Vegas, Meet Paradise: The $72,275,000 Prize Pool That Smashed the Non-Main Event Record

Poker history was cemented at the Atlantis Paradise Island over the course of the past six days, as nearly 3,000 players contributed to one of the most impressive prize pools ever recorded.

At around 4:15 PM local time on Monday, December 15th, registration officially closed for the $25,000 Super Main Event at WSOP Paradise 2025 . Drawing a massive total of 2,891 entrants from all over the globe, the event soared past its historic $60,000,000 guarantee, ultimately culminating in a total prize pool worth $72,275,000.

The biggest prize pool in poker history outside of the WSOP Main Event, the 2025 Super Main Event serves as one of the most significant tournaments ever organized by the World Series of Poker (WSOP), and will be remembered for years to come. The first-place prize awarded to the eventual champion, which is expected to be announced soon, will be a landmark payout in poker history.

Poker’s All-Time Top Prize Pools

The traditional $10,000 WSOP Main Event held annually in Las Vegas remains the undisputed record-holder, dominating the all-time list through its unique combination of history, prestige, and massive field sizes. These tournaments represent the pinnacle of poker in terms of overall wealth generated.

Top 5 WSOP Main Event Prize Pools (Overall Largest)

• WSOP Main Event (2024): $94,041,600
• WSOP Main Event (2023): $93,399,900
• WSOP Main Event (2025): $90,535,500
• WSOP Main Event (2006): $82,512,162
• WSOP Main Event (2022): $80,782,475

The WSOP Main Event’s sheer volume ensures its place at the top. However, the $72.2 million prize pool from the WSOP Paradise Super Main Event is the only non-Vegas Main Event in history to crack the overall Top 10 list, cementing its status as truly elite.

Outside the Main Event

The $25,000 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event has set a daunting new target for every other major tournament series, dethroning the previous champion, an event famous for its million-pound buy-in. These prize pools show where the high-roller market is driving global poker.

Top 5 Non-Vegas Main Event Prize Pools

• WSOP Paradise Super Main Event (2025): $72,275,000
• Triton Million for Charity (2019): $65,660,000
• WSOP Paradise Super Main Event (2024): $48,500,000
• WSOP Paradise Triton Million (2024): $44,603,000
• The Big One for One Drop (2012): $42,666,672

This list highlights a clear trend: the appetite for high-roller, high-guarantee poker is enormous, and the Bahamas is rapidly becoming a major global hub alongside Las Vegas. The largest event outside of the traditional summer series is now firmly under the WSOP brand.

Day 3 Beckons

With both Day 2’s now wrapped up, just 202 players will come back for Day 3 of the Super Main Event. Below are a list of some of the top stacks.

• Martin Kabrhel: 22,675,000
• Jean-Noel Thorel: 20,950,000
• Tomas Kubaliak: 19,100,000
• Evgenii Akimov: 18,450,000
• Ali Abdulzahra: 17,675,000
• Faraz Jaka: 17,100,000
• Jesse Lonis : 16,800,000

The names dominating the top of the chip counts reflect the high-roller nature of the tournament. Leading the field is the polarizing Czech high-roller Martin Kabrhel, a five-time WSOP bracelet winner known for his aggressive style and controversial table talk. Also among the leaders is American pro Jesse Lonis, a two-time bracelet winner who has rapidly become one of the top tournament players in the world with over $16 million in career earnings. These established pros will face intense competition as they navigate the remainder of the massive field toward the record-setting first-place prize.

A High Roller Poker Boom?

The success of the 2025 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event is more than just a single tournament record; it’s a statement about the health and global reach of poker. It confirms that players are willing to travel the world for high-guarantee tournaments, challenging the traditional dominance of the Vegas summer series.

As high-roller organizers continue to push the boundaries with massive buy-ins and even more ambitious guarantees, the question is no longer if a non-Main Event tournament will cross the $100 million threshold, but when.