 53-H: $2,100 PLO8 – $44,201
2023 – 61-H: $1,050 NL 5-Card Draw – $14,207
2023 – 68-M: $320 NLHE Freezeout – $55,706
2023 – 94-H: $1,050 NLHE Turbo – $38,894
2023 – $1,050 World Championship of 2-7 Triple Draw – $22,651
2025 – 91-M: $55 6-Max Turbo PKO – $14,516
Renan Bruschi is having a sensational series
BRUSCHI’S CONSISTENCY CONTINUES: Yesterday, we reported the brilliance of Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi, as he won his eighth career title and ran very deep in just about every event he played. Nothing changed in Monday’s session. The Brazilian is now up to nine titles and two for the series after his victory in the $2K NLO8 (#74-H) for $42,259, including $25,312 in bounties. The event had 58 entries, and Bruschi denied “FAL1st” a hat trick in a heads-up match. It was Bruschi who was denied in the $215 Medium edition, though; he finished second in #74-M, won by “vratario”, and also finished fourth in the $320 NLHE 6-Max (#75-M) for $13,236 (Brazil’s “gusmaa” won it for $37,758).
FOUR MORE DOUBLE CHAMPS: Four more players became two-time champions in the series on Monday, including Andy “BowieEffect” Wilson. The Brit topped 294 entries in the $530 6-Max Turbo PKO (#81-H), banking $26,316 (including $12,214 in bounties) and his fourth WCOOP title overall.
Andy Wilson does the double
Hungary’s “kZhh” can now call themselves the World Champion of PKO NLHE, winning the 1,182-entry championship event for a massive $174,871. This follows their win in a $5K turbo last week and takes them up to six titles overall–all from $1K+ buy-in events.
The third player to do the double was Brazil’s “ramonkrop”, who won the $530 PKO (#71-H) for $25,744. This followed an almost identical result earlier in the series when they won the $530 NLHE (#53-H) for $24,581.
And the fourth double champ was Belarusian “Zanos_goda”. They added the $1K 5-Card PLO8 (#79-H) title for $20,718 to the $109 FLO8 (#33-M) they won earlier in the series, worth $4,405.
Juan Pardo lands title #6
SIX FOR PARDO: Juan “Malaka$tyle” Pardo captured his sixth career WCOOP title in the 155-entry $2K Sunday Warm-Up. The Spaniard, who played from Andorra, banked $65,070 and overcame a tough final that included Bruno “botteonpoker” Botteon, “FAL1st”, Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden, and Bruschi.
MIXA19977 WINS THE MILLY: Finally, the $530 Sunday Million was won by Ukraine’s “MIXA19977”, who battled through 2,135 entries to bank a whopping $159,272. Vladimir “SerVlaMin” Minko was also on the final table but will have to wait for his third of the year.
MONDAY 22/09
NEYMAR SECOND IN CHIPS IN $5K TITANS: Just 13 of the 112 entries remain in the $5,200 buy-in Titans event (#73-H), and PokerStars Ambassador Neymar Jr sits second in chips. The Brazilian superstar–no stranger to battling in high rollers–is on the hunt for his maiden WCOOP title and the $129,043 first-place prize. But it won’t be easy. “Ebaaa11” of Bosnia and Herzegovina has just a handful of chips more than Neymar, while Daniel “starwins :)” Petersen, Pascal “Pass_72” Lefrancois, and Adrian “Amadi_017” Mateos remain in contention.
The event plays down to a winner today – check out the tournament lobby here.
BRILLIANT BRUSCHI: Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi enjoyed a sensational weekend in WCOOP, taking down his eighth career title and running very deep in just about every event he played. The Brazilian’s victory came in a big one–the $2K Thursday Thrill (#62-H), where he topped a 163-entry field to bank $68,832, including $39,688 in bounties. Bruschi’s copatriot Bruno “botteonpoker” Botteon finished second, followed by Alex “Pwndidi” Theologis and Leon “RUMUKULUS” Sturm. Neymar Jr enjoyed another good run in this one, finishing 15th for a min-cash.
Bruschi is in fine form
All eight of Bruschi’s WCOOP victories have come since 2022, but it could have been more. He also finished second in the $530 PLO (#66-M) for $14,067, and third in both the $109 and $1K NL 5-Card Draw events, for $1,930 and $6,438, respectively.
Bruschi’s eight WCOOP titles:
2022: 62-H – $5,200 NLHE [Progressive KO, Titans] – $173,293
2023: 106-H – $530 Mixed NLHE/PLO [6-Max] – $17,194
2023: 71-M – $109 6+ Hold’em [6-Max] – $4,511
2023: $5,200 World Championship of Progressive KO NLHE $198,665
2024: 65-H – $1,050 NLHE [Deep Stack] – $40,859
2024: 66-M – $530 PLO [6-Max] – $23,324
2024: 88-H: $1,050 HORSE [6-Max] – $22,498
2025: 62-H: $2,100 Thursday Thrill PKO – $68,832
FAL1ST DOMINATES: This was a weekend for the mixed game masters. The mysterious ‘FAL1st’ always crushes throughout these series, but they hadn’t found their way to the winner’s circle until Saturday, winning not one but two. The Thailand-based Russian player first won the $1K 8 Game (#61-H) for $18,354, overcoming 68 entries.
A few hours later, they won the $1K NL 5-Card Draw for $16,714 and their tenth WCOOP title of their career. Another leader board crusher, “king153246”, finished runner-up, and the final table included Bruschi (3rd), the WCOOP’s all-time title leader, Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser (4th), and Patrick “pads161” Leonard.
