Team Spraggy continues to dominate leading into the weekend, as Team tonkaaa lift themselves off the foot of the table after a captain's performance from Parker "tonkaaaa" Talbot himself to win the SCOOP 68-H: $530 FLHE
| Place | Team | Points |
| 1st | Spraggy | 4650 |
| 2nd | easywithaces | 3970 |
| 3rd | Kelvin_FP:AR | 3945 |
| 4th | tonkaaaa | 3930 |
| 5th | peace&loove | 3900 |
It was close but no cigar for Marle "MarlzTV" Spragg, who came heartbreakingly close to her first career SCOOP title, finishing 4th in SCOOP 62-M: $215 NLHE.
The win ultimately went to "Rankawer.bsp", an Argentina-based player who walked away with over $40,000 in combined bounties and prize money from the $300K guaranteed event. The tournament drew 1,471 entries, with Benny "RunGodlike" Glaser also making a deep run after getting down to the final two tables, bowing out in 13th.
| Rank | Player | Bounty | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rankawer.bsp | $21,546.01 | $20,075.33 |
| 2 | PeroQmaloSoy | $3,726.16 | $20,074.08 |
| 3 | JocaKenjic | $2,219.53 | $11,919.78 |
| 4 | MarleTV | $1,062.50 | $8,499.86 |
| 5 | anth0nypappa | $900.24 | $6,061.67 |
| 6 | Atero10 | $2,962.50 | $4,322.88 |
| 7 | xpronto | $2,803.91 | $3,092.86 |
| 8 | rounder3989 | $2,978.13 | $2,198.54 |
| 9 | ivan limeira | $1,096.88 | $1,806.14 |
There’s a pause in the action today as Friday serves as a rest day for SCOOP, but don’t get too comfortable, the action comes roaring back on Saturday with a packed lineup and players returning for some seriously exciting Day 2's.
Topping the watchlist is SCOOP 69-H: $10,300 NLHE Thursday Thrill High Roller, where Brazil’s Alisson "heyalisson" Piekazewicz returns as the chip leader with just seven players left and a total prize pool $590,000 up for grabs.
Meanwhile, of the new events SCOOP 78-L: $5.50 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, Micro Mystery Bounty HR] should draw a huge crowd of players, with an enticing $35k GTD on offer.
Cards will be in the air for a total of 18 new events starting Saturday with a mix of buyins and formats to suit all players. Here’s the full list of Saturday’s SCOOP events:
| Time (ET) | Event |
|---|---|
| 10:05 | SCOOP 74-L: $22 NLHE [8-Max, Deep Stacks], $85K Gtd |
| 10:05 | SCOOP 74-M: $109 NLHE [8-Max, Deep Stacks], $150K Gtd |
| 10:05 | SCOOP 74-H: $530 NLHE [8-Max, Deep Stacks], $135K Gtd |
| 11:30 | SCOOP 75-L: $55 PLO [6-Max], $35K Gtd |
| 11:30 | SCOOP 75-M: $215 PLO [6-Max], $50K Gtd |
| 11:30 | SCOOP 75-H: $1,050 PLO [6-Max], $75K Gtd |
| 12:30 | SCOOP 76-L: $11 NLHE [4-Max, Progressive KO], $60K Gtd |
| 12:30 | SCOOP 76-M: $109 NLHE [4-Max, Progressive KO], $100K Gtd |
| 12:30 | SCOOP 76-H: $1,050 NLHE [4-Max, Progressive KO], $150K Gtd |
| 13:30 | SCOOP 77-L: $11 8-Game [6-Max, Progressive KO], $12.5K Gtd |
| 13:30 | SCOOP 77-M: $55 8-Game [6-Max, Progressive KO], $20K Gtd |
| 13:30 | SCOOP 77-H: $215 8-Game [6-Max, Progressive KO], $30K Gtd |
| 15:05 | SCOOP 78-L: $5.50 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, Micro Mystery Bounty HR], $35K Gtd |
| 15:05 | SCOOP 78-M: $55 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, Mini Mystery Bounty HR], $200K Gtd |
| 15:05 | SCOOP 78-H: $530 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, Mystery Bounty HR], $200K Gtd |
| 16:30 | SCOOP 79-L: $55 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo], $100K Gtd |
| 16:30 | SCOOP 79-M: $320 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo], $100K Gtd |
| 16:30 | SCOOP 79-H: $1,050 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo], $115K Gtd |
Parker "tonkaaaa" Talbot is back in the winner’s circle, locking up his second career SCOOP title with a win in SCOOP 68-H: $530 FLHE, good for $9,027.
