How Bernhard Binder Won $10 Million: Hand by Hand

You can read about scandalous re-entries and high-profile folds from this strange tournament (with the largest ever prize pool outside of Las Vegas) in our latest social media roundup.

We'll start from the moment the 2,891 registrations dropped to the last eight:

1. Bernhard Binder (Austria) – 211 million (53 bb)
2. Peter Chen (Canada) – 76 million (19 bb)
3. Natasha Mercier (USA) – 165 million (41 bb)
4. Jean-Noël Thorel (France) – 567 million (142 bb)
5. Belarmino De Souza (Brazil) – 150 million (38 bb)
6. Erik Wasserson (USA) – 130.5 million (33 bb)
7. Franco Spitale (Argentina) – 33 million (8 bb)
8. Terrence Reid (USA) – 114.5 million (29 bb)

We've decided to try an unusual format: showing the final table from the perspective of its winner, Bernhard Binder.

We'll be watching all his hands in Mystery Hand mode: his opponent's hand will be hidden and revealed only after the hand is over. Of course, we'll include the eliminations of the other players in the report, but we'll focus primarily on Binder's play. It's fascinating to watch someone whose victory was so predictable play!

For those who want to skim Bernhard Binder's victory, we have highlighted the most important and interesting hands.

Final Table Begins at Level 34: Blinds 2M/4M, BB Ante 4M.

Everyone folds until Terrence Reid in the small blind, who calls. In the big blind, Binder has . He checks.

• Flop:

Reid bets 4.5 million.

Binder calls with 7 high.

• Turn:

Reid passes. Should Binder bluff?

No, he checks behind.

• River:

Reid bets 14 million.

Binder calls.

Reid shows , and he takes the pot.

Belarmino De Souza rises to 8 million from the middle position. Binder is in the small blind with . 3-bet or call?

Binder calls.

• Flop:

Check, check.

• Turn:

Check, check.

• River:

Binder bets 18 million. De Souza folds.

8th Place Finish For Franco Spitale

Franco Spitale raises with most of his stack from early position. Erik Wasserson goes all-in from the big blind, Spitale calls with his .

Wasserson has .

Spitale fails to win this all-in and leaves the tournament in eighth place.

New Level: Blinds 2.5M/5M, BB Ante 5M.

Wasserson, after eliminating the short stack, raises to 12 million from the button. In the big blind Binder defends with .

• Flop:

It wasn't the worst flop, but Binder checked, of course. Wasserson bets 6 million. Bernhard calls.

• Turn:

Check. Wasserson bets 16 million.

Binder check-raises to 58 million, leaving 132 million behind.

The opponent thinks for a while and calls.

• River:

We go all-in. The opponent thinks about it and finally decides to fold.

De Souza's price of entry rises to 10 million at the cutoff. Binder has , and defends.

• Flop:

Check, check.

• Turn:

Binder checks again. The opponent bets 14 million and gets called.

• River:

Check. The opponent bets 45 million. Is Binder considering a hero call?

No, the third pair, apparently, shouldn't be good. He folds.

Terrence Reid limps from the small blind. Binder has and checks behind.

• Flop:

Reid bets 5 million. Binder calls with K-high.

• Turn:

Reid thinks for a while and then bets 9.5 million.

Okay, he's convinced Binder. He folds.

7th Place Finish For Peter Chen

Peter Chen, with his short stack, moves up to 10 million from first position. Binder has in the big blind. He forces his opponent to go all-in for 50 million.

Chen calls and shows .

• Flop:
• Turn:
• River:

A diamond-colored runner-runner board sends Chen to the cashier.

New Level: Blinds 3M/6M, Ante 6M.

Binder receives . He's in the cutoff and min-raises. Jean-Noël Thorel calls from the small blind.

• Flop:

Thorel checks. Binder makes a 9 million continuation bet and gets called.

• Turn:

Thorel checks and Binder checks behind him.

• River:

Thorel checks again. Binder chooses the size of the bet... Ignoring the opponent's age, 78 years old, he bet enthusiastically: 35 million.

