Benny Glaser is heading into SCOOP 2025 with a more balanced mindset, focusing on recovery and routine over intensity. Now in his fourth year grinding from Vancouver, the four-time WSOP champ says he's prioritizing consistency over obsession, with an eye on both SCOOP success and a full summer at the WSOP.
SCOOP 06-H: $1,050 7-Max PKO has reached its final table, and you can watch all the action unfold thanks to card-up coverage on PokerStars' Twitch channel.
All this month, PokerNews is going to be bringing you some top tips on how to be at your best during SCOOP. These snippets of advice and pearls of wisdom will come to you from none other than...Spraggy.
He hasn't won a SCOOP title yet, but that won't stop him from telling you what you should be doing this SCOOP to get your hands on a shiny trophy!
"Hide it in a drawer, chuck it in the freezer, post it to your nan - whatever it takes.
"Every year I swear I won’t tweet through the tilt, and every year I end up in a 3 am thread about ace-queen offsuit and moral decay. Your phone is a landmine of late-reg madness and kebab orders you’ll regret.
"If you want to survive SCOOP, disconnect now and thank yourself later."
Day 3 of the 2025 Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) delivered non-stop thrills as 22 champions emerged from the online arena, each etching their names into the festival’s history book.
Belgium’s own Michael "merla888" Gathy added yet another trophy to his collection, claiming his fifth SCOOP title but it was "sixsixxsix" who stole the show, becoming the first player of the series to win two titles in a single night.
Among the 22 winners, 14 players broke through for the first time, while others triumphantly returned to the SCOOP spotlight.
Two-time club members now include "JDigweed7", Yuri "tecaoo" Martins Gama, Vitor “vitoradiron” Adiron, and "devsdynamite", each adding a second title to their resumé. Meanwhile, "hello_totti" and Arsenii "josef_shvejk" Karmatckii reached an elite milestone with their third career SCOOP victories.
After capturing his ninth SCOOP title and 20th COOP title overall on Monday, Patrick “pads1161” Leonard came close to going back-to-back in 2025. He finished runner-up in SCOOP 11-H: $1,050 NLHE PKO, earning $24,293. The title went to Andorra’s “PeroQmaloSoy”, who claimed their first-ever SCOOP win, banking $17,231 plus a hefty $27,176 in bounties.
We’ll be taking a closer look at some of these standout champions throughout the day, diving into the events nearing their final stretch, and breaking down all the key updates from the ever-evolving SCOOP League leaderboard.
| Event | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCOOP 08-H $530 NLHE [8-Max, Deep Stacks],$175K Gtd | 465 | $232,500 | HighRiskHReward | $41,675 |
| SCOOP 09-L $55 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO, Mini Bounty Builder HR],$225K Gtd | 6,173 | $308,650 | JDigweed7 | $30,810 |
| SCOOP 09-M $530 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO, Bounty Builder HR],$250K Gtd | 663 | $331,500 | stek94 | $50,709 |
| SCOOP 09-H $5,200 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO, Bounty Builder SHR],$300K Gtd | 79 | $395,000 | hello_totti | $120,515 |
| SCOOP 10-L $55 HORSE [6-Max],$20K Gtd | 631 | $31,550 | zidix | $5,517 |
| SCOOP 10-M $215 HORSE [6-Max],$30K Gtd | 192 | $38,400 | juswhackit | $7,659 |
| SCOOP 10-H $1,050 HORSE [6-Max],$40K Gtd | 55 | $55,000 | Michael "merla888" Gathy | $17,365 |
| SCOOP 11-L $11 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO],$60K Gtd | 9,203 | $90,189 | Yuri "tecaoo" Martins Gama | $7,712 |
| SCOOP 11-M $109 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO],$200K Gtd | 2,623 | $262,300 | dimos21 | $31,102 |
| SCOOP 11-H $1,050 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO],$175K Gtd | 196 | $196,000 | PeroQmaloSoy | $44,407 |
| SCOOP 14-L $11 NLHE [8-Max, Deep Stacks],$50K Gtd | 8,503 | $83,329 | Vitor “vitoradiron” Adiron | $11,702 |
| SCOOP 14-M $55 NLHE [8-Max, Deep Stacks],$125K Gtd | 3,317 | $165,850 | DanielNegroAno8 | $23,872 |
| SCOOP 14-H $215 NLHE [8-Max, Deep Stacks],$175K Gtd | 1,070 | $214,000 | Kohlrabi7 | $34,386 |
| SCOOP 15-L $5.50 NL5CardDraw [6-Max, Progressive KO],$5K Gtd | 1,343 | $6,581 | devsdynamite | $725 |
| SCOOP 15-M $55 NL5CardDraw [6-Max, Progressive KO],$10K Gtd | 261 | $13,050 | sixsixxsix | $2,666 |
| SCOOP 15-H $530 NL5CardDraw [6-Max, Progressive KO],$15K Gtd | 43 | $21,500 | sixsixxsix | $8,972 |
| SCOOP 18-L $22 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO, Single Re-entry],$125K Gtd | 6,403 | $128,060 | Thiago "Thi_cortes" Cortes | $11,032 |
| SCOOP 18-M $215 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO, Single Re-entry],$200K Gtd | 999 | $200,000 | KleitonSilva | $29,107 |
| SCOOP 18-H $1,050 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO, Single Re-entry],$125K Gtd | 134 | $134,000 | BerkYes | $30,728 |
| SCOOP 19-L $5.50 NLHE [6-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO],$30K Gtd | 7,577 | $37,127 | RafinhaSene | $3,325 |
| SCOOP 19-M $55 NLHE [6-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO],$125K Gtd | 2,941 | $147,050 | PokerTilt89 | $15,421 |
| SCOOP 19-H $530 NLHE [6-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO],$125K Gtd | 267 | $133,500 | Arsenii "josef_shvejk" Karmatckii | $26,335 |
SCOOP League captains and draft picks were out in full force for SCOOP 10-H: $1,050 HORSE [6-Max], but when the dust settled, it was Michael "merla888" Gathy, the undrafted Belgian powerhouse, who stood alone at the top.
