Le jour de Loire (€176,000)

A benchmark success for Julien Loire, who came so close to winning the bracelet at the WSOP 2022 World Championships! The Frenchman won the CPS 2025 Main Event, which attracted 491 entrants, taking home his best trophy but not his biggest career prize... he left the Circus Casino Resort in Namur with €176,000.

CPS 2025 Main Event Payout (491 entries / Prizepool: €942,230)
Winner Fr Julien Loire: €176,000
Runner Up Alg Omar Lakhdari €110,500
3rd Fr Xavier Sitruk: €79,500
4th Be Anton Deglinne: €61,000
5th Fr Silma Macalou: €47,000
6th Be Bart Lybaert: €36,500
7th Br Wellington Lessa Guedes: €28,200
8th 🇳🇱 Dominique Liebrechts: €21,900
9th 🇮🇹 Marco Dippolito: €17,340

"It's incredible, it happens sometimes (to win)... I'm grateful that it happened this time for me, here. Three tournaments, two finals and a trophy, that's the jackpot," Julien Loire told reporters a few minutes after posing... in particular with Seb Hetzel, with whom he shared a villa this summer in Las Vegas.

Belgian WSOP champion Michael Gathy was there and, from Miami, he watched the stream to give the champion a few tips at the breaks. "We've known each other since the Poker Stragegy days, and the people around you who believe in you and the support of good players helps," confirms the winner, humbled by his victory.

With his poker under control, and two favourable turns, one against Wellington Lessa Guedes and one on the final hand of the turn, Julien Loire didn't really tremble. Even when Omar Lakhdari was in control of the tournament. "He's huge... I was menotting and I couldn't do much, I was in ICM prison," laughs the Frenchman before looking back.

"It's funny, I played my first live show in Namur, the SuperSide... i couldn't do the WaSOP at €550," recalls Julien, not unhappy with the renovation and creation of the complex. "The Resort, going to your room when you want, the tournament structure, it's comfortable Namur," explains Julien before confiding some big news.

"After that, I'm not going to change what I play. I'm comfortable at my buy-in level, even if you can't rule out titillating higher. No martingale, that's not my style", concluded the player who put everyone in agreement with his game and his humility. Well done champion and see you soon at home in Namur!

Replay of the final with Benny and Yu on commentary

Omar Lakhdari runner-up

"It's the Lakhdari effect... i was here for the €176,000," explains Omar to his tormentor a few minutes after Julien Loire 's success in the CPS Main Event. As the Frenchman answered journalists' questions, and wondered about Xavier Sitruk's exit from a daring shove with Valet 9, the man who was Belgian champion in 2023 and has just won the WSOPC Main Event at Middelkerke came to congratulate the winner. Fair-play and shy at times, Omar is far from being a loudmouth outside the tables, so he warmly congratulates Julien before disappearing...

The final shot could have been the start of another story. Dominated at the start of the duel, Omar managed to get back to the starting positions by finding a Full House with 6 and 7 on the button... Julien had the Jacks and this move didn't faze him, he resumed his grind to find Queen Jack of Diamonds in the big blind with a hundred blinds.

Omar opened in the dark to 300,000 chips and Julien Loire put in a raise to 1.1 million chips. Lakhdari looks at his first card and finds an Ace, he instantly goes "7 million". "You don't steal from a thief," laughs the WPTDS Brussels winner, on track for a Belgian Grand Slam on this heads-up, and still with 50 blinds at this point.

Loire asks the dealer if Omar has really looked at his cards, who says he can't tell and pays not happy. "No Aces," Omar stomps as the flop falls and he shoves his remaining 3 blinds, asking Julien "what have you got?".

Showdown and it was time for Julien, runner-up of a WSOP in 2022 for a bigger payout than tonight. The Frenchman reveals his broadway and immediately pans the Queen, followed by a harmless river that takes Julien to the pinnacle of Belgian poker.

Omar will be consoling himself with €110,500, and a month at 250 bars... "Not bad" he reacts, heading for the Bahamas to Lakhdarise everyone.