3-Bet: David Gradic & Thomas Scott Win WSOPC Rings; Chris Moneymaker Wins a Title on His Own Tour

The poker world saw three feel-good stories unfold this week, with two new WSOP Circuit champions and a Hall of Famer adding another chapter to his legendary career. In this 3-Bet rundown, we dive into David Gradic’s breakout run on the French Riviera, Thomas Scott’s dream debut in Tunica, and Chris Moneymaker’s special win on the tour that bears his name.

Over in Aix-en-Provence, what started as a quiet vacation turned into a life-changing decision for Slovenia’s David Gradic (cover image – left). Stopping by the Pasino Grand, Gradic decided to jump into the €1,000 WSOP Circuit Main Event hosted by Texapoker. A few intense days later, he found himself holding the gold ring, €160,000 in prize money, and tickets to both the $10,000 WSOP Main Event and the WSOP Tournament of Champions. The event drew a massive 1,433 entries and built a €1,238,112 prize pool. Gradic dominated the final table, knocking out six of his seven opponents, including runner-up Thierry Amirault (€110,500), to pick up his first WSOPC title.

Meanwhile, at the Horseshoe Tunica stop of the WSOP Circuit, Alabama’s Thomas Scott (cover image – right top) made a dream run of his own. Playing in just the fourth tournament of his life, the 55-year-old topped a 144-entry field in Event #4: $400 No Limit Hold’em Seniors Event. Scott pulled off some gutsy bluffs and rode a wave of momentum all the way to the winner’s circle, collecting $12,070 and his first WSOP Circuit ring. Rodney Reames finished second for $7,196 after a fierce heads-up battle, but the day belonged to Scott — and to his now-signature post-hand celebration, a roaring “WOOOOOO!!!!!” that lit up the tournament floor.

And in Maryland, poker legend Chris Moneymaker (cover image – right bottom) added another special win to his résumé — this time on the Moneymaker Tour, the very circuit named after him. Moneymaker, whose 2003 WSOP Main Event victory helped spark the modern poker boom, captured the $300 Mixed Omaha event at MGM National Harbor. The event drew 71 entries, creating a $17,750 prize pool, with Moneymaker banking $5,195 after a three-way deal with Jordan Diamond (2nd for $3,710) and Mariya Persanova (3rd for $2,863). It’s the latest highlight for the Poker Hall of Famer, whose namesake tour continues to build momentum across the U.S. — and now includes a trophy win from the man himself.

David Gradic Turns a French Riviera Vacation into a WSOP Circuit Victory Worth €160,000

What was supposed to be a quiet holiday on the French Riviera quickly turned into a career-defining detour for David Gradic. Visiting Aix-en-Provence for some rest before diving into the upcoming online poker grind, the Slovenian player decided to take a casual shot at the €1,000 WSOP Circuit Main Event hosted by Texapoker at the Pasino Grand. A few days later, he was walking away not just with the tournament trophy, but also €160,000 richer — and with a ticket punched to both the $10,000 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas and the WSOP Tournament of Champions in Los Angeles.

Gradic topped a massive 1,433-entry field to win his first WSOP Circuit ring, carving through a tough final table where he eliminated six of his seven opponents. Among those he sent to the rail were heavyweights like WSOP bracelet winner Julien Sitbon, Cécile Ticherfatine, Aliosha Staes, Axel Hallay, and eventually Thierry Amirault, who finished second for €110,500 after an impressive run marked by a creative playing style.

Congratulations to David Gradic, who outlasted a record-breaking field of 1,433 entries to win the WSOP Circuit €1,000 Main Event at Pasino Grand for €160,000 ! 💍 pic.twitter.com/Fcgdx2upcU

— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) April 22, 2025

Although Gradic is no stranger to success online — having started his poker journey back in 2017 — his live poker résumé is still in its early days. Before this trip, he had just four recorded cashes since 2023, including a previous first-place finish last summer. The decision to take a shot at the Main Event during his vacation wasn’t part of an ambitious tournament schedule. It was more of a last-minute call — and one that almost ended before it even started.

Gradic’s first bullet didn’t go to plan. Running aces into ace-eight, he watched helplessly as the board ran out eight on the turn and another eight on the river. But he didn’t let the early setback derail him. Re-entering for Day 1B, Gradic built a strong stack and stayed among the leaders for the rest of the way.