Amazingly, FAL1st almost took down the $109 8 Game too, but was denied heads-up by Denmark’s Christian “Cmoosepower” Elgstrom, who banked $6,099 for his fourth WCOOP win.
FAL1st’s 10 WCOOP titles:
2021: 15-M – $109 NL 2-7 Single Draw – $6,300
2021: 98-M – $109 6+ Hold’em 6-Max – $8,039
2023: 30-H – $1,050 FLO8 [6-Max] – $20,522
2024: 33-H – $1,050 FLO8 [6-Max] – $17,365
2024: 55-H – $1,050 NL 2-7 Single Draw [7-Max] – $19,490
2024: 61-M – $1,050 8 Game [6-Max] – $22,061
2024: 74-H – $2,100 NLO8 [6-Max, Progressive KO] – $19,122
2024: 113-H – $530 NLHE [7-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Mystery Supersonic] – $21,212
2025: 61-H – $1,050 8 Game – $18,354
2025: 61-H – $1,050 NL 5-Card Draw – $16,714
STREBKOV CLOSES IN ON GLASER: The other prominent Thailand-based Russian all-rounder, Denis “aDrENalin710” Strebkov, also picked up another trophy on Saturday–his second of the series and 14th overall. Strebkov topped 169 entries in the $109 NL 5-Card Draw (#68-M) for $3,419 (Bruschi finished third in this one) and is now just one title behind all-time leader Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser.
Strebkov’s 14 WCOOP titles:
2014 – $530 FL Omaha H/L – $30,152
2015 – $215 NL Omaha Hi/Lo 6-Max – $28,681
2016 – $1,050 PLO8 Championship – $63,780
2016 – $320 HORSE – $17,849
2018 – 05-M: PLO 6-Max – $31,824
2018 – 11-H: Razz – $49,595
2018 – 20-L: NL 5-Card Draw – $3,234
2018 – 25-H: 8-Game – $70,720
2018 – 34-H: Stud Hi/Lo – $29,145
2023 – 13-L: $5.50 NLHE PKO – $4,283
2023 – $1,050 WC of HORSE – $23,699
2024 – $1,050 WC of 2-7 TD – $19,664
2025 – 10-H: $2,100 HORSE – $23,456
2025 – 68-M: $109 NL 5-Card Draw – $3,419
QUICKFIRE HEADLINES:
Belarusian crusher “|gammi|€120” completed a hat trick by denying Niklas “Lena900” Astedt in the $1K Deep Stack (#65-H). They won their third of the year (having won two in a day last week) and $33,668 for besting 167 of the game’s elite, including Astedt (2nd) and Juan “Malaka$tyle” Pardo (4th).
“Anonymstruts” from Sweden won their maiden WCOOP in the $5K PLO (#66-H), beating Ole “wizowizo” Schemion heads-up to top a 38-entry field and win $83,572. Just five players made the money, with Astedt sneaking in to finish fifth.
Both “roo_400” and “JustHoldPlz9” became double champs over the weekend. Canada’s roo_400 added a $1K 4-Max title (#69-H) to their CV, denying Blaz “Scarmak3r” Zerjav his fourth of the year to win $30,769 total. Meanwhile, Hungary’s JustHoldPlz9 grabbed their second in the $215 Turbo (#70-M) for $22,101.
FRIDAY 19/09
HAT TRICK FOR GRINDER1992: Blaz “Scarmak3r” Zerjav no longer sits alone atop the multiple champions list. Mexico-based Bulgarian player Aleks “grinder1992” Dimitrov got their hat trick on Thursday, tying Zerjav with victory in the 412-entry $530 Bounty Builder HR (#54-H) for $39,924, including $20,502 in bounties. Dimitrov’s previous titles both came in a $530 turbo PKOs.
WILSON WINS TITLE #3: The UK’s Andy “BowieEffect” Wilson is now a three-time WCOOP winner, taking down the $1K 6-Max PKO (#56-H) on Thursday for $39,872, including the $22,113 in bounties he collected over two days of play. The event had 151 entries, and the final table included Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson and Juan “Malaka$tyle” Pardo. Wilson’s prior WCOOP wins came in 2021 ($530 NLHE Freezeout) and 2024 ($1K NLHE).
Another good run for Neymar — no cash though
NEYMAR RUNS DEEP IN $5K TURBO: A $5K buy-in, done-and-dusted-in-one-night, 6-Max NLHE turbo will always attract those with big bankrolls and little time. All the big guns were out in #63-H, including PokerStars Ambassador Neymar Jr, who finished 11th out of 49 total entries. But it was Hungary’s “kZhh” who took it down for $99,088. Blaz “Scarmak3r” Zerjav made his bazillionth final table of series in this one, alongside Alex “I Attack95” Kulev and Jans “Graftekkel” Arends.
This is the fifth WCOOP title for “kZhh” (who also won the $10K SCOOP Main Event in 2021 for $878,781), and all of them have come in events with buy-ins of more than $1K. Here’s a look at their wins:
2021: 34-H – $25,000 NLHE 8-Max, Super High Roller – $657,557
2023: 09-H – $5,200 NLHE [Progressive KO High Roller] – $100,430
2024: 56-H – $1,050 NLHE [6-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO] – $49,795
2024: 86-M – $1,050 NLHE [Super Tuesday] – $86,673
2025: 63–H – $5,200 NLHE [6-Max, Turbo, High Roller] – $99,088
RAZZ WORLD CHAMP CROWNED: The $1K World Championship of Razz came to an end on Thursday, with Lithuania’s “Dainiux” topping the 64-entry field. The mixed-game maestro–who won three titles in 2022–defeated Denis “aDrENalin710” Strebkov heads-up to bank $20,522 and their fifth WCOOP title. It’s only right we show their wins too!
