Bernard Binder's $10M WSOP Paradise win caps meteoric poker rise
Bernard Binder took up poker in 2021. In February 2025, he won the phased GGMillions for $1.8 million, then in December of that same year, he took down the $25K WSOP Paradise Super Main Event for $10 million. This March, he won a Triton $125K buy-in tournament, earning $2.1 million.
Last week, Bernard reached the final table of another regular GGMillions as chip leader but lost in the heads-up duel.
—You only discovered poker recently. How did your career begin?
—I started playing tournaments four years ago. Before that, I spent a few months in cash games and sit-and-gos. I got into poker because my close friend Samuel Mullur was already playing professionally—a name many will recognize.
I began from scratch and played micro-stakes for a while. I don't remember exactly, but I think it took me about six months to move up to mid-stakes. By my second year, I was playing high-stakes. I never joined a staking group; I've always grinded my own bankroll, with only my friends helping me out.
In my third year, I reached super-high-stakes. My first Triton was in Jeju in 2025, but by then, I already had experience playing the highest online limits.
—In February 2025, you won the phased GGMillions. Before that, did you have any notable tournament wins that shaped your career?
—There were a few wins that really helped. Early on, I won a Sunday tournament with a $25 buy-in and took home $6,000. That was a huge boost for moving up the stakes. My progress was steady—this is tournament poker, after all, so every big score matters.
—Your first online cash came in the summer of 2023. Did you always have live poker in mind, or did you initially plan to focus on online play?
—I didn't think about online poker at all when I started. At first, I just wanted to try playing poker on the internet and see if I could make it work. I never looked too far ahead.
Generally, I wouldn't recommend jumping into online poker without at least some online experience. The buy-ins are much higher, so you need a proper bankroll. You can play with backers, but I'm not a big fan of selling large chunks of my action unless absolutely necessary.
I only started considering online play after my first successes there. I got lucky early on and landed a spot in Triton with a favorable backing deal. Almost everyone sells shares for Triton because the buy-ins are enormous. But I adapted quickly to high stakes and didn't feel much pressure.
I've already been through all of this online—you play your first $100 tournament, then a $1,000, then a $10,000. Each new level is special, but you adjust to it surprisingly fast.
Yes, $100,000 is a huge amount of money—but if you keep fixating on that, there's no point in even entering a tournament.
—December has a packed schedule. Why did you decide to go to WSOP Paradise?
For me, it wasn't even a question. It's one of the most high-stakes series out there, plus it includes several Triton events. The super high roller has a massive buy-in, but thanks to promotions and satellites, the field is always packed. You just can't miss an opportunity like that.
