WSOP GGMillion$ Turbo WSOP Paradise Day 2

Johan Guilbert finally got the one piece of poker jewelry that had been missing from his career.

At WSOP Paradise, Guilbert captured his first World Series of Poker bracelet by winning Event #14: the $25,000 GGMillion$ Single Day Turbo. He defeated a 287-entry field, claimed the $1,534,645 first-place prize, and ended a bracelet chase that had lasted more than a decade.

The win was dramatic, ironic, and perfectly poker.

Guilbert arrived for the final day as one of six remaining players. He was not the chip leader. He was not the obvious favorite. In fact, he started near the bottom of the counts with only 3,700,000 chips, while Day 1 chip leader Iago Sturzeneker returned with 33,800,000.

But by the end of the day, Guilbert had flipped the entire tournament upside down.

From Short Stack to Champion

Six players returned to Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas for an unscheduled Day 2 after the “Single Day Turbo” ran too long to finish in one day.

The final six were:

1. Iago Sturzeneker — 33,800,000

2. Ramiro Petrone — 13,300,000

3. Eelis Parssinen — 12,300,000

4. Andrija Robovic — 5,800,000

5. Johan Guilbert — 3,700,000

6. Michael Moncek — 2,900,000

On paper, Guilbert had work to do. He was sitting with only about four big blinds, which usually means there is very little room for error.

But tournament poker can change fast, especially in a turbo.

Guilbert wasted no time. Within the opening minutes, he eliminated Andrija Robovic in sixth place. That immediately gave him chips, momentum, and a path back into the tournament.

From there, everything started to fall his way.

The Hand That Launched the Comeback

One of the biggest turning points came against Michael “Texas Mike” Moncek.

Moncek had been applying pressure with several all-in moves. Eventually, he shoved again from the button, and Guilbert called from the big blind for his tournament life.

Moncek had A♠ J♣.

Guilbert had K♣ J♥.

Guilbert was dominated, but the K♠ 3♥ 2♥ flop changed everything. His king paired, and when the turn and river failed to help Moncek, Guilbert doubled.

That hand flipped the energy of the table.

Moncek went from applying pressure to falling toward the bottom of the counts, while Guilbert suddenly had enough chips to become dangerous.

Pocket Aces Change Everything

The next major swing came in a three-way all-in.

Moncek moved all in from under the gun. Sturzeneker reshoved as the covering stack. Then Guilbert woke up with A♠ A♥ on the button and called.

Moncek had Q♣ 4♥.

Sturzeneker had 7♥ 7♣.

The board ran out 5♦ 10♠ 3♣ 4♦ 5♠, giving Guilbert the massive pot and eliminating Moncek in fifth place.

Just like that, Guilbert went from one of the shortest stacks to the chip leader.

That is the brutal beauty of turbo tournament poker. One hand can destroy a stack. One hand can create a champion.

Sturzeneker Falls in Fourth

Iago Sturzeneker entered Day 2 as the clear favorite. He had nearly half the chips in play and looked positioned to chase down his first WSOP bracelet.

But Day 2 did not go his way.

After losing key pots, Sturzeneker found himself all in with J♣ 10♠ against Guilbert’s 9♠ 9♣.

It was a classic race.

The flop came 6♠ 6♣ 2♣, keeping Guilbert ahead. The 4♠ turn changed nothing, and the A♦ river ended Sturzeneker’s run in fourth place for $512,800.

For Sturzeneker, it was still a massive result. But after entering the day with such a dominant lead, fourth place had to feel like a tough ending.

For Guilbert, the elimination pushed him even further into control.

Petrone Falls in Third

Ramiro Petrone was the next player to go.

After surviving a short-stack spot, Petrone called off against Guilbert in a blind-versus-blind confrontation.

Petrone held K♥ 6♥.

Guilbert had J♦ 8♦.

Petrone was ahead, and the flop and turn kept him in front. But the J♥ river gave Guilbert a pair and sent Petrone out in third place for $724,500.

