Gilles Simon becomes the first player to win both an EPT Main Event and WCOOP Main Event

Zooming out, WCOOP 2025 proved robust, if not record-breaking. Running September 7–October 1, the festival spanned 123 events (378 tournaments), drew 763.364 entries, and paid out more than 73.956.113$. Brazil led the title count, while Albania’s “king153246” claimed Player of the Series. By contrast, last year’s edition pushed past 95.000.000$ across 379 tournaments, so 2025 was a touch smaller on raw volume but every bit as elite in depth and star power.

The flagship,  10.300$ WCOOP Main Event, drew 407 entries and built a 4.070.000$ prize pool, with Gilles Simon outlasting Ukraine’s “arodnaS” heads-up to seal the title. For Simon, this triumph completes a rare double: two years after lifting the EPT Cyprus Main Event trophy (1.042.000$), he now owns the online game’s most prestigious championship as well, becoming the first player to win both an EPT Main Event and the WCOOP 10k Main Event.

Final-table story in short

Nine returned for the last day with “arodnaS” narrowly leading and Simon close behind. Momentum swung early as Matthew “mjw006” Wakeman fell when Simon’s aces held, and former champion Ivan “ILS007” Stokes, chasing a historic second WCOOP 10k crown, was cut down by “arodnaS”.

Simon then flipped the script three-handed, busting Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi in third before carrying a slight lead into heads-up. The title-clincher arrived when Simon’s pocket 4 h 4 d ​​​​​​​ held against “arodnaS”’s A h ​​​​​​​Q h , locking up the 736.327$ top prize and denying the Ukrainian grinder a comeback from 560.366$ to 736.327$.

Final Table Results

Sources - Pslive, X, PokerNews