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WSOP MAIN EVENT 2025 : How much did the finalists actually pocket after taxes?
2025-07-23 - RICHARD Fabien
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Behind the record-breaking figures and the winners’ smiles lies a more sobering reality: the taxman. For in poker, as in life, millions never land cleanly in the champions’ pockets.

A world champion stripped of 40% of his winnings, Europeans completely escaping taxation, and an invisible opponent pocketing over $10 million—these were the real results after the IRS "struck" following the WSOP 2025 Main Event final table!

 

The champions of the felt… and of tax law

 

 

Behind the lights of the 2025 Main Event, another tournament was quietly taking place: the tax game. Because while Michael Mizrachi lifted the trophy, it was the U.S. tax authority that took home the real jackpot. The IRS collected $10.05 million from the $31.05 million awarded at the final table—an effective rate of 32.37%. A record.

First takeaway: reigning champion Michael Mizrachi ends up with "only" $6.03 million out of the $10 million promised, with a nearly 40% deduction. His Florida residency did not shield him from federal taxes, and as a professional player, he’s also liable for U.S. social charges. The legend known as “The Grinder” grinded… for the IRS.

But the biggest tax loser lies elsewhere. Leo Margets, from Spain, saw nearly half of her winnings vanish: $705,000 out of $1.5 million. Spain remains one of the harshest countries for poker players, and has no tax treaty with the U.S. Same fate for Korea’s Daehyung Lee, who will forfeit 51.7% of his earnings—more than he actually keeps.

Conversely, some European finalists were spared the axe. Belgian Kenny Hallaert (resident in London) and Serbian Luka Bojovic (based in Vienna) won't pay a cent thanks to favorable tax treaties with the UK and Austria. Result? They walk away with 100% of their prizes: $3 million for Hallaert, $2.4 million for Bojovic. Thanks to this tax break, Hallaert even moves up to third place in the net earnings ranking, ahead of Braxton Dunaway.

Another notable case: Jarod Minghini and Adam Hendrix lost more than a third of their payouts, just like John Wasnock, the tournament’s runner-up. The latter loses over $2.2 million of his original $6 million. No full jackpot for him either.

In the end, while the gross prize distribution rewarded performance at the table, the real post-tax standings tell a very different story—one shaped more by politics and geography than poker skill.

The real winner of WSOP 2025? It’s not Mizrachi or Hallaert. It’s the U.S. Treasury. “Mr. Taxman” walks away with a bigger haul than the world champion himself.

 

(Photo credits: somuchpoker.com and acesbook.com)

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