That river card gave Guilbert a massive near 5:1 chip lead going into heads-up play against Eelis Parssinen.

But even with that lead, Guilbert was not celebrating yet.

The Ghost of Second Place

For most players, going into heads-up with a 5:1 chip lead would feel like the bracelet was within reach.

For Guilbert, it brought back memories.

He had been heads-up for a WSOP bracelet three times before.

He finished runner-up in the 2019 WSOP $3,000 Shootout.

He finished runner-up in the WSOP Europe Main Event.

He finished runner-up again in the 2024 $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout.

Three heads-up chances.

Three second-place finishes.

So even with a giant chip lead, Guilbert admitted he still expected the painful ending to repeat itself.

That makes this win more than just another high-stakes victory. It was a personal breakthrough.

Heads-Up Ends Quickly

Eelis Parssinen had the experience, talent, and toughness to make things interesting. He had already rescheduled his travel plans to play the final day, and he was chasing another huge WSOP result of his own.

But Guilbert did not let the match turn around.

On the first hand of heads-up, Parssinen tried to bluff the river. Guilbert called with bottom pair and picked him off, extending the lead even more.

On the next hand, Parssinen shoved with K♥ 9♣.

Guilbert snap-called with A♦ 10♣.

The board ran out J♥ 7♥ 6♠ 2♠ 7♣, giving Guilbert the win.

Parssinen finished runner-up for $1,043,400.

Guilbert finally had his bracelet.

Final Table Results

The final payouts were:

1st — Johan Guilbert, France — $1,534,645
2nd — Eelis Parssinen, Finland — $1,043,400
3rd — Ramiro Petrone, Argentina — $724,500
4th — Iago Sturzeneker, Brazil — $512,800
5th — Michael Moncek, United States — $370,200
6th — Andrija Robovic, Serbia — $272,600
7th — David Chen, United States — $205,000
8th — Eric Yanovsky, United States — $157,300
9th — Denys Chufarin, Ukraine — $123,400

Why This Win Feels Different

Guilbert’s victory is interesting because of where he is in his poker life.

He is no longer grinding the way he once did. He has described poker as more of a hobby now. He plays selected events, streams, invitational games, Triton events, and high-profile spots, but poker is no longer his daily grind.

That makes the timing of this bracelet almost funny.

When he was chasing it hardest, it never came.

Now, when he is playing less and living a different kind of life, the breakthrough finally happened.

That is poker.

Sometimes the game gives you nothing when you are desperate for it.

Then, when you least expect it, everything lines up.

What Poker Players Can Learn From Guilbert’s Win

There are several lessons poker players can take from this final table.

First, stack size is not destiny. Guilbert returned with only four big blinds, but he stayed alive, found spots, and built momentum quickly.

Second, pressure matters. The short stacks had very little room to wait. The players who found the right all-in spots gave themselves chances to survive.

Third, turbo structures create huge swings. A player can go from chip leader to out in fourth. Another can go from short stack to champion.

Fourth, emotional history matters. Guilbert had lost three previous WSOP heads-up matches. That kind of history can weigh on a player. But this time, he pushed through it.

Finally, tournament poker rewards resilience. You do not always control when the big hand comes, when the flip holds, or when the river saves you. But you do control whether you keep giving yourself chances.

Guilbert gave himself one more chance.

This time, he finished the job.

Final Thoughts

Johan Guilbert’s win in the $25,000 GGMillion$ Single Day Turbo is one of the best stories from WSOP Paradise.

It had everything: a huge buy-in, a massive prize pool, a dominant Day 1 chip leader, short-stack drama, big all-ins, a long-awaited bracelet, and a champion who had come painfully close multiple times before.

For Guilbert, the chase is finally over.

After years of second-place finishes and near misses, he now has WSOP gold.

And after a final table that started with him near the bottom of the counts, he proved once again that in tournament poker, you are never truly out until the last chip is gone.