Stories

Frederic Normand Leads the Pack on Day 1D of the Super Main Event.
_

The march toward the largest guaranteed prize pool in poker history continued at the 2025 World Series of Poker Paradise, as another group of players took their shot in Event #11, the $25,000 Super Main Event.

Flight 4 generated a total of 508 entries and advanced a solid group of 178 survivors to the next stage, bringing the total field to 2,574 players. Late registration remains open until the end of Level 13 on Day 2B, so those numbers are likely to grow. Play will resume tomorrow with the Day 2B flight, and all remaining players will then combine for Day 3 on Tuesday.

Leading the way from Flight 4 is Frederic Normand, who bagged 5,795,000 chips. Alberto Speranzoni sits just behind with the second-largest stack of 5,500,055, while Aaron Mermelstein rounds out the top three chip counts with 5,400,000.

With star power throughout the field and history within reach, the Super Main Event continues to deliver must-watch action in Paradise.

Day 2B will proceed on the same schedule as Day 2A, starting at 12:00 p.m. local time. Survivors from the previous two flights will merge into a single field, with play resuming at Level 11. The blinds will be 15,000/30,000, accompanied by a 30,000 big blind ante.

The schedule features breaks after every two 60-minute levels, as players fight to crack the top 7% of the field and secure their spot in Day 3. Follow all the action live on the WSOP+ app and the World Series of Poker YouTube channel!

Two More Hands Before Bagging Up For the Night.

Chalie Hook Wins Event #13: $50,000 PLO High Roller for $1,456,000 and Inaugural Bracelet
—

WSOP Paradise continued today with the conclusion of Event #13: $50,000 PLO High Roller, and when the dust settled after nearly ten hours of play, it was high-stakes cash mainstay

who hoisted the bracelet and captured the more than $1.4m first-place prize. Hook defeated fan favorite

heads-up in an epic battle that saw the two exchange chip stacks multiple times.

The star-studded field of 113 entrants was whittled down just 25 at the start of Day 2, with the final 17 players earning a piece of the $5,650,000 prize pool.

Notable players who found a cash include

(16th),

(15th),

(11th), and

(10th), who was eliminated on the final table bubble after Hook made the better of two flushes.

The final nine players converged to a single table and a flurry of bust outs would begin almost immediately. A who’s who of names fell one after the other, including

(8th),

(7th),

(5th), and

(4th).

Three handed play between

, Hook, and Moncek would last almost two-hours before Nemeth bowed out in third, setting up a heads-up match between Hook and Moncek that started with the two almost even in chips.

After exchanging double-ups for some time, Hook left Moncek with a little over two big blinds in a hand where the two got all the chips in on a

flop. Hook had aces, and Moncek bottom pair with backdoor draws. The board bricked out and after a double up the next hand, the tournament ended a hand later when Moncek’s top pair of kings went up in flames to the turned aces and jacks of Hook. Moncek wouldn’t catch up, and Hook was crowned champion.

Final Table Results:

1st: Chalie Hook - $1,456,000
2nd: Michael Moncek - $966,000
3rd: Andras Nemeth - $673,000
4th: Stephen Chidwick - $481,000
5th: Josh Arieh - $352,000
6th:

- $264,000
7th: Jason Koon - $203,000
8th: Lautaro Guerra - $161,000
9th:

- $131,000

2023 GG Millions High Roller Champion

Hoping Lighting Strikes Twice.

Michael Moncek Eliminated in 2nd Place ($966,000)
—

After doubling his short stack the previous hand,

was all in from the button for 1,325,000 against

in the big blind.

Moncek:

Hook:

Moncek found a king on the

flop, but Hook was able to make two pair on the

turn. The river was the blank

, and Hook secured the bracelet.

Cash Game Legend

Has His Game Face on.

Chalie Hook Leaves Michael Moncek with 2 Big Blinds
—

raised the button to 900,000, and

three-bet the pot to 2,700,000 in the big blind, with Moncek making the call.

The flop came

, and the two players ended up all in with Hook the effective stack for 5,175,000.

Hook:

Moncek:

The

landed on the turn to give Moncek an open-ended straight draw to go with his pair, but the river bricked on the

and Hook became the overwhelming chip leader.

Michael Moncek Takes Back Chip Lead
—

raised the pot to 1,050,000 from the button, and

three-bet the pot in the big blind. Hook moved all in and Moncek called for 4,475,000 effective.

Moncek:

Hook:

Moncek found a monster flop on

and would hold through the

and

runout to make two pair and take back the chip lead.

in the Mix and Ready to Run Deep in the Super Main Event.

Chalie Hook Evens the Match
—

raised the pot from the button,

three-bet the pot in the big blind, Moncek shoved and Hook called for 4,725,000 effective.

Hook:

Moncek:

The

flop didn’t change much, but Moncek picked up some life on the

turn. However, the

completed the board and Hook finished with trip jacks to even things back up.

Puts

Into the Blender With All In River Bet.

Big Double for Michael Moncek
—

raised the pot to 750,000 from the button, and

called in the big blind.

The two players checked through a

turn board, and Hook bet 1,500,000 on the

river. Moncek raised all in for 5,725,000, and after giving it some thought, Hook made the call.

Moncek tabled

for nines full of sixes, and Hook mucked

.

Looking to add Another Bracelet to His Collection.

Michael Moncek Draws Early Blood
—

raised to 600,000 from the button, and

three-bet the pot to 1,800,000 in the big blind, with Hook making the call.

The flop landed

, Moncek bet the pot, and Hook qyuickly folded.

Break Time for the 248 Players Remaining in Flight 1D of the Super Main Event.