Johan Guilbert Ends Heads-Up Curse to Win First WSOP Bracelet in Paradise
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Johan Guilbert arrived for the finale of the $25,000 GGMillion$ Single Day Turbo at WSOP Paradise already wearing gold. Bracelets wrapped his wrist. A gold watch gleamed on the other arm. But the one piece of jewelry that had defined his poker ambitions for more than a decade — a World Series of Poker bracelet — was still missing.
That changed by the end of an unscheduled Day 2 inside Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas.
Guilbert powered through the final table, defeating a 287-entry field to capture his first WSOP bracelet and a career-best $1,534,645 payday. The event smashed its $5 million guarantee, generating a $7,318,500 prize pool.
For Guilbert, the timing could not have been more ironic.
“When I was trying so hard back in the days, I would never get it,” Guilbert said. “And now that I don’t try — I play like ten tournaments a year — this happens. It’s absurd.”
GGMillion$ Single Day Turbo Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johan Guilbert | France | $1,534,645 |
| 2 | Eelis Parssinen | Finland | $1,043,400 |
| 3 | Ramiro Petrone | Argentina | $724,500 |
| 4 | Iago Sturzeneker | Brazil | $512,800 |
| 5 | Michael Moncek | United States | $370,200 |
| 6 | Andrija Robovic | Serbia | $272,600 |
| 7 | David Chen | United States | $205,000 |
| 8 | Eric Yanovsky | United States | $157,300 |
| 9 | Denys Chufarin | Ukraine | $123,400 |
Six Returned, One Took Control
Six players returned for the restart, with Guilbert sitting in the middle of the pack. It took just minutes for him to seize command.
He eliminated Andrija Robovic in the opening three minutes, immediately shifting the balance of power. Guilbert caught a crucial three-outer against Michael Moncek to leave the American short before striking again moments later.
Holding pocket aces in a three-way all-in, Guilbert doubled through start-of-day chip leader Iago Sturzeneker while also eliminating Moncek. His momentum continued when Sturzeneker exited in fourth place, Guilbert’s pocket nines holding in a preflop race against jack-ten.
By the time he rivered a pair to knock out Ramiro Petrone in third place, Guilbert had built a commanding near 5:1 chip lead heading into heads-up play.
Yet despite the overwhelming advantage, Guilbert’s thoughts drifted to the past.
“I Was Expecting to Finish Second Again”
This was not unfamiliar territory. Guilbert had reached heads-up in WSOP events three times before, and lost every time.
David Lambard beat him in the 2019 WSOP $3,000 Shootout. Two years later, Josef Gulas Jr. denied him in the WSOP Europe Main Event. Most recently, Antonio Galiana edged him out in the 2024 WSOP $2,500 Freezeout in Las Vegas.
“When I got heads-up, I had five times the stack,” Guilbert admitted. “But I still didn’t think I would win the bracelet.”
“I wasn’t expecting anything,” he continued. “I was just expecting to finish second, like I always did in those. So I told myself I’m not going to be too disappointed if it happens again.”
Across the table sat Eelis Parssinen, a seasoned high-stakes grinder who had even rescheduled his flights to be there for the finale. If history was going to repeat itself, this was the kind of opponent capable of doing it.
Instead, Guilbert rewrote the ending.
He first picked off a bluff to extend his lead, then held in the first all-in and call to finally secure the win. Parssinen finished runner-up for $1,043,400, while Guilbert at last stood with WSOP gold in his hands.
The bracelet completed a journey that Guilbert never quite expected to finish this way. Once a full-time grinder, poker is no longer his primary focus.
“The grind is done,” Guilbert said. “Poker became a hobby.”
“I’m not trying to lose,” he added, “but I’m playing streams like Hustler Casino Live, the Commerce, my own stream. I play invitational events. I play Triton. It costs me a lot, but it’s a great event and I’m very happy I played it.”
Looking back, the contrast makes the victory even sweeter.
“Ten years ago, poker was my job,” he said. “I used to stream online every Sunday. I used to play cash games every day in the casino. And I never had big wins when it was like that.”
“And now they give me this big win and this bracelet when I’m the least prepared,” Guilbert said, smiling. “It sounds funny to me, and I love it"
Now based in Dubai, Guilbert says life away from the tables has given him perspective.
“I live in Dubai. I'm a DJ, I see my friends. I invest in the stock market and real estate. I just live,” he said. “I’m 36 only, and I have the opportunity to live this life. I’m very happy about it.”
Gold still adorns his wrists, but this time it means something different. After years of chasing, Guilbert finally has WSOP gold of the kind that matters most.
