The Austrian player survived a massive field to take the top prize
Bernhard Binder delivered a breakthrough performance at the 2025 WSOP Paradise Main Event, capturing the title and a $10 million top prize in the Bahamas. The Austrian outlasted a massive field that pushed past the $60 million guarantee, making the event one of the richest tournaments ever held outside Las Vegas.
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
Every finalist locked up at least seven figures, but the spotlight stayed on Binder as he reached heads-up play against Jean-Noel Thorel. Thorel is widely respected as a fearless amateur who regularly takes on elite professionals in high-roller events, adding extra intrigue to the final duel.
Binder entered the final table as a relative unknown, with just over $300,000 in live earnings before this win. That changed quickly as he stayed composed under pressure and gradually wore down his opponent. He later admitted the moment felt intense, especially playing heads-up with so much on the line.
The Austrian acknowledged that heads-up poker is not his strongest format, noting how different it feels late in a tournament with big blind antes in play. Even so, he avoided major mistakes and stayed focused until the final hand sealed a life-changing victory.
Binder’s rise has drawn praise from fellow players, including Austria’s Mario Mosböck, who described him as one of the game’s elite tournament talents despite only starting to play a few years ago. The win instantly places Binder among poker’s biggest names.
With the 2025 season winding down, attention will soon shift to the next WSOP cycle. WSOP Europe is set to begin in April, marking the start of another Player of the Year race, and Binder will now be one of the players everyone is watching.