Thorel thinks and decides to pay!

He has , and Binder hops into first place in the chip counts!

In first position Binder gets and does a mini-raise to 12 million. Reid defends the BB.

• Flop:

Faced with Reid's check, Binder makes an 11 million continuation bet. Reid calls.

• Turn:

Reid checks. Binder bets 33 million and gets a fold.

6th Place Finish For Natasha Mercier

Reid raises to 12 million from the cutoff. Natasha Mercier goes all-in for 17 million from the small blind. Thorel raises to 50 million from the big blind. Reid folds.

Mercier shows while Thorel reveals .

The brave Frenchman tried to rescue Mercier, but his plan failed. The board brought , then a , and a on the river.

Natasha finishes the tournament in sixth place.

With in the hijack, Binder raises to 12 million. Erik Wasserson, in the small blind, 3-bets to 28 million. It's a small stack, Binder has position, so what does he do?

He decides to call and see the flop.

• Flop:

Wasserson bets 15 million. Binder gives up.

On the button with , Binder does the traditional mini-raise to 12 million. De Souza defends the BB.

• Flop:

The Brazilian checks, and Binder checks behind.

• Turn:

De Souza bets 8 million. Is A-high a good bet on a board with four consecutive cards?

Well, it seems not: Binder folds peacefully.

Thorel's Hero Call

Thorel opens to 12 million from hijack. Binder sits in the big blind with and he calls.

• Flop:

Binder hits a pair. Thorel bets 14 million. Second pair, backdoor flush—its enough for Binder to call.

• Turn:

Good card! Binder checks, and his opponent checks back quickly.

• River:

Hard to hate this card. Should Binder lead or try a check-raise?

Binder bets 45 million!

Thorel thinks and pays the bet.

He has , showing distrust, but Binder can't be offended.

Binder gets the button and an ugly suited hand, . Apparently, that's a good hand for a min-raise. De Souza calls from the big blind.

• Flop:

The opponent checks. It looks like Binder is going with a continuation bet, and he bets 10 million. De Souza calls.

• Turn:

De Souza checks this turn. Will Binder continue with a second barrel or accept a free river card?

Binder fires a second barrel at 32 million. De Souza makes the fold.

Binder fires from cutoff with . De Souza calls again, this time in the small blind, for 12 million. Wasserson, in the big blind, squeezes to 34 million.

Binder folds.

De Souza burns several time banks and calls.

• Flop:

The Brazilian checks. Wasserson bets 16 million. De Souza goes all-in!

Wasserson immediately throws his cards on the table. Surprisingly, he has . His opponent had the better hand for this board, .

Reid Doubles Up Against Binder

Binder received in the hijack, and bumps it up to 12 million. Reid goes all-in for 141 million in the BB.

Call or fold?

Binder calls.

Reid shows . Good news for Binder, except that the flop and the turn brings eights, so Reid doubles up. It's a fatal blow to Binder's stack.

Thorel Regains the Lead

Reid raises to 12 million from the button. Binder, in the small blind with , calls the open. Thorel in the BB also joins the fight and calls.

• Flop:

A great flop for Binder, but he checks first. Unfortunately, both opponents check behind.

• Turn:

The flush draw is coming in, but how dangerous is it? Should Binder bet or check?

He checks. Thorel does too. Reid finally bets 13 million.

We call, and so does Thorel.

• River:

Seems like a safe card to bet, right? Binder bets 20 million. Thorel calls. Reid hesitates for a moment, but folds.

It turns out two pairs are no good: Thorel has a straight with . Reid was clearly thinking of a beautiful bluff with , but he didn't dare to floor the accelerator.

The veteran is taking away Binder's lead.

New Level: Blinds 4M/8M, 8M BB Ante.

Binder gets on the button and min-raises to 16 million. Thorel, in the small blind, calls. De Souza, in the big blind, calls.

• Flop:

There are two checks, and Binder follows suit.

• Turn:

History repeats itself: three checks.

• River:

Thorel checks for the third time. De Souza bets 28 million.