2022: 27-H – $1,050 8-Game – $18,458
2022: 81-M – $215 8-Game [8-Max] – $10,504
2022: 85-M – $109 Stud – $4,869
2023: 44-H – $1050 PLO [6-Max Progressive KO] – $51,294
2025: $1,050 World Championship of Razz – $20,522
THURSDAY 18/09
VOUSDEN VICTORIOUS: The 2024 $10K Main Event winner, Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden, is now on the winner’s sheet in 2025. The Fin—who banked just over a million bucks for the Main win—took down the $5K Super Tuesday (#51-H) on Wednesday for $101,216, besting a 75-entry field and clinching his sixth career WCOOP title. Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi finished heads-up, but the final table was unsurprisingly stacked, as you’ll see in the results below:
- 1. Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden – $101,216
- 2. Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi – $75,811
- 3. Vladimir “SerVlaMin” Minko – $56,782
- 4. Patrick “pads1161” Leonard – $42,530
- 5. Felipe “lipe piv” Boianovsky – $31,855
- 6. Leon “RUMUKULUS” Sturm – $23,859
- 7. Pedro “PaDiLhA SP” Padilha – $17,871
- 8. Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson – $11,691
QUICKFIRE HEADLINES: We had three players added to the multiple champions list on Wednesday.
Adam “ISmellToast” Crawford won his second title of the year (and fifth) overall, topping the $1K NL 2-7 Single Draw (#55-H) for $18,804. The Canadian’s earlier win came in a $11 Stud Hi/Lo (#44-L) for $1,635.
Bulgaria’s “zidix” is a double champ, too. Their first title was in the $22 Badugi (#16-L) for $1,956, and they’ve followed it up with a $109 PLO PKO (#48-M) win worth $10,098 total. Zidix also won two titles during SCOOP 2025–impressive stuff.
The third double champ is Mexico’s “waitforhiit”, who won the $530 Super Tuesday (#51-M) for $48,621, defeating Vladimir “SerVlaMin” Minko heads up to deny him a hat trick. Waitforhiit’s first of the year came in the $1K Sunday Kickoff (#36-H) for $40,592. They now have three titles overall.
Slovenia’s “ds10JQKA” won their maiden WCOOP for $32,165 in the $530 Deep Stack (#47-H), overcoming one of the toughest final tables you’ll see all series. Niklas “Lena900” Astedt finished runner-up and will have to wait for his 12th title, followed by Andras “probirs” Nemeth, Christian “WATnlos” Rudolph, Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi, Daniel “starwins :)” Petersen, and Andy “BowieEffect” Wilson.
WEDNESDAY 17/09
STAT TRACKER
- Tournaments completed: 147
- Total entries: 316,233
- Prize pools: $24,656,421
- First-place prizes: $4,109,070
- Biggest score: $216,666 (Leonard ‘Grozzorg’ Maue – $10K PKO #38-H)
TWO IN ONE DAY FOR “IGAMMI€120”: What a way to kick off your WCOOP title run. Belarusian grinder “IgammiI€120” won their first WCOOP trophy on Tuesday and immediately followed it up with a second, both in High buy-in 7-Max PKO events. Their first title came in the tough $2K 7-Max PKO Super High Roller (#43-H), a 150-entry event that they won for $54,500, including $26,727 in bounties. Around two hours later, they won the $1K 7-Max PKO (#45-H) for $41,653, with $24,617 coming from bounties.
SERIES SECOND FOR SWIFTIE: Mexico’s “Swiftie4Life” has followed up their 2-7 Championship win earlier in the series with another victory, this time in the $1K Limit Hold’em (#50-H). The event had 38 entries and a top prize of $15,366. Interestingly, “IgamiI€120” also finished third in this one–what a session.
ACTION IS THE JUICE: Five years after winning their first, Canada’s “Juicy_J_93” is now a two-time WCOOP champion. They took down the 165-entry $1K PLO8 Championship, defeating “FONBET_RULIT” heads-up and a final table that also included Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi and Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi to bank $33,376. Juicy’s first win came in 2020 in a $2K PLO event, won for $50,910.
Spraggy is back today with a top-10 stack in the Super Tuesday
SPRAGGY AND LEONARD SEEK SUPER TUESDAYS: Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg will return with a top 10 stack for Day 2 of the $55 Super Tuesday today (#51-L). Just 116 of 3,286 entries remain in contention for the $23,659 up top. Over in the $5K Super Tuesday High Roller (#51-H), it’s Patrick “pads1161” Leonard who leads the final nine with $101,216 up top, seeking his second win of the series. He’ll face a tough line-up including the player he often refers to as the GOAT, Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden, as well as Shakerchi, Vladimir “SerVlaMin” Minko, Leon “RUMUKULUS” Sturm, Pedro “PaDiLhA SP” Padilha, Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson, and Felipe “lipe piv” Boianovsky.
TUESDAY 16/09
LEONARD MAKES IT 12: It took eight days of deep runs, final tables, and three heads-up battles, but Patrick “pads1161” Leonard has done it. The Brit took down his 12th WCOOP title on Monday, and he did so in style, overcoming a 1,866-entry field in the $109 Sunday Kickoff (#36-M) to bank $28,023. On Instagram—where he shares daily WCOOP updates—Leonard revealed that his mother has been unwell and had told him another trophy to polish would lift her spirits. “Well, Mum,” he wrote, “get the duster out.”