The deeper the tournament ran, the harder the competition became. Gradic kept his approach simple: avoid unnecessary big pots, pick his spots, and capitalize when he got his chips in good. His steady, quiet progress went unnoticed for a while — until he started knocking players out en route to the final table one after another. Coming into the final table with the second-biggest stack gave him enough flexibility to stay aggressive without putting himself at too much risk. From there, things fell into place.

While Gradic didn’t go into the tournament thinking about a deep run, the win has opened some doors — and created some new decisions. With EPT Monte-Carlo just a few kilometers away from Aix-en-Provence, there’s the tempting prospect of extending his trip to jump into one of Europe’s most prestigious tournaments. But Gradic sounded cautious, saying he needed a few days off to process everything before committing to another grind. After all, the original plan was a vacation.

One thing is for sure: this win has changed his summer plans. Before the final hand was even dealt, Gradic wasn’t sure if a trip to Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker was realistic. He wanted to make sure his bankroll could support the journey. That changed in an instant when he found out his Main Event seat had already been taken care of as part of the winner’s prize package. His face lit up at the news — a long-held dream now within reach.

The €1,000 Main Event generated a prize pool of €1,238,112, with payouts going to the top 206 finishers. Several well-known names found their way into the money after Lorenzo Murgia fell out on the money bubble, including former EPT Main Event champion Uri Gilboa (112th, €2,550), WSOP bracelet winner Romain Lewis (127th, €2,550), former EPT champion Nicolas Dumont (133rd, €2,550), and Antonin Teisseire (177th, €2,050).

With the elimination of Alex Sampirisi in ninth place for €16,200, the eight-handed final table was formed.

Final Table Recap

The final table of the WSOP Circuit Main Event kicked off with a dramatic split: four players sitting pretty with towering stacks, and four others hanging by a thread with barely 10 big blinds between them. Among the short stacks was Aliosha Staes, but he wasted no time finding a lifeline, doubling through Farid Diaf to climb out of danger. Diaf, on the other hand, found himself on the ropes. Despite pulling off two quick double-ups of his own, he couldn’t dodge elimination for long and bowed out first in eighth place.

Winamax Team Pro Julien Sitbon wasn’t far behind. He was the next to hit the rail in seventh place, with Cécile Ticherfatine following soon after in sixth, despite having scored a brief double-up against Axel Hallay earlier.

With just five players left, the tournament hit its first break — and the momentum shifted. After the restart, the action slowed, but Staes wasn’t done shaking things up. He doubled again, and then pulled off a third double-up by flopping the nut flush against David Gradic, briefly throwing a wrench into Gradic’s climb.

Meanwhile, the day’s starting chip leader Julien Bolimowski was seeing his tournament unravel. After a costly clash with Gradic and losing a crucial flip to Hallay, Bolimowski was left nursing just two big blinds. In a wild twist, he managed to crack aces to stay alive for another orbit, but his luck didn’t last. His ace-queen couldn’t outrun a three on the river, and he exited in fifth place.

Aliosha Staes’ impressive laddering came to an end next. His fourth-place finish set the stage for Gradic to tighten his grip on the table. By now, Gradic’s stack was double that of his two remaining opponents combined — and he wasn’t slowing down. Pocket aces in hand, he made short work of Axel Hallay’s ace-queen, sending Hallay out in third and heading into heads-up with a mountain of chips.

The heads-up match against Thierry Amirault was over almost as soon as it began. On the final hand, Amirault limped in from the button and Gradic bumped it up to 1.80 Million from the big blind. Amirault called, and the dealer laid out a flop. Gradic fired 1 Million into the pot, only to see Amirault shove his last 8.20 Million chips into the middle. Gradic snap-called, flipping over for top pair, while Amirault showed for bottom pair.

The turn and river brought no miracles for Amirault, and with that, David Gradic officially took the crown, clinching the WSOP Circuit Main Event title in style.

Final Table Results (Euro)

1. David Gradic – €160,000*
2. Thierry Amirault – €110,500
3. Axel Hallay – €79,250
4. Aliosha Staes – €58,400
5. Julien Bolimowski – €43,812
6. Cécile Ticherfatine – €33,500
7. Julien Sitbon – €26,000
8. Farid Diaf – €20,400

*Includes a 2025 WSOP Main Event ticket worth $10,000

‘WOOOO!’ – Local Rookie Thomas Scott Bluffs His Way to a WSOPC Ring at Tunica

Talk about making an entrance. Thomas Scott, a 55-year-old from Red Bay, Alabama, pulled off a dream run at the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) stop at Horseshoe Tunica, clinching the win in Event #4: $400 No Limit Hold’em Seniors Event — and he did it in just the fourth poker tournament of his life.