Team tonkaaaa captain Parker Talbot came closest to stopping him, but Gathy was simply unstoppable in heads-up play.
The final battle wrapped in Limit Hold’em, and Gathy never looked back, grinding Talbot down to his final 2.6 big blinds. A king-three vs. ten-nine showdown followed, and after flopping a nine and rivering a flush, Gathy clinched the $17,365 top prize and locked up his fifth career SCOOP title.
Talbot earned $11,828 and could take pride in a strong Team tonkaaaa showing. His teammates Denis "ADrENalin710" Strebkov and Niclas "flushiisback" Thumm finished fourth and fifth, respectively, helping pad the squad’s SCOOP League point total.
There was also representation from other teams in the money:
In total, 55 entries duked it out for a slice of the $55,000 prize pool, with the top nine players securing a payout.
| Place | Player | Prize | SCOOP Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael "merla888" Gathy | $17,365 | Undrafted |
| 2 | Parker "tonkaaaa" Talbot | $11,828 | Team tonkaaaa |
| 3 | King153246 | $8,186 | Team Spraggy |
| 4 | Denis "ADrENalin710" Strebkov | $5,665 | Team tonkaaaa |
| 5 | Niclas "flushiisback" Thumm | $3,976 | Team tonkaaaa |
| 6 | BlackOnCrack | $2,713 | Undrafted |
| 7 | MUSTAFABET | $2,101 | Undrafted |
| 8 | Patrick "pads1161" Leonard | $1,584 | Team Spraggy |
| 9 | Benny "Rungodlike" Glaser | $1,584 | Team Kelvin_FP:AR |
Benny Glaser is heading into SCOOP 2025 with a more balanced mindset, focusing on recovery and routine over intensity. Now in his fourth year grinding from Vancouver, the four-time WSOP champ says he's prioritizing consistency over obsession, with an eye on both SCOOP success and a full summer at the WSOP.
There is a PokerStars tournament at 8:10 p.m. BST on May 18 that you do not want to miss if you have ever dreamed of getting your hands on a Power Path Gold Pass worth $10,300. At that time and date, the $55 Power Path Express shuffles up and deals. By the time the final cards fall, at least 200 winners will have secured a share of $60,000 in Power Path passes and Spring Championship Of Online Poker (SCOOP) tickets.
$55 or a Power Path Step 4 ticket gets you into the Power Path Express action. Those without a Step 4 ticket or who fancy satelliting into this value-packed tournament can try winning their way into it via the plentiful $11 satellites running between May 16-18. Up to 100 seats are guaranteed in those satellites!
Find out more about the Power Path Express right here.
It only surfaced this year, but it’s already become one of the running gags of SCOOP 2025.
The anonymous X @spraggytacker account simply asks the question: Has Spraggy won a SCOOP title? Every day, it answers no.
As of the end of Day 3, the counter sits at 2,886 days. No bio, no flair, just a daily reminder that Ben “Spraggy” Spragg is still chasing that elusive SCOOP win.
But just who is behind the account? Hopefully that answer reveals itself should Spraggy break his SCOOP curse.
One of the best things about SCOOP is how it gives less-played poker variants their moment to shine. While most players flock to No-Limit Hold'em, it's refreshing to see games like 5-Card Draw getting the attention they deserve. Today, we're focusing on this classic game, following our earlier look at HORSE.
5-Card Draw is one of the oldest forms of poker, dating back to the 19th century in the United States.
Unlike community card games like Hold'em, it’s a closed hand game where each player gets five private cards. The goal? To make the best hand by discarding and drawing new cards. It was a favorite in the Wild West and has remained a staple in poker ever since, though is more seen in home games than at a bricks-and-mortar casino.
One player who is definitely thankful for being able to play this old-school variant is "sixsixxsix". The UK based player managed to win two SCOOP titles in one night—both in 5-Card Draw. Competing in the SCOOP 15-M $55 NL5CardDraw [6-Max, Progressive KO] and SCOOP 15-H $530 NL5CardDraw [6-Max, Progressive KO], sixsixxsix clinched back-to-back wins,
| Place | Player | Bounty | Prize | Total Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | sixsixxsix | $1,573 | $1,093 | $2,666 |
| 2 | ingerudivin | $757 | $1,093 | $1,850 |
| 3 | MissSorroww | $145 | $686 | $831 |
| 4 | VELAPUERCA77 | $261 | $506 | $767 |
| 5 | Inhumanko | $197 | $374 | $571 |
| 6 | FatboyShrek | $82 | $276 | $358 |
| 7 | Siveens99 | $128 | $219 | $347 |
In the SCOOP 15-M event, sixsixxsix battled through a field of 261 players to win $2,666, adding solid bounties of $1,573 along the way.
| Place | Player | Bounty | Prize | Total Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | sixsixxsix | $5,156 | $3,816 | $8,972 |
| 2 | GeraldoCesar | $656 | $3,816 | $4,472 |
| 3 | king153246 | $1,063 | $1,902 | $2,965 |
| 4 | Necrogenesis | $250 | $1,216 | $1,466 |
| 5 | FAL1st | $813 | – | $813 |
| 6 | tonkaaaa | $375 | – | $375 |
| 7 | Niv-Mizzet D | $625 | – | $625 |
The SCOOP 15-H event saw sixsixxsix overcome 43 competitors to pocket a total of $8,972, including a substantial $5,156 bounty.