The PokerStars Team Captain delivered some much-needed points in the race to catch Team Spraggy, navigating a 47-player field and defeating British-based "H4nkH1ll" heads-up to claim the lion’s share of the $23,500 prize pool.
Tonka’s first SCOOP win came in SCOOP 113-H: $530 NLHE back in 2024, and, as fate would have it, that same day as certain Simon "C. Darwin2" Mattsson also won his ninth title. One year later, history has repeated itself. Talbot gets his second, Mattsson grabs number 13. Sometimes, the poker gods really do love a storyline.
Elsewhere in the event, "king153246" kept his series sunrun going with yet another final table appearance, while Benny "RunGodlike" Glaser fell just short in 11th and Patrick "pads1161" Leonard finished 16th.
| Rank | Player | Country | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parker "tonkaaaa" Talbot | Canada | $9,027 |
| 2 | "H4nkH1ll" | United Kingdom | $5,551 |
| 3 | "jama-dharma" | United Kingdom | $3,431 |
| 4 | "deadfizh" | Finland | $2,144 |
| 5 | "flushiisback" | Austria | $1,311 |
| 6 | "king153246" | Albania | $1,130 |
I could’ve sworn poker was supposed to be hard. But watching Simon "C. Darwin2" Mattsson this SCOOP series, you’d never know it.
Just days after locking up his 12th career title, the Swedish crusher has struck again, this time taking down SCOOP 67-H: $530 NLHE for $33,544 and title number 13.
The win extends his lead at the top of the all-time SCOOP leaderboard, pulling two clear of Benny "RunGodlike" Glaser, who remains on 11. It also marks Mattsson’s fourth title of the 2025 series in what has been an astonishing Spring for the former world online number one.
Mattsson topped a final table stacked with bracelet winners to take the crown, besting two-time WSOP winner Alexandre "ReWARds84" Reard who had to settle for $25,265 in 2nd, while Andrey "ThePateychuk" Pateychuk, an EPT Sanremo Main Event winner, rounded out the podium with $19,030.
| Rank | Player | Country | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Simon "C. Darwin2" Mattsson | Sweden | $33,544 |
| 2 | Alexandre "ReWARds84" Reard | United Kingdom | $25,265 |
| 3 | Andrey "ThePateychuk" Pateychuk | Belarus | $19,030 |
| 4 | Dmitry "yurasov1990" Yurasov | Belarus | $14,334 |
| 5 | “olelemaiko” | Bulgaria | $10,796 |
| 6 | "mjw006" | Indonesia | $8,132 |
| 7 | Andres "wisopekeño!" Gonzalez | United Kingdom | $6,125 |
| 8 | "ferkovsk" | Brazil | $4,613 |
| 9 | "srxakgirona" | Mexico | $3,629 |
While Ben "Spraggy" Spragg took a break from the grind to make a perhaps ill-advised pilgrimage to Bilbao, only to watch Manchester United meekly roll over against an equally uninspired Tottenham side in the Europa League final, at least he can take comfort in one thing: he’s part of a winning team.
Spraggy’s squad remains at the top of the SCOOP League leaderboard, pulling in 220 points since yesterday to stay out in front on 4,260. It wasn’t the biggest overnight haul, that honour goes to Team tonkaaaa, who racked up a hefty 560 points to pull themselves right back into contention.
Things are starting to tighten up just behind the leaders, with less than 300 points separating second from fifth place. Team peace&loove holds onto second with 3,650 points, while Team easywithaces and Team Kelvin_FP:AR are neck-and-neck in third and fourth. Tonkaaaa’s squad still sits in fifth for now, but momentum is definitely on their side.
For now, though, it's Spraggy’s team on top, even if his football club continues to let him down.
| Rank | Team | Points | Difference from Yesterday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team Spraggy | 4,260 | 220 |
| 2 | Team peace&loove | 3,650 | 160 |
| 3 | Team easywithaces | 3,525 | 250 |
| 4 | Team Kelvin_FP:AR | 3,515 | 330 |
| 5 | Team tonkaaaa | 3,375 | 560 |
Razz was back on the SCOOP schedule with a pair of six-max events in Event 63, and the two tournaments delivered contrasting storylines—one crowning a four-time champion, the other producing a first-time winner.
Renan "Internett93o" Bruschi (Team Kelvin_FP:AR) added a fourth SCOOP title to his growing resume after conquering a tough 49-entry field. The Brazilian pro took home $18,823 for the win, defeating Parker "tonkaaaa" Talbot heads-up. It was Talbot’s second runner-up finish of the series, as the popular Canadian continues to knock on the door of a 2025 SCOOP title.