Great series so far for Patrick Leonard
Here’s a look at all 12 of Leonard’s WCOOP titles:
2015 – $700 NLHE 6-Max – $108,416
2016 – $700 NLHE Ultra-Deep – $162,055
2021 – 08-H: $5,200 NLHE PKO HR – $121,328
2021 – 15-H: $1,050 NL 2-7 SD – $20,475
2022 – 67-H: $1,050 6+ Hold’em – $17,445
2023 – 105-H: $1,050 NLHE Super Tuesday – $54,506
2023 – 46-M: $109 FLHE 6-Max – $4,011
2023 – 93-M: $109 NLO8 – $7,449
2023 – $5,200 WC Heads-Up NLHE – $80,500
2024 – $1,050 WC of Razz – $19,414
2024 – 107-H: $2,100 NLHE Warm-Up – $103,349
2025 – 36-M: $109 Sunday Kickoff – $28,023
Leonard Maue has biggest winning session of the series
HUGE WINS FOR MAUE AND NITSCHE: Leonard “Grozzorg” Maue had a sensational Monday session. The German, who plays from Austria, won the $10K PKO High Roller (#38-H) for $212,666—the biggest prize of the series yet—including $125,312 in bounties. To get it done, he had to top a 59-entry field and a final table that included runner-up “efkinis24”, Niklas “Lena900” Astedt, and Vladimir “SerVlaMin” Minko.
Maue almost made it two in one night, too, because just five minutes after his $10K win, he was defeated heads-up by Dominik Nitsche in the $5K 6-Max World Championship event. The final three players made a deal, securing Nitsche $135,555, Maue $130,401, and third-place finisher “Jepser8” $106,423. The event had 157 total entries.
Nitsche is the champ of 6-Max
That means Maue banked at least $343,607 in one session, as well as winning his second WCOOP title. Nitsche, meanwhile, secured his maiden trophy.
CLOSE CALLS FOR TEAM PROS: Three PokerStars Ambassadors came close to glory yesterday. Marle “MarlzTV” Spragg finished seventh in the 809-entry $1K PKO Sunday High Roller (#38-M) for $18,488 (while nine months pregnant!); Alejandro “[Papo]AR” Lococo finished fourth in the 156-entry $1K 7-Max PKO (#40-H) for $10,079; and Sebastian “peace&loove” Huber finished third in the $22 5-Card PLO (#39-L) for $2,522.
OTHER NOTABLE RESULTS: The UK’s “MASTERALI 27” became Sunday Million champion, winning the WCOOP PKO edition (#38-L) for $UK wins Million for $87,803, including $29,601 in bounties. It was a tough final table with Christian “WATnlos” Rudolph finishing in fifth.
Over in the $530 Turbo PKO (#46-H), Leon “RUMUKULUS” Sturm was denied a hat-trick that would have seen him tie Blaz “Scarmak3r” Zerjav. Sturm finished runner-up for $16,903 in the 255-entry event, but “99dm84” from Bosnia and Herzegovina took it down for $25,653 and their second career title.
Three more players won career seconds on Monday. Mexico’s “waitforhitt” topped 208 entries in the $1K Sunday Kickoff (36-H) to win $40,592; Brazil’s “marceloaziz” won the $215 NLHE 7-Max Turbo (#40-M) for $31,463; and Austria-based Polish player Jakub “Olorionek” Michalak won the 809-entry $1K Sunday High Roller PKO (#38-M) for $104,033.
One player picked up the third WCOOP—”dantegoyaF” from Brazil. They won the $215 5-Card PLO for $15,541, adding to the $5K PLO High Roller and $55 NLHE PKO titles they won in 2020 for $168,608 and $80,550, respectively.
MONDAY 15/09
HAT TRICK FOR ZERJAV: Blaz “Scarmak3r” Zerjav was the first player of the series to win two events in one day. Now he’s become the first player of the series to win three titles. The Slovenian completed his hat trick on Sunday with victory in the $1K FLO8, besting a 55-entry field to win $17,365. It could have been four as Zerjav made it to heads-up of the $1K Thursday Thrill on Saturday, but was denied by “BC1989RF”. With so many great results, Zerjav now sits atop the Player of the Series overall leader board.
CHECK OUT THE FULL WCOOP 2025 LEADER BOARDS HERE
Blaz Zerjav is the current Player of the Series
TWO FOR STURM: Leon “RUMUKULUS” Sturm has joined the double champions list, finishing his Sunday session by winning the $5K Turbo for $64,180. The event had 35 entries and follows Sturm’s win in the $5K PKO Super High Roller (#09-H) for $109,822. The Austria-based German now has three WCOOPs for his career.
Two wins this year for Leon Sturm
PROUD MOMENT FOR PROUDFOOT: Jonathan “Proudflop” Proudfoot took down one of the biggest prizes yet on Saturday, overcoming an outstanding 72-entry field in the $5K Thursday Thrill High Roller for $120,603, including $78,125 in bounties. This is the second WCOOP title for the Brit (who plays from Ireland), his first coming back in 2021 when he won the $530 WCOOP Kickoff for $90,131.
Jonathan Proudfoot banks six figures
QUICK-FIRE HEADLINES:
Brazil’s “Mulatin18” won their third WCOOP title on Saturday, taking down the 3,219-entry $55 NLHE (#24-M) for $23,167. Their previous titles came in 2021 ($11 Stud) and 2022 ($109 HORSE).