The event brought in 144 entries and built a $47,520 prize pool. When the dust settled, it was Scott standing tall, earning his first Circuit ring and a $12,070 payday. His victory came at the expense of runner-up Rodney Reames, who had to settle for $7,196 after coming up short in the final duel.

The road to the title wasn’t paved in smooth, straightforward poker either. The final table saw Scott pull off several daring bluffs, mixed in with a healthy dose of “run-good,” and punctuated by his now-famous post-hand celebration: a booming, crowd-pleasing “WOOOOOO!!!!!” that echoed across the tournament floor.

“This is ring number one and my fourth tournament ever,” Scott said after the win, visibly running on fumes but still riding the high of the moment. “I’m fixing to go sleep. I had no sleep. You know I’m going to sleep.”

Asked about his strategy at the final table, Scott kept it refreshingly honest: “A lot of luck. A lot of bluff. I don’t know if I just look pissed off all the time, but I think that helped.”

Scott’s story is one of those rare poker tales where heart, nerve, and a little bit of chaos come together at just the right time. From barely any live experience to a WSOP Circuit ring — and a celebration for the ages — Thomas Scott’s “WOOOOO” now rings loud and clear at Horseshoe Tunica.

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Thomas Scott – $12,070
2. Rodney Reames – $7,196
3. Marty Mayes – $5,140
4. David Scott Hiett – $3,731
5. Rose Cooney – $2,641
6. Brian Paulus – $1,896
7. Rodney Karr – $1,476
8. Richard Bascom – $1,266
9. David Kalen – $1,062
10. Larry Fisher Hauer – $913

Chris Moneymaker Wins a Title on His Own Tour – Bags $5,195 in the $300 Mixed Omaha Following a Three-Way Deal

Chris Moneymaker has done a lot of things in poker — but on April 23, 2025, he pulled off something that feels extra special: winning an event on the very tour that carries his name.

It’s been more than two decades since Moneymaker changed the course of poker history. Back in 2003, the former accountant famously parlayed an $86 online satellite into the World Series of Poker Main Event title, pocketing $2.5 million and igniting what would become known as the “Moneymaker Effect.” His win sparked a tidal wave of new players flooding into the game, fueling the poker boom of the early 2000s.

Since then, Moneymaker has stayed a constant in the poker world. From earning his place in the Poker Hall of Fame in 2019 to launching the Moneymaker Tour in 2023, he has never strayed far from the heart of the game he helped transform. The tour has quickly built a reputation for its player-friendly stops, popping up at venues across the United States — and even taking a detour to Aruba.

The latest chapter of the Moneymaker Tour is unfolding this week at MGM National Harbor in Maryland, running from April 21 to 28. While several preliminary winners have already been crowned, it’s Moneymaker’s own triumph that’s captured the spotlight.

Playing in a $300 Mixed Omaha event, Moneymaker outlasted a field of 71 entries to grab the win. The event built a prize pool of $17,750, with payouts going to the top nine finishers. Moneymaker earned $5,195 for his run, thanks to a three-way deal struck at the final table with Jordan Diamond (2nd for $3,710) and Mariya Persanova (3rd for $2,863).

💰 The man behind the poker boom and namesake to our tour, won his first MMT trophy last night @MGMNatlHarbor! @CMONEYMAKER ($5,195) won Mixed Omaha Event 5 in a three handed deal besting a field of 70 entries!

Congrats again Chris! 🏆 🫡

Full Results: https://t.co/vcvljPl4Wa pic.twitter.com/eVMWvi2KoM

— Moneymaker Tour (@MoneymakerTour) April 23, 2025

This victory was his first title on the Moneymaker Tour, but far from his first brush with success on it. Before this, he had already made six other final tables and notched four additional cashes. His deepest finishes had been a pair of third-place showings — until now.

At 49 years old, Moneymaker keeps proving he’s far from done. He now boasts over $8 million in lifetime earnings, with four of his five largest cashes coming within just the past two years. While this particular win didn’t quite crack his top 50 tournament scores, it was a fitting moment — a poker pioneer capturing gold on a tour that exists because of his enduring impact.

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Chris Moneymaker – $5,195*
2. Jordan Diamond – $3,710*
3. Mariya Persanova – $2,863*
4. Scott Mcintosh – $1,531
5. Stanwood Yang – $1,181
6. Jeremy Schofer – $919
7. Carl Buckland – $788
8. Matthew Mullins – $700
9. Gerald Storseth – $613

*denotes a three-way deal

Content & Images Courtesy: World Series of Poker