Bruschi’s win also pushes him into third place on the overall leaderboard, tied with Patrick Leonard.
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Renan "Internett93o" Bruschi | $18,823 |
| 2 | Parker "tonkaaaa" Talbot | $11,575 |
| 3 | Niclas "flushiisback" Thumm | $7,155 |
| 4 | Skint Paddy | $4,472 |
| 5 | Niklas "Lena900" Astedt | $2,734 |
| 6 | sulbystar | $2,357 |
| 7 | Denis "aDrENalin710" Strebkov | $1,885 |
In the medium-stakes version, HajimeGabri. claimed their first-ever SCOOP title after navigating a 254-entry field. The final three players struck a deal, with HajimeGabri. locking up the win and $4,118.
Talbot was also at this final table, finishing sixth, capping off a strong day in both Razz events.
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HajimeGabri. | $4,118* |
| 2 | FatboyShrek | $3,338* |
| 3 | alwaysdanut | $3,724* |
| 4 | Skint Paddy | $1,970 |
| 5 | Eric “AceQuad” Brix | $1,454 |
| 6 | Parker "tonkaaaa" Talbot | $1,074 |
| 7 | sgsabioni | $852 |
* Denotes three-way deal
In the 892nd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Kyna England talk about the counterfeit poker chips that were discovered at a Texas cardroom, a home game robbery in Hawaii, and a huge laydown in a $2.4 million cash game pot from Triton Poker.
Speaking of, Xuan Liu became the first woman to claim a Triton title, while Jesse Lonis and Alex Foxen also won Triton tournaments. Speaking of big winners, Kevin Li took down the 2025 WSOP Tournament of Champions, Stephen Song was victorious on The Lord Poker Tour for $750K, and both Corey Wick and Josh Freund claimed big mid-major wins.
The crew then discusses Alan Keating's NBA adventure that involved busting Steph Curry and winning a bracelet; the return of the PokerStars Big Game; and how Mike avoided a deadly shooting at his Las Vegas gym thanks to his friend, Jeff Madsen.
Finally, Chad sat down with "The World's Greatest Unknown WSOP Historian" Robert Jen to discuss records that could be set or broken at the upcoming 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP). If you like stats and figures, you'll thoroughly enjoy this conversation, so be sure to check it out!
The podcast is sponsored by the #1 free-to-play WSOP app. Remember to use the bonus code "POKERNEWS" if you download and play for an extra 1,000,000 in chips!
A new PokerNews Podcast will drop weekly every Thursday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode!
With the 2025 Spring Championship of Online Poker at the halfway point, king153246 (Team Spraggy) remains the dominant force in the overall leaderboard race. The Albanian grinder has amassed an impressive 2160 points, fueled by 105 cashes and $260,000 in earnings, including one outright win. His consistency has set a high bar in the race for the coveted $15,000 leaderboard winner’s prize.
Trailing in second is FAL1st (Team peace&loove), who has also put in a huge volume of results, notching 69 cashes to rack up 1455 points, comfortably ahead of the pack chasing him.
There’s a tie for third between Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi (Team Kelvin_FP:AR) and Patrick “pads1161” Leonard (Team Spraggy), both sitting on 1080 points. Bruschi’s recent Razz victory pulled him level with Leonard, adding more drama to the race among the top draftees.
Team captain Kelvin “Kelvin_FP:AR” Kerber is in 6th place, while his draft pick Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser follows right behind in 7th, continuing to prove the strength of his squad.
Also in the mix is Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson (Team Tonkaaaa), who made history this week with a record-breaking 12th COOP title, pushing him into 9th place. Rounding out the top ten is Blaz “Scarmak3r” Zerjav (Team peace&loove), who continues to grind strong results for his team.
| Place | Player | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | king153246 | Albania | 2160 |
| 2 | FAL1st | Thailand | 1455 |
| 3 | Renan "Internett93o" Bruschi | Brazil | 1080 |
| 3 | Patrick "pads1161" Leonard | United Kingdom | 1080 |
| 5 | h3pp4p01k4 | Finland | 820 |
| 6 | Kelvin "Kelvin_FP:AR" Kerber | Brazil | 810 |
| 7 | Benny "RunGodlike" Glaser | United Kingdom | 805 |
| 8 | flerrehuve | Sweden | 800 |
| 9 | Simon "C. Darwin2" Mattsson | Sweden | 775 |
| 10 | Blaz "Scarmak3r" Zerjav | Slovenia | 715 |
