Leonard Moves to 12 WCOOP Titles as Nitsche and Maue Headline High Roller Wins
It was another busy day at the 2025 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) on PokerStars, with no shortage of storylines from Monday, September 15.
The headline belonged to Patrick "pads1161" Leonard, who bagged his 12th WCOOP title in the $109 Sunday Kickoff for $28,023. The win moves him to fifth on the all-time leaderboard, now just one behind Denis Strebkov, Tobias Leknes, and João Vieira, and three shy of record-holder Benny Glaser.
High roller fans were treated to fireworks across the schedule. Leonard "Grozzorg" Maue scooped the biggest prize of the day with $212,667 in the $10,300 Super High Roller PKO, his second WCOOP crown, and later finished runner-up in the $5,200 6-Max Championship. That event was taken down by Dominik "Bounatirou" Nitsche, who claimed $135,555 and his long-awaited first WCOOP trophy after a three-way deal.
There was also a double dose of Sunday majors. Jakub "Olorionek" Michalak secured his second title in the $1,050 Sunday High Roller PKO, banking $104,033, while "MASTERALI 27" topped a mammoth 9,946 entries in the $109 Sunday Million PKO for $87,803 and a first WCOOP win.
Pot-Limit Omaha specialists were in the spotlight too. Brazil’s Dante "dantegoyaF" Goya added a third WCOOP title in the $215 5-Card PLO, while "Orlandinho33" captured the $2,100 edition for $43,970.
Progressive Knockouts dominated much of the rest of the day’s schedule. Marcelo "marceloaziz" Aziz, "99dm84", and "CraibabyCrai" were among those to celebrate victories, while a raft of players including "daniel_pones", "Gelatoalcafe", "Aleks_20_a", "Jorkaris", "macthemac67", and "XRVRF15HX" all became first-time WCOOP champions.
WCOOP Winners from Monday, September 15
| Event | Entries | Prize Pool | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WCOOP 36-L: $11 NLHE [Sunday Kickoff], $50K Gtd | 5,739 | $56,242 | daniel_pones | $7,998 |
| WCOOP 36-M: $109 NLHE [Sunday Kickoff], $175K Gtd | 1,866 | $186,600 | Patrick "pads1161" Leonard | $28,023 |
| WCOOP 36-H: $1,050 NLHE [Sunday Kickoff], $175K Gtd | 208 | $208,000 | waitforhiit | $40,592 |
| WCOOP 37-L: $5.50 NLHE [Progressive KO, Sunday Warm-Up], $35K Gtd | 9,501 | $46,555 | Gelatoalcafe | $3,936 |
| WCOOP 37-M: $55 NLHE [Progressive KO, Sunday Warm-Up], $175K Gtd | 5,229 | $261,450 | Aleks_20_a | $21,871 |
| WCOOP 37-H: $530 NLHE [Progressive KO, Sunday Warm-Up], $250K Gtd | 573 | $286,500 | CraibabyCrai | $43,504 |
| WCOOP 38-L: $109 NLHE [Progressive KO, Sunday Million], $1M Gtd | 9,946 | $1,000,000 | MASTERALI 27 | $87,803 |
| WCOOP 38-M: $1,050 NLHE [Progressive KO, Sunday High Roller], $750K Gtd | 809 | $809,000 | Jakub "Olorionek" Michalak | $104,033 |
| WCOOP 38-H: $10,300 NLHE [Progressive KO, Super High Roller], $500K Gtd | 59 | $590,000 | Leonard "Grozzorg" Maue | $212,667 |
| $5,200 NLHE [6-Max, NLHE 6-Max Championship], $650K Gtd | 157 | $785,000 | Dominik "Bounatirou" Nitsche | $135,555* |
| WCOOP 39-L: $22 5-Card PLO, $30K Gtd | 1,718 | $34,360 | Lplates3810 | $5,196 |
| WCOOP 39-M: $215 5-Card PLO, $80K Gtd | 434 | $86,800 | Dante "dantegoyaF" Goya | $15,541 |
| WCOOP 39-H: $2,100 5-Card PLO, $150K Gtd | 92 | $184,000 | Orlandinho33 | $43,970 |
| WCOOP 40-L: $55 NLHE [7-Max, Progressive KO, Single Re-Entry], $150K Gtd | 4,009 | $200,450 | Jorkaris | $17,992 |
| WCOOP 40-M: $215 NLHE [7-Max, Progressive KO, Single Re-Entry], $200K Gtd | 1,385 | $277,000 | Marcelo "marceloaziz" Aziz | $31,463 |
| WCOOP 40-H: $1,050 NLHE [7-Max, Progressive KO, Single Re-Entry], $150K Gtd | 156 | $156,000 | whaleptt | $37,542 |
| WCOOP 42-L: $5.50 NLHE [Deep Stack], $35K Gtd | 7,961 | $39,009 | macthemac67 | $5,488 |
| WCOOP 46-L: $22 NLHE [Turbo, Progressive KO], $75K Gtd | 3,984 | $79,680 | XRVRF15HX | $7,113 |
| WCOOP 46-M: $109 NLHE [Turbo, Progressive KO], $125K Gtd | 1,374 | $137,400 | benyie | $17,098 |
| WCOOP 46-H: $530 NLHE [Turbo, Progressive KO], $125K Gtd | 255 | $127,500 | 99dm84 | $25,653 |