Is A-high safe? Binder must keep in mind that he is facing another unpredictable player who loves hero calls.

Binder folds. Thorel calls quickly!

De Souza takes the pot with trips ( ). Thorel called with .

The Nut Low is Wonderful

The Brazilian raises to 16 million from the cutoff. Binder has and decides to see the flop.

• Flop: .

Binder checks. De Souza bets 11 million. Does Binder have a near-perfect low hand and just fold? Or, does he have a gutshot and just check?

Third option: Binder has a gutshot and does a simple check-raise. He raises to 28 million.

The opponent surrenders.

Wasserson opens to 16 million from the cutoff. Binder's in the small blind with .

He 3-bets to 48 million. Wasserson folds.

Binder receives and makes it 16 million. The tireless De Souza calls from the BB.

• Flop:

The opponent checks. Binder has the strongest unpaired hand. Should he protect it from six outs and check, keeping an eye on the pot size just in case?

He bets 9 million and gets a quick fold.

The Soul-Read is a Double-Edged Sword

De Souza makes it 16 million from the hijack. Binder is in the small blind with and decides to call. Thorel calls third from the big blind.

• Flop:

Binder checks, and both opponents check behind.

• Turn:

Binder has a straight and bets 37 million. Thorel folds, De Souza calls in position.

• River:

Binder bets 200 million! De Souza, with only one timebank behind him, decides to fold his cards.

Kings With an Ace On the Flop

In the small blind Binder receives and makes it 26 million for Thorel's big blind. The Frenchman keeps calling.

• Flop:

Binder check. Thorel bets 26 million and gets called.

• Turn:

Binder checks again. Thorel bets 40 million!

Binder pays again.

• River:

We check. Thorel, to our relief, passes behind us with . The Kings win.

Binder raises from the cutoff to 16 million with . Thorel, from the button, makes a 3-bet to 40 million. Binder calls.

• Flop:

Binder checks and Thorel does as well.

• Turn:

Binder checks. Thorel bets 35 million.

This time, he decided to give up and fold.

Wasserson Out, Benny Glaser is Avenged

Binder raises with from the cutoff to 16 million, as always. Wasserson goes all-in from the big blind: 109 million.

Binder makes the call.

The opponent has .

Binder flopped a queen and hit a flush on the turn, leaving our opponent with almost no outs. Erik Wasserson was eliminated in fifth place for $2,350,000.

Binder receives the button and looks down at , worth a raise to 16 million. Thorel 3-bets to 31 million from the small blind, practically a click-back. Binder calls.

• Flop:

Thorel passes and Binder bets 20 million, which is called.

• Turn:

Thorel checks, and so does Binder. The ace is a bad card for him.

• River:

Thorel bets 75 million.

Binder folds.

Reid Has a Poker Accident

New Level! Blinds 5M/10M, BB Ante 10M

Binder opens from the cutoff with a 20 million min-raise holding . Thorel pays from, the button, Reid pays from the BB.

• Flop:

We've seen better flops, but this one will do.

Reid checks. Binder bets 18 million. Thorel folds. Reid... goes all-in for 88 million!

Call, of course.

Reid has... what? .

The turn and river don't change anything, so Reid leaves the tournament in 4th place.

Binder is back to one-on-one with Thorel in the blinds. in hand, Binder makes a considerable raise to 33 million. Thorel calls.

• Flop:

Suddenly, Binder checks. Thorel bets 25 million and of course, is called.

• Turn:

Thorel bets 50 million. Okay, Binder has outs, and he calls.

• River:

There might not be any action on this river, so Binder bets. (Lead size not shown in report).

Thorel calls and has .

Binder gets on the button and makes it 20 million. De Souza calls from the BB.

• Flop:

Binder's opponent checks. Bernhard starts by making a continuation bet of 40 million, but as soon as he put his chips on the table, De Souza's cards fly towards the dealer.

De Souza Leaves in Third Place

Thorel limps from the button, De Souza checks from the BB.

• Flop:

Thorel makes a check-call for 15 million.

