Vamos Mexico! Jose Gomez Casillas Takes €550 Colossus Bracelet Back Home

Copy link Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Sep 30, 2025 6 min read

Nearly 10,000 kilometers separate Mexico from King’s Resort in Rozvadov, but Jose Gomez Casillas found himself right at home today at the final table of Event #7: €550 No-Limit Hold’em Colossus.

Gomez Casillas, backed by a boisterous rail of his countrymen sporting a large Mexican flag, employed a very aggressive style on his way to defeating Claudio Daffina heads-up and standing atop the massive 2,765-entry field to win his first World Series of Poker Europe gold bracelet and the €158,350* top prize out of the €1,292,637 total prize pool.

#7: €550 No-Limit Hold’em Colossus Final Table Results

*Top 12 players won a €10,350 ticket into the Main Event

“It feels really good. I’m glad I could do it. I was feeling a little bit sick since yesterday, but I had eight, nine hours of sleep, and then I was feeling fine. I guess now I have to go to the Tournament of Champions in LA, next year,” Gomez Casillas said after securing the victory.

Gomez Casillas’ strategy on Day 3 was simple: exploit the pressures of pay jumps and the Main Event ticket and put his opponents to the test time after time. He did it with sometimes outlandish raises with nominal holdings. Most of the time, he took down pot after pot uncontested. When he was finally caught a few times, he often found the cards he needed. And he had a lot of fun doing it, joking each time that he was playing a “big flip.”

“I always have fun, and here at King’s, I’ve always had lots of fun. I know many players, and we are always laughing at the table. It’s the one thing I actually enjoy, having fun at the table. If someone tilts, or if I tilt, it’s okay, but after two hands, I forget about it. I just try to enjoy myself while playing,” he said.

“When I have a big stack and there’s some ICM pressure, or there’s a bubble, I always manage to build a very big stack. That’s basically my approach. When you have those moments, like the Main Event ticket bubble, or the final table bubble, or even the bubble on Day 1. I got down to 60K, but then I made it to half a million because nobody was calling. They all wanted to cash out €1,000.”

Gomez Casillas almost didn’t make it to this event. He was in Malta playing another series just a few days ago when he was offered a ticket. “One guy in Malta sold me his ticket. He gave me a good discount. So I was like, I really have to go. I can’t lose this ticket,” he said.

Gomez Casillas became the fourth Mexican national to win a WSOP bracelet, and first since 2010. His earnings today far eclipsed his previous career total of $65,000, according to The Hendon Mob, with his largest career cash coming here in Rozvadov in July for €13,765.

Day 3 Action

Just 23 players out of 2,765 entries returned to King’s Resort today at 1 p.m. to determine a champion. Felix Kretschmann began as chip leader with 10,250,000, nearly 4,000,000 ahead of his closest challenger, and started the day with a bang.

On the first hand, Kretschmann flopped top set to take out David Nemes and Tomas Chrobak in one blow. He then took all but 50,000 of Marius Gicovanu’s stack when he mistakenly thought Gicovanu was all in on the turn, showing two eights. Gicovanu couldn’t beat it and mucked on the river without waiting for Kretschmann to bet. The Romanian was eliminated on the next hand in 18th place.

It was when the field condensed to the final two tables, with only 12 players earning the Main Event ticket, that Gomez Casillas began to put his strategy to work. He first shoved from the small blind with eight-four against Gabriel Rymar, who called with queen-ten. Gomez Casillas made two pair to win the pot, and Rymar was eliminated in 16th place. With the blinds at 100,000/200,000, Gomez Casillas opened to 2,800,000 under the gun and forced out the rest of the table. He then reduced his raise size to 1,065,000 and again got no action.

Daffina was all in for 2,795,000 with two queens and involved in a classic flip against Manig Loeser’s ace-king. Daffina held on to double up, while the two-time bracelet winner Loeser fell to a short stack. Loeser doubled up soon after, then eliminated David Hu in 13th when his pocket eights made a straight against Hu’s ace-nine.