Vlad “VladTheSlaye” Martynenko clinched his maiden WCOOP title in the $1K Mystery Bounty (#26-H), banking $68,911, including $46,250 in bounty prizes.
Mexico’s “Swiftie4Life” is the $1K FL 2-7 Triple Draw world champion, beating Joao “Naza114” Vieira heads-up to win $21,154. The event had 67 entries.
Slovakia’s “Samustti” won the $530 8-Game (#31-H) for $9,334, beating Dzmitry “Colisea” Urbanovich heads up, with Blaz “Scarmak3r” Zerjav finishing third. This is Samustti’s first title.
Patrick “pads1161” Leonard was again denied his first win of the year, falling second to “Shevliak” of Slovenia in the $2K NLHE (#34-H). This was an excellent final table that also included Joao “Naza114” Vieira, Daniel “starwins :)” Petersen, and Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden. Shevliak banked $42,646 for the win and their first WCOOP.
FRIDAY 12/09
CHAMPION CHALKIOTIS DENIES ZERJAV HAT TRICK: The first major Championship event of the series ran from Wednesday to Thursday, with 79 entries gunning for the $1K HORSE title. In the end, it was Manolis “hangoverdose” Chalkiotis from Greece who took it down, defeating Blaz “Scarmak3r” Zerjav heads up (and denying him the series hat trick) to bank $19,664. This is Chalkiotis’ third WCOOP title—he won a $320 HORSE in 2015 for $25,650, and an $11 5-card PLO last year for $2,586.
SIX FOR NEMETH AND ROO: Two players picked up their sixth career titles on Thursday. Hungary’s Andras “probirs” Nemeth clinched his victory in the $1K PLO (#21-H) for $28,547, topping a 136-entry field and a final table that included “Sintoras”. Four of Nemeth’s six titles have come in PLO variants.
Six WCOOPs for Andras Nemeth
Meanwhile, Canada’s “roo_400” also won number six, courtesy of some good fortune. Theirs came in the $530 Turbo PKO (#29-H) and earned them $21,870, including $13,035 in bounties. At one point, roo_400 was all-in with pocket tens and pocket aces, then flopped quads to surge up the chip counts. Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg also made the final table from the 201 entries, finishing eighth for $2,998 total. Three of Roo_400’s titles were won in 2022, including the $2K 8-game Championship.
DOUBLE FOR B00MSLANG: Germany’s “B00mslang” has become the fourth player to win two titles in 2025, and the second player (after Blaz “Scarmak3r” Zerjav) to win two in one night. “B00mslang” took down a $109 PLO (#21-M) for $10,649, then the $1K 6-Max for $31,485. These are their first WCOOP titles.
OTHER NOTABLES: The biggest prize of the night went to Brazil’s “Team PokerBR” for their victory in the $2K Bounty Builder (#20-H). After overcoming a final that included Pedro “PaDiLhA SP” Padilha (2nd) and Patrick “pads1161” Leonard (4th), “Team PokerBR” added $54,221 to their bankroll, including $33,031 in bounties.
Reigning EPT Prague champion Pedro “pm_marke” Marques won his first WCOOP on Thursday, besting 496 entries in the $320 6-Max (#28-M) to win $26,675.
Pedro Marques won EPT Prague 2024 for €963,000
THURSDAY 11/09
NOLET DENIES NEYMAR $10K TITLE: It would have been the story of the series: A footballing legend known for his love of poker rocks up, fires the $10K Super Tuesday (#17-H), and takes it down for his first WCOOP title. But Neymar Jr always had an enormous mountain to climb. He entered Day 2 in seventh place with seven remaining, and couldn’t ladder up, cashing for $26,111.
That left six wizards to battle it out. Ole “wizowizo” Schemion (6th), start-of-Day 2 chip leader Pedro “PaDiLhA SP” Padilha (5th), Linus “LLinusLLove” Loeliger (4th), and “Jepser8” (3rd) all fell, leaving Guillaume “Nolet20” Nolet heads-up against Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi.
Nolet takes it down
The Canadian got the best of the duel and won $186,434, the series’ biggest prize to date, plus his third career WCOOP. Shakerchi–once considered a strong player for a ‘businessman’, but now considered one of the toughest non-professionals out there–settled for $134,352. Nolet has now won a WCOOP in three consecutive years.
18 YEARS LATER, BUCHANAN STRIKES AGAIN: For years, Shawn ‘buck21’ Buchanan ranked among SCOOP’s elite, with six titles between 2012 and 2016 that placed him near the top of the all-time leaderboard. He only had one WCOOP title, though: a $530 PLO win way back in 2007 worth $97,263.
Well, it took 18 years, but Buchanan is back on the WCOOP winner’s sheet. He finished first in the $1K Super Tuesday (#17-M) over a 290-strong field, winning $55,354.
FOURTH TITLE FOR ROMANOVSKY: Over in the $109 Super Tuesday (#17-L), Ukrainian crusher Roman “RomeOpro” Romanovsky picked up the fourth WCOOP win of his career, besting a 2,444-entry field to bank $36,739.
Romanovsky’s first title came in 2023 with a bang: a $10K High Roller win for $203,121. He followed it up with a $2K PKO win that year worth $65,304, then took down a $5K PKO Thursday Thrill High Roller for $152,821 in 2024.
DOUBLE FOR DIMITROV: Aleks “grinder1992” Dimitrov became the third player of WCOOP 2025 to win two titles. His second came in the $530 6-Max Turbo PKO (#23-H) and banked him $20,992, including $11,281 in bounties. The Bulgarian won his first of the year the night before, taking down a $530 7-Max Turbo PKO for $22,617.
