German poker pro Koray Aldemir is the 2021 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion. He outlasted 6,649 opponents across nine days of intense poker tournament action to collect his first WSOP bracelet and a cool $8,000,000 in cash.
The WSOP Main Event final table commenced on November 16 with nine players. It only took five hands for the first player to fall by the wayside.
Jack Oliver min-raised from late position with Ad-Kc, George Holmes called in the small blind, only for Chase Bianchi to three-bet all-in for 9,700,000 from the big blind. Oliver four-bet shoved, and Holmes folded. Bianchi showed Ks-Qc, and lost courtesy of the 6s-8h-8d-Td-Jc board.
Short-stack Jareth East fell one hand later. He pushed all-in for 6,300,000 (7.8 big blinds), and Holmes three-bet shoved to successfully isolate. East flipped over As-Jh but needed help against Holmes’ Qd-Qc. The Ad-Qh-7h flop left East drawing thin. The 4d turn left him drawing dead.
Aldemir found himself in the envious position of an overwhelming chip leader. His stack contained more than twice as many chips as any of his rivals. This allowed him to pick his spots carefully and stay out of trouble.
Aldemir Claims First Scalp; Extends Lead
Hand 61 of the final table saw Aldemir send Alejandro Lococo home in seventh. Lococo min-raised to 2,000,000 and call when Aldemir three-bet to 5,600,000. Lococo check-called a 3,900,000 bet on the Jh-Jc-9c flop, and an 11,400,000 bet on the 8h turn. The river was the 3d, and Lococo checked again. Aldemir over-bet the river and Lococo called all-in for his 46,100,000 stack. Lococo showed Tc-Ts, but Aldemir held 9h-9d for a full house.
Sixth place was decided on the 82nd hand of the tournament. Hye Park limped in from the small blind for 1,200,000, prompting Aldemir to raise to 3,800,000. Park responded with a 20,600,000 shove, which was snapped off. Park’s 7s-7s was flipping against Ac-Qd. The Kd-8h-2d-Qh-9d board sent Park to the showers.
Turkey’s Ozgur Secilmis was the next player heading to the exits. Secilmis open-shoved for 14.5 big blinds from under the gun with Kh-5h. Aldemir re-shoved with 9h-9s, which held on the Jh-Ad-Ah-As-8c run-out.
A massive pot left Joshua Remitio short, and he busted the next hand. Oliver pushed all-in for 20,500,000 with Jd-9d, Remitio moved all-in for 27,200,000 with Ah-Js, and Aldemir called with Qs-Qh. The dramatic Td-9h-8s flop gave something to everyone. The 3d turn gave Oliver a flush draw, which came in on the 7d river.
Remitio moved all-in for eight big blinds with Jh-7h the very next hand and lost to the As-2c of Oliver.
Final Three Return a Day Later
Remitio’s exit brought the curtain down on the Main Event, with the players returning on November 17. It took until the 168th hand of the final table to send the tournament heads-up.
A battle of the blinds saw Oliver move all-in for almost 18 big blinds with Ac-8d. Holmes tanked for more than a minute before calling with Qs-Js. Oliver hit an eight on the flop but lost when Holmes turned a jack on the 8h-7h-5s-Jc-9h board.
Aldemir held a 261,900,000 to 137,400,000 lead over Holmes going into heads-up. However, it took 55 hands for the new champion to emerge. Holmes put up a valiant fight and even claimed the chip lead for himself. But the 223rd hand of the Main Event final table was the last.
Holmes raised to 6,000,000 at the 1,200,000/2,400,000/2,400,000a level, and Aldemir called. Aldemir check-raised Holmes’ 6,000,000 continuation bet to