The penultimate day of the 2025 World Series of Poker Paradise seemed to have a little bit of everything, as Event #11: $25,000 Super Main Event played down to the final eight contenders at a fast and furious pace.
The day began with just 24 players returning from a record field of 2,891 entries at Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas, which created a massive $72,275,000 prize pool with a cool $10,000,000 up top.
It took less than seven hours of play to reach the final table, and not much longer to set the field for the final day of the series on December 18.
Sitting in a familiar position atop the chip counts is Jean-Noel Thorel, who also bagged up the largest stack of Day 2b. The 78-year-old French biologist saw his remarkable run continue, scoring the final elimination of the day to open a massive lead holding nearly 40 percent of the chips in play.
The final hand of Day 4 finished with Thorel's pocket aces holding against the kings of Leonard Maue, sending the German pro out in ninth to cap off a dramatic day in Paradise.
Final Table Seat Draw
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bernhard Binder | Austria | 211,000,000 | 53 |
| 2 | Peter Chien | Canada | 76,000,000 | 19 |
| 3 | Natasha Mercier | United States | 165,000,000 | 41 |
| 4 | Jean-Noel Thorel | France | 567,000,000 | 142 |
| 5 | Belarmino De Souza | Brazil | 150,000,000 | 38 |
| 6 | Eric Wasserson | United States | 130,500,000 | 33 |
| 7 | Franco Spitale | Argentina | 33,000,000 | 8 |
| 8 | Terrance Reid | United States | 114,500,000 | 29 |
Final Table Faces
Thorel's closest competitor is Bernhard Binder (211,000,000), who pulled even in chips during the last level before losing a big pot late in the day. Sitting in third place is the last woman remaining in the field; Natasha Mercier (165,000,000) will return to her seat with 41 big blinds.
Mercier is looking to better the run of Liv Boeree, who earned a fourth-place finish in last year's WSOP Paradise Super Main Event. Mercier had a profitable final level, including a double-up with a full house to climb the leaderboard.
The rest of the final table includes WSOP bracelet winners Eric Wasserson (130,500,000) and Franco Spitale (33,000,000), who will return as the short stack with eight big blinds.
They're joined by Belarmino De Souza (150,000,000), Terrance Reid (114,500,000) and Peter Chien (76,000,000), all looking to chase down Thorel on the final day.
Dramatic Day 4
The first two levels of the day delivered plenty of eliminations, including GG Poker Ambassador Felipe Ramos. The Brazilian pro was sent to the rail on a cruel river, ending another quest for a first WSOP bracelet with a 23rd-place finish.
Thorel took care of a few eliminations on his own, flipping out Charles Hook in 14th position. Hook earned another deep run at Atlantis just days after earning his first career bracelet in Event #13: $50,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha.
Faraz Jaka was the next player out when his set of nines on the turn lost to a bigger set on the river. The improbable runout sent Jaka to the rail in 13th, earning $520,000.
Not long after, Benny Glaser was sent out on the final table bubble in a controversial hand that saw the eight-time bracelet winner shove into Wasserson's pocket aces.
That sorted the field down to the final nine, needing to remove one more before bagging for the final day. It appeared De Souza would be that one after starting the final table with just four big blinds, but the Brazilian bounced back by doubling up before taking a big pot from Binder to finish with a healthy stack.
Players will return at 12 p.m. local time, with 10:51 remaining in Level 34 and blinds of 2,000,000/4,000,000/4,000,000. Play will continue with 90-minute levels followed by 15-minute breaks until a champion is crowned.
Each of them has already locked up $1,100,000, with all eyes on the $10,000,000 first-place prize along with the WSOP Super Main Event bracelet.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10,000,000 | 5 | $2,350,000 |
| 2 | $6,000,000 | 6 | $1,800,000 |
| 3 | $4,000,000 | 7 | $1,400,000 |
| 4 | $3,000,000 | 8 | $1,100,000 |
It's sure to be an exciting finish to the series here in Paradise, and you can follow all of the final table action on PokerNews. Just eight remain in the battle to take down the final WSOP Main Event bracelet of 2025.