• Turn:

Check-call of the same 15 million.

• River:

Thorel checks for the third time. De Souza bets 90 million. Thorel goes all-in, and his opponent quickly calls.

The veteran Frenchman has quad fours with . De Souza, with , leaves the tournament in third place.

Heads-up Begins Between Binder and Thorel

Stack sizes to start heads-up:

• Binder – 905 million.
• Thorel – 542 million.

Thorel raises to 30 million. Binder has , and calls.

• Flop:

Binder checks, Thorel bets 30 million.

Binder has ace high, but he folds. Is this a soul read?

Binder raised to 20 million from the button with . Thorel called.

• Flop:

Check-check.

• Turn:

Thorel checked, and Binder checked back. All the trash hands made it to the river, everything perfectly by the book.

• River:

Thorel checked. Binder went for it and bet 50 million. Thorel called. No need for suspense here. Binder was never winning this hand.

Thorel has... . Another hero call, and this time, it worked.

Thorel opened to 20 million, continuing to mix up his sizing. Binder held and chose aggression, three-betting to 75 million.

Thorel called.

• Flop:

Binder checked and Thorel checked back.

• Turn:

Binder bet 120 million. Thorel called quickly.

• River:

Was this a bluff, or had Thorel’s constant hero calls finally taught Binder something?

Binder checked.

Thorel bet 75 million.

Binder folded.

Binder raised to 20 million with . Thorel called.

• Flop:

Thorel checked. Binder fired 13 million and took it down immediately.

Thorel raised again, this time to 30 million. Binder held , and called.

• Flop:

Thorel bet 40 million into Binder’s check. Binder called.

• Turn:

Binder checked. Thorel bet 65 million. Binder’s pair had picked up a flush draw. It didn’t look great, but Binder called.

• River:

Both players checked.

Thorel showed . Binder took it down with the second-lowest pair.

The Terrifying Little Second Barrel

Binder raised to 20 million with . Thorel called.

• Flop:

Binder continuation-bet 20 million with a straight draw. Thorel called.

• Turn:

Thorel checked. Should Binder fire a second barrel or take the free card?

Binder continued, choosing a deceptive sizing of 18 million.

Thorel folded.

Binder raised to 20 million with . Thorel called.

• Flop:

Thorel checked. Binder made a continuation bet of 17 million. Thorel called.

• Turn:

Check-check.

• River:

Thorel checked. Binder decided to show his ace. Thorel also had an ace, but a weaker one. Binder won with the kicker.

Binder raised to 20 million with . Thorel responded with a three-bet to 60 million. Binder called.

• Flop:

Thorel bet 30 million. Binder called with ace-high and a backdoor flush draw.

• Turn:

Thorel checked. The bluff no longer made sense, so Binder checked back.

• River:

Thorel bet 100 million.

Binder folded.

Thorel raised to 20 million. Binder held in the big blind and called.

• Flop:

Check-check.

• Turn:

Binder led for 40 million. Thorel folded.

Thorel opened to 20 million. Binder had in the big blind. The moment had arrived. Binder three-bet to 75 million. Thorel, of course, called.

• Flop:

Binder checked and completely missed. Thorel didn’t want to give a free card and bet 100 million. Binder folded.

The Biggest Bluff of the Final Table

New Level. Blinds 6M/12M, 12M BB Ante.

Thorel raised to 31 million. Binder held , and called.

• Flop:

Binder checked. Thorel bet 30 million. Binder called.

• Turn:

Binder checked again. Thorel fired 100 million. Binder called.

• River:

Binder missed. With no showdown value, he went on the offensive, betting 335 million.

Thorel folded.

Jean-Noël Strikes Back

Thorel raised to 24 million, another small sizing. Binder held , and called.

• Flop:

Binder checked. Thorel bet 30 million.

Instead of folding eight-high, Binder raised to 75 million, backed by second pair, an overcard, a backdoor flush draw, and a backdoor straight draw. Thorel called.

• Turn:

Binder picked up a flush draw and continued for 150 million.