Gomez Casillas again made a big raise to 1,100,000 and called with king-seven after Josef Obermeier shoved for 1,500,000. Gomez Casillas hit a straight on the turn, and Obermeier busted in 12th. Gomez Casillas also eliminated Miroslav Matula in 11th as he climbed up to 12,000,000, firmly in second on the leaderboard, but still well behind Kretschmann as the field reached the final table bubble.

Gomez Casillas was finally caught by Marcin Kacprzak, who shoved for 3,900,000 after Gomez Casillas raised to 3,600,000 on the button. Gomez Casillas called with queen-nine but couldn’t improve against Kacprzak’s ace-jack. Villiel Kordonskiy eventually fell in 10th, losing a flip with ace-queen to Lulei Hu’s pocket nines, and the nine-handed final table was set.

Kretschmann had a massive lead with 26,225,000, far ahead of Gomez Casillas’ 8,150,000. Gomez Casillas scored the first knockout, picking up tens against Loeser’s deuces to bust Loeser in ninth. Ivan Fedor then moved all in for 2,700,000, Gomez Casillas shoved in the small blind, and Kacprzak came along for 6,650,000. Gomez Casillas showed ace-king and was in a massive flip against Kacprzak’s jacks, but he caught a king on the flop to take the lead and send both opponents to the rail.

Kretschmann took his first significant blow of the day when his ace-king was outflopped by Daffina’s ace-six as Daffina doubled up for 5,850,000. Gomez Casillas then raised to 5,700,000 (more than 11 times the big blind), Juan Velasco shoved for 7,750,000, and Gomez Casillas called. Velasco was ahead with ace-queen against Gomez Casillas’ eight-seven, but Gomez Casillas spiked a seven on the river to win the pot and bust Velasco in sixth place as he took the chip lead.

It didn’t last for long, as Daffina was all in for 12,200,000 with ace-king and racing against Gomez Casillas’ pocket fours. Daffina found an ace on the flop to win the pot and take his turn atop the leaderboard.

Gomez Casillas also doubled up Rifat Palevic when he was caught with jack-deuce and Palevic’s ace-three held on. Palevic was all in again soon after against Hu, his ace-five dominated by Hu’s ace-king. He flopped a straight draw but improved no further and the WSOP bracelet winner had to settle for fifth place.

Kretschmann had dropped below 10,000,000 when he shoved for 8,200,000 with pocket tens, but Gomez Casillas had a big hand this time, two kings, and flopped top set to end Kretschmann’s seemingly-unstoppable march to the bracelet in fourth place.

Daffina held the lead with 28,350,000 as the remaining three players agreed to take a 20-minute break. Soon after returning, Hu shoved for 16,000,000 with ace-six and Gomez Casillas called with two deuces. Hu picked up more outs to counterfeit Gomez Casillas’ pair as the board paired on the turn, but Gomez Casillas improved to a full house on the river to win the pot and bust Hu in third place.

Gomez Casillas led 36,200,000 to 32,900,000 at the start of heads-up play and took nearly every pot with his trademark style of aggressive raises. He finally shoved from the button and Daffina woke up with ace-king and called for 15,700,000. Gomez Casillas showed queen-five and flopped two pair to send the Mexican rail into a raucuous celebration. They came close a few days ago when Jose Gaona made a deep run in the Monsterstack; this time, the bracelet was going back home to Mexico.

“I’m very proud they are here with me. My friend got fifth place in the Monsterstack, so we were here supporting him. Now they are on the rail all the time. Now we have to review the hands, see the actual stream, because I’ve seen nothing,” Gomez Casillas said.

Gomez Casillas plans to stick around to play the Main Event in a few days. His next goal: the Super Main Event at WSOP Paradise in The Bahamas in December.

It was a long way from home for Gomez Casillas and his supporters, but the Mexican flag was still hoisted high in Rozvadov today.

• Tags Jose Gomez Casillas WSOPE World Series of Poker
• Related Tournaments World Series of PokerWorld Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE)
• Related Players Jose Gomez Casillas