WEDNESDAY 10/09
Across our many years covering WCOOPs and SCOOPs for the PokerStars Blog, we’ve probably typed the sentence “It truly was a Super Tuesday…” around 100 times. And we’d hate to be repetitive and trite.
But this really was a Super Tuesday. Keep reading if you don’t believe us.
NEYMAR JR RETURNS FOR SUPER TUESDAY TODAY: Just seven players remain in the $10,300 Super Tuesday (#17-H) – the biggest buy-in event so far — and Neymar Jr is among them. The football superstar has the shortest stack, but it’s still good for 23 big blinds, so he’s got plenty of room to work.
Neymar Jr’s fellow Brazilian Pedro “PaDiLhA SP” Padilha leads the group, joined by Ole “wizowizo” Schemion, Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi, Guillaume “Nolet20” Nolet, “Jepser8”, Linus “LLinusLLove” Loeliger.
There’s $186,434 awaiting the winner, with all seven finalists guaranteed $26,111. Play resumes at 19:05 WET today – don’t miss it!
ZERJAV WINS TWO ON SAME NIGHT: It took only three days for us to find our first double champions of the series. Talented Slovenian Blaz “Scarmak3r” Zerjav has not only done the double (equalling his 2024 total), but he did so on the same evening.
Blaz Zerjav: Oh, what a night
Zerjav took down both the $215 HORSE [6-Max] (#10-M) and the $320 NLHE (#13-H) on Tuesday, banking $8,477 and $22,018, respectively. He now has five WCOOP wins for his career, his first title coming in 2021.
ANOTHER WIN FOR MINKO: Vladimir “SerVlaMin” Minko also became a double champion on Tuesday after his victory in the $1K NLHE PKO (#11-H) for $42,296, including $27,844 in bounties.
Minko took down the $530 7-Max Turbo (#12-H) for $24,095 on Monday, and like Zerjav, he also now has five career titles.
STURM WINS BIGGEST PRIZE YET: Fresh off his €1.45 million Super High Roller win at EPT Barcelona, Leon “RUMUKULUS” Sturm has now taken down the biggest prize of WCOOP 2025 so far (at least until the Super Tuesday finishes). His victory in the $5K PKO Super High Roller (#09-H) was worth $109,822, including $67,344 in bounties, besting a 72-entry field made up of the game’s elite. This is the Vienna-based German’s second career title.
Sturm recently took down the SHR at EPT Barcelona
13 FOR STREBKOV: Denis “aDrENalin710” Strebkov was the king of WCOOP for years, but recently he’s dropped down the all-time list a few places, entering this series with 12 titles. The Russian, who plays from Thailand, has got his 2025 campaign off to a great start, winning his 13th in the $2K HORSE (#10-H) for $23,456, after defeating Patrick “pads1161” Leonard heads-up.
Denis “aDrENalin710” Strebkov’s 13 titles:
2014 – $530 FL Omaha H/L – $30,152
2015 – $215 NL Omaha Hi/Lo 6-Max – $28,681
2016 – $1,050 PLO8 Championship – $63,780
2016 – $320 HORSE – $17,849
2018 – 05-M: PLO 6-Max – $31,824
2018 – 11-H: Razz – $49,595
2018 – 20-L: NL 5-Card Draw – $3,234
2018 – 25-H: 8-Game – $70,720
2018 – 34-H: Stud Hi/Lo – $29,145
2023 – 13-L: $5.50 NLHE PKO – $4,283
2023 – $1,050 WC of HORSE – $23,699
2024 – $1,050 WC of 2-7 TD – $19,664
2025 – 10-H: $2,100 HORSE – $23,456
TEAM PRO DAY 2S:
WCOOP 15-L $33 – Marle “MarlzTV” Spragg
WCOOP 17-L $109 – Sebastian “peace&loove” Huber
WCOOP 15-M $215 – Lali “LaliTournier” Tournier
WCOOP 15-H $1,050 – Sebastian “peace&loove” Huber
WCOOP 17-H $10,300 – Neymar Jr
TUESDAY 09/09
BIGGEST PRIZES SO FAR: After a short summer hiatus, the Sunday Million is back for WCOOP and awarded the biggest prize from the series’ opening days. Bulgaria’s “K0VAK” topped the 5,095-entry field in the $215 PKO Milly (#04-M) to bank $62,097 plus $37,239 in bounties, adding up to an almost $100K score.
Over in the $1K PKO Sunday High Roller, Ireland’s “conoror96” bested 516 entries to win $93,106 (including $53,223 in bounties) and their first WCOOP title.
LIVE LIKE A KING: In recent years, no player has cemented themselves as a COOP force more than the elusive “king153246”. The Albanian crusher is a perennial leader board competitor and got their 2025 WCOOP campaign off to a fantastic start, winning the $530 NLO8 (#08-H) for $13,809 and their third career title. This was no small feat when you consider their final two opponents were both beasts from Bosnia and Herzegovina: FONBET_RULIT (2nd) and Andre “Premove” Skvortsov (3rd).
Both of King153246’s two previous titles came in 2024, where they won stud and NLO8 events.
4TH WIN FOR SERVLAMIN: Vladimir “SerVlaMin” Minko picked up the fourth WCOOP title of his career on Monday, winning the $530 7-Max Turbo (#12-H) for $24,095. The event had 240 total entries and to get the job done, Minko—who’s based in Mexico—had to defeat the likes of Pavel “silentm0de” Plesuv (3rd) and Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi (4th) on the final table.