Thorel called again, clearly determined to reach showdown.

• River:

Binder gave up and checked.

Thorel bet 350 million.

Binder folded.

Time to switch to limps. Binder held and called. Thorel checked behind.

• Flop:

Binder bet 25 million into Thorel’s check.

• Turn:

Binder tapped the table to check.

• River:

Thorel bet 25 million. Binder called.

Binder had been paid off while bluffing with .

Thorel opened. Binder held , and called.

• Flop:

Both players checked.

• Turn:

Both players checked again.

• River:

Representing a straight, Binder bet 55 million.

Thorel called with .

The Bluff Extravaganza Continues

Binder was dealt and raised to 24 million. Thorel called.

• Flop:

Binder continuation-bet 40 million. Thorel called.

• Turn:

After the check, Binder fired a second barrel of 90 million.

Thorel called again.

• River:

Out of nowhere, Thorel led for 80 million.

Binder thought briefly, then announced all-in for 345 million.

Thorel studied his hand and folded.

Binder received on the button and raised. Thorel made a small three-bet. Binder called.

• Flop:

Thorel bet 30 million. Binder called with a gutshot.

• Turn:

Both players checked.

• River:

Thorel checked. Binder bet a heavy 180 million and took it down.

Thorel raised to 31 million. Binder attempted a min-raise with , initially to 48 million. After a correction from the dealer, the raise was adjusted to 50 million. Thorel called.

• Flop:

Binder bet 56 million after some thought. Thorel folded.

Binder raised the button with . Thorel called.

• Flop:

Binder bet 12 million despite missing. Thorel called.

• Turn:

Check. Check.

• River:

Thorel bet 100 million. Binder folded.

Thorel raised to 26 million. Binder held , and called.

• Flop:

We pass, the opponent passes behind us

• Turn:

Check-check.

• River:

Binder bet 33 million with his eight. Thorel raised to 80 million.

Strange line, but Binder called.

Thorel showed a full house with .

Thorel raised to 40 million. Binder held . Call.

• Flop:

Binder checked. Thorel bet 60 million. Binder called with backdoor equity.

• Turn:

Both players checked.

• River:

After a long think, Binder bet 250 million. Thorel folded.

Binder raised to 24 million with and Thorel matched the raise.

• Flop:

Thorel checked. Binder bet 12 million. Thorel raised to 30 million. Binder called.

• Turn:

Both players checked.

• River:

Check–check.

Thorel showed and he takes the pot down.

Thorel Regains the Lead

Last hand before lunch. Thorel limped and Binder raised to 48 million with . Thorel called, of course.

• Flop:

Binder bet 27 million. Thorel called.

• Turn:

Binder checked. Thorel bet 75 million. Binder called.

• River:

Both players checked. Thorel turned over .

At the break, Thorel held 743 million to Binder’s 704 million.

The Last Four Hands

The fateful Level 40 begins: Blinds 8M/16M, BB Ante 16M.

Binder calls with and Thorel called.

• Flop:

Check–check.

• Turn:

Thorel bet 25 million. Binder called.

• River:

Binder bet 65 million. Thorel called but could not beat Binder’s .

Binder reclaimed the lead.

Thorel raised to 58 million. Binder held , and called.

• Flop:

Binder checked. Thorel bet 50 million. Binder called.

• Turn:

Check–check.

• River:

Binder bet 175 million. Thorel folded.

Binder raised to 32 million with . Thorel called.

• Flop:

Binder bet 20 million. Thorel called.

• Turn:

Check–check.

• River:

Both players checked. Binder won the showdown against .

Thorel was down to 309 million, under 20 big blinds.

The Final Hand for $10,000,000

Thorel raised to 58 million. Binder moved all-in with . Thorel called.

Jean-Noël Thorel: .

The first all-in and call after just over three hours of a heads-up game for $4 million.

The board ran out .

Victory!

Thorel finished second for $6 million. Binder captured the bracelet and $10 million.

Earlier this year, Binder also won the GGMillion$ Main Event, taking home a prize of $1.8 million.