Historic Double Crown for Dutch Pro
The 2025 PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) $10,300 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event has its champion, and it’s one for the history books. Austria-based Dutch professional Gilles “TaxationIsTheft” Simonoutlasted 407 entries to claim the title and $736,327, making him the first player ever to win both an EPT Main Event and a WCOOP Main Event.
Simon first burst onto the global stage in 2023 when he captured the EPT Cyprus Main Event for $1,042,000. Two years later, he has added online poker’s most prestigious crown to his résumé.
Final Table Recap
Nine players returned for the final day of the $10,300 Main Event, each already guaranteed at least $83,544 from the $4,070,000 prize pool. Ukraine’s “arodnaS” led the way with 22.4 million chips, closely followed by Simon with 21.5 million. Defending champion Ivan “ILS007” Stokes also remained in contention, aiming for back-to-back titles.
The action was fast and unforgiving. Mexico’s “4435GoldenBoy” was the first to exit when pocket nines ran into pocket kings. Soon after, Matthew “mjw006” Wakeman from Australia saw his ace-king crushed by Simon’s pocket aces. Bulgaria’s “AchoBogdanov” followed in seventh when kings held against his ace-queen, before Stokes’ run ended in sixth after a costly clash against “arodnaS”’s pocket threes.
British pro Preben “prebz” Stokkan was eliminated in fifth after a cooler against “arodnaS,” while Mexico’s Sebastian “sebasnato” Toro fell in fourth when his ace-seven couldn’t overcome Simon’s pocket fives.
From Three to Two
With three players left, Brazil’s Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi lost a key pot against Simon. Holding king-eight, Bruschi improved to a pair on the turn, but Simon’s ten-four of clubs had already completed a flush. Unable to fold, Bruschi bowed out in third for $426,455.
That elimination set up the final duel: Simon versus “arodnaS,” with Simon holding a narrow lead.
Heads-Up Showdown
The heads-up battle was a tense, back-and-forth affair, but Simon gradually pulled ahead. In the decisive hand, Simon shoved with pocket fours and was called by “arodnaS” holding ace-queen of hearts. The board ran out jack-high with a king on the turn and a five on the river, locking up the victory for Simon.
Simon secured $736,327 and the WCOOP Main Event title, while runner-up “arodnaS” collected $560,366.
Final Table Payouts
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gilles “TaxationIsTheft” Simon | Austria | $736,327 |
| 2 | arodnaS | Ukraine | $560,366 |
| 3 | Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi | Brazil | $426,455 |
| 4 | sebasnato | Mexico | $324,545 |
| 5 | Preben “prebz” Stokkan | United Kingdom | $246,988 |
| 6 | Ivan “ILS007” Stokes | United Kingdom | $187,965 |
| 7 | AchoBogdanov | Bulgaria | $143,047 |
| 8 | Matthew “mjw006” Wakeman | Australia | $108,863 |
| 9 | 4435GoldenBoy | Mexico | $83,544 |