Two of Minko’s previous titles were in 2022, and he won his third in 2023.
Spraggy starting strong
SOLID START FOR SPRAGGY: Coming back for two Day 2s after the opening day of a series is a great place to be, and that’s where Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg found himself heading into Monday’s session. Unfortunately for Spraggy, he bowed out in seventh in the $1K Mystery Bounty (#03-H) for $3,969 (the title and $39,595 went to the UK’s “BenMiller500”) and 14th in the $1K 6-Max Turbo (#06-H). Austria’s “DontMesswithM11” took that one down for $16,807 plus $21906 in bounties, winning their second WCOOP title.
This was BenMiller500’s first WCOOP win, following their first SCOOP win earlier this year. What makes the ~$40K score more impressive is that BenMiller500 qualified for the event from a $55 satellite–that’s an ROI of 719%!
MONDAY 08/09
UK KICKS THINGS OFF: Brazil always dominates these series, but it was the United Kingdom who came out flying in the $530 WCOOP Kickoff (#02-H) on Sunday, boasting all three podium finishers. “elKKKitow” was crowned champion of the 398 entrants, winning $36,210 and their first WCOOP title. Andy “BowieEffect” Wilson had to settle for second and $26,790, while Patrick “pads1161” Leonard placed third for $19,820.
Close call for Andy “BowieEffect” Wilson
Meanwhile, in the $55 Medium edition, America’s Kurt “kurt23x” Fitzgerald (who plays from Costa Rica) clinched his maiden WCOOP title, topping a 3,593-entry field to win $22,510.
COMPLETE RESULTS
MULTIPLE CHAMPIONS
THREE TITLES
Blaz “Scarmak3r” Zerjav
Aleks “grinder1992” Dimitrov
“|gammi|€120”
Andy “BowieEffect” Wilson
“FAL1st”
Christian “CMoosepower” Elgstrom
TWO TITLES
Vladimir “SerVlaMin” Minko
“B00mslang”
Leon “RUMUKULUS” Sturm
“Swiftie4Life”
Adam “ISmellToast” Crawford
“zidix”
“waitforhiit”
Denis “aDrENalin710” Strebkov
“roo_400”
“JustHoldPlz9”
Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi
“kZhh”
“ramonkrop”
“Zanos_goda”
“Team PokerBR”
“PokinStaR”
Andras “probirs” Nemeth
Ilija “isavevski” Savevski
Viktor “papan9_p$” Ustimov
Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi
“BadBeatLust”
“zilbeee”
“Juicy_J_93”
Marcelo “marceloaziz” Aziz
Patrick “pads1161” Leonard
Mario “t4t0PAGAU” Navarro
Juan “Malaka$tyle” Pardo
“0ULIP0”
“king153246”
Gleb “Ti0373” Tremzin
“pycadasgalax”
Rayan “Beriuzy” Chamas
COUNTRIES LEADER BOARD
Brazil stormed it once again, ending the series with 81, just one title behind its 2024 tally. The UK matched its 2024 total with 33, while Canada knocked Austria off a podium finish.
81 titles – Brazil
33 – United Kingdom
31 – Canada
25 – Austria
21 – Belarus
15 – Finland, Ukraine
14 – Mexico
12 – Bulgaria
11 – Sweden
10 – Thailand
9 – Malta
8 – Argentina, Slovenia, Romania
6 – Germany, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Switzerland
5 – Belgium, Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia
4 – Andorra, Ireland
3 – Greece, Latvia
2 – Albania, Denmark, Iceland, New Zealand, Japan
1 – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Costa Rica, Guernsey, Indonesia, Moldova, Philippines, Uruguay, Vietnam
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO WCOOP 2025
All it takes is one life-changing run.
That’s the magic of the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP). It’s online poker’s most prestigious series and its ultimate proving ground, yet it’s also where dreamers can become champions.
WCOOP 2025 is set to be one of the biggest yet, with more than $65 million guaranteed in prizes. Running from September 7 to October 1, the series spans 123 events and 378 tournaments across almost every imaginable format, with buy-ins ranging from as little as $5.50 all the way up to the nosebleeds: $25,000.
There are leader board races, trophies, and the WCOOP 2025 Main Events, where you could etch your name into poker’s history books.
Here, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about WCOOP 2025: The events you can’t miss, how you can qualify, and the stories waiting to be written.
WCOOP 2025 KEY EVENTS
Dates: September 7 to October 1
Guarantees: $65M+
MAIN EVENT SUNDAY
Sunday, 28 September
108-L: NLHE Main Event, $109 – $2M Gtd
108-M: NLHE Main Event, $1,050 – $3M Gtd
108-H: NLHE Main Event, $10,300 – $4M Gtd
111-L: PLO Main Event, $109 – $150K Gtd
111-M: PLO Main Event, $1,050 – $400K Gtd
111-H: PLO Main Event, $10,300 – $500K Gtd
11 Championship events (HORSE, FL 2-7 Triple Draw, NLHE 6-Max, PLO8, Razz, NLHE PKO, 8-Game, Badugi, Women’s NLHE, NLHE Main, PLO Main)
FULL SCHEDULE
WHAT YOU CAN WIN
WCOOP titles carry massive bragging rights, but it’s not just the huge cash prizes and trophies in WCOOP tournaments that you can win this series.
For the dreamers, every time you play a tournament, you’re in with a shot of winning via the Lucky Dip.
And for the elite grinders, you could earn your place in the online poker hall of fame, joining the legends of past WCOOPs.
WCOOP 2025 LEADER BOARDS
There are four WCOOP 2025 leader boards (low, medium, high, and overall), giving everyone from low-stakes grinders to high rollers a fair shot at recognition.
