Casillas' Storm in the Colossus
The affordable bracelet event was the €550 NLH Colossus, which attracted 2,765 entries and generated a prizepool of €1,292,637. Out of the 331 participants who advanced to Day 2, only the top 23 made it to the final day, led by German player Felix Kretschmann. However, the spotlight was firmly on Jose Gomez Casillas from Mexico.
From the start of Day 3, Casillas was on full throttle, consistently applying pressure with big raises, claiming pots without a showdown, and finding the right cards in crucial confrontations. His aggressive style gradually wore down his opponents, while the enthusiastic Mexican rail confirmed that Colossus had found its main hero.
Heading into the final showdown, Casillas held a slim lead and set the pace for nearly every pot. The decisive moment occurred when he went all-in with Q d 5 s, and Claudio Daffina called with A c K d. The flop Q s 5 c 3 s gave the Mexican two pairs, leading to wild celebrations after a blank turn and river. Jose Gomez Casillas clinched his first bracelet along with a prize of €158,350 (including a ticket to the WSOPE Main Event).
| # | Player's Name | Country | Amount |
| 1 | Jose Gomez Casillas | Mexico | €158,350 |
| 2 | Claudio Daffina | Italy | €108,850 |
| 3 | Lulei Hu | Italy | €82,650 |
| 4 | Felix Kretschmann | Germany | €63,650 |
| 5 | Rifat Palevic | Sweden | €50,150 |
| 6 | Juan Velasco | Spain | €40,250 |
Renji Mao Claims His Second Bracelet
Chinese player Renji Mao mastered the final day of Event #8: €5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha at the WSOPE, and after a spectacular comeback in the heads-up against Dario Alioto, he secured his second career bracelet. The €5,000 buy-in was recorded 200 times, and 31 players returned for the final day.
The pace was initially dictated by experienced Italian Dario Alioto, who held the chiplead for most of the day with a clear path to a second bracelet. Yet, Mao showed patience, survived an “aces vs. aces” showdown, pulled off a crucial double elimination, and gradually shifted the balance of power.
He completed the comeback in the heads-up, entering with a 1:3 deficit. The Italian veteran had to settle for silver and a prize of €138,800, while champion Renji Mao took home his second bracelet and €213,600. “It wasn't easy, I experienced many swings and a few crazy rivers, but I'm happy I managed to pull through,” he said after his victory.
| Player's Name | Country | Amount |
| Renji Mao | China | €213,600 |
| Dario Alioto | Italy | €138,800 |
| Grzegorz Derkowski | Germany | €92,800 |
| Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | €64,000 |
| Zdenek Zizka | Czech Republic | €45,600 |
| Salih Atac | Switzerland | €33,500 |
| Vadim Zakharyan | Israel | €25,500 |
Two More Bracelets to Be Awarded Today
The WSOPE action is building up to its climax, marked by the highly anticipated €10,350 Main Event kicking off with Day 1A on Friday. But before that, more bracelets will find their owners. Today, two more will be awarded — one in the ninth event, the €3k NLH 6-max, with 46 players remaining, and another in the tenth event, the €10k PLO Mystery Bounty, with 21 hopefuls still vying for the title.
Sources – Kings-resort, YouTube, PokerNews, Photo Tomas Stacha