If you’re planning to pick out a handful of the best tournaments–the ones that most suit your skills and bankroll–then you needn’t worry about the boards. Just have fun out there.
But if you’re planning to put in a big grind and fancy testing yourself against the best in the biz, you’ll want to check the leader boards regularly.
There’s $100K in cash prizes up for grabs across all leader boards, plus a coveted trophy and eternal bragging rights for the winners of each, including the overall Player of the Series.
WCOOP LUCKY DIP
Every WCOOP player has a chance of winning with WCOOP Lucky Dip
This year, we’ve also got the WCOOP Lucky Dip, where players can score a share of $500K in WCOOP tickets just by playing events.
Every player who plays a WCOOP event will be awarded a randomly generated number of points per tournament (between 1 and 1M). These will then be tallied up on Lucky Dip leader boards.
Players can play an unlimited number of WCOOP tournaments per day, and each event will be included towards the boards.
The top players at the end of each day will earn themselves a share of the $500K in prizes.
Available for the following licenses only: .BG, .CH, .COM, .EE, .EU, .RO, .UK
HOW YOU CAN QUALIFY
WCOOP is for everyone, and that includes players with limited bankrolls.
There are many ways you can win your way into WCOOP 2025 events for a fraction of the buy-in (or in some cases, without it costing you a penny).
Special Spin & Go qualifiers start from just $0.50 and offer WCOOP tickets as prizes. Plus, countless traditional satellites will be running daily with a wide range of buy-ins.
You’ll also be in with a shot of winning tickets via the WCOOP Lucky Dip (see above), and you should keep an eye out for special deposit offers awarding free tickets into qualifiers.
ARE YOU A GRINDER? A DREAMER? OR A FIRST-TIMER?
WCOOP has a path for you.
THE GRINDER
If you thrive on volume and leader boards, then WCOOP is your arena. It’s time to reward your consistency and stamina.
THE DREAMER
For the dreamers, the road could begin with a $0.50 Spin & Go. Every year, we see players qualify for pocket change and walk away with life-changing sums. Buy-ins start low, but the potential is massive.
THE FIRST-TIMER
New to WCOOP? Don’t worry, you belong here, too. Try freerolls or micro-stakes qualifiers to dip your toes in. Check out beginner-friendly events with great structures—there are plenty on offer this year. We say start small and experience the thrill of competing on online poker’s biggest stage.
POWER PATH EXPRESS – WCOOP 2025 EDITION
Not only does this epic series begin on Sunday, but you also have the chance to fast-track your way to a WCOOP ticket worth up to $10,300, or a Power Pass worth up to $2,500 (Silver Pass).
Even if you don’t manage to go all the way, there are 34 x $1,050 WCOOP Main Event tickets to be won if you make it into the top 50.
Don’t miss the Power Path Express WCOOP 2025 Edition this Sunday!
Date: Sunday, 7 Sep
Buy-in: $55
Time: 1:10 pm ET > earlier than usual!
Guarantee: Over $200K guaranteed in WCOOP tickets and Power Passes
• 1st – 3rd: $10,300 WCOOP Main Event High Ticket
• 4th – 16th: $2,500 Silver Pass
• 17th – 50th: $1,050 WCOOP Main Event Medium Ticket
• 51st – 100th: $109 Bronze Pass
WCOOP 2025 FAQ
What’s the WCOOP Main Event prize pool this year?
There are three NLHE Main Events:
- 108-L: NLHE Main Event, $109 – $2M Gtd
- 108-M: NLHE Main Event, $1,050 – $3M Gtd
- 108-H: NLHE Main Event, $10,300 – $4M Gtd
Can I qualify for just $0.50?
Yes—Spin & Go qualifiers start at $0.50 and satellites run constantly.
How do WCOOP leader boards work?
Points are awarded based on event performance, with separate leaderboards for each buy-in level.
Can I play WCOOP on mobile?
Absolutely—the full schedule is available on desktop and mobile apps.
Are there trophies for winners?
Yes, winners of flagship events receive exclusive WCOOP trophies in addition to prize money.
What’s the cheapest way to play WCOOP?
Freerolls and deposit promotions give players free entry paths.
Can I multi-table during WCOOP?
Yes—the more experienced players grind multiple events at once. That’s how they crush the leader boards.
Where can I follow WCOOP coverage?
Results and stories will be on the PokerStars Blog throughout the series.
GET INSPIRED
WCOOP 2025 isn’t just another tournament series—it’s the pinnacle of online poker.
Just take a look at what happened last year. More than $95 million was awarded in prize money. More than $15 million went to the winners.
Ukraine’s “777ANTONY777” outlasted a 25,075-entry field in the $109 NLHE Main Event and won $209,747. Brazil’s Iago “stek94” Botelho took down the $1,050 Medium for $441,809, while Finnish crusher Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden was victorious in the big one for $1 million.
Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden won the biggest prize of WCOOP last year
“FAL1st” was crowned Player of the Series after winning five titles in 2024. PokerStars Ambassador Parker “Tonkaaaa” Talbot also picked up a sensational five wins in the series.
Whether you’re a grinder chasing glory, a dreamer looking for that one shot, or a first-timer stepping into the arena, your path to poker greatness starts here.
All it takes is one life-changing run. Are you up for it?
MORE FROM WCOOP
WCOOP Boot Camp 2025: Hand and Tavares steal headlines
WCOOP 2024: Samuel ‘€urop€an’ Vousden wins Main Event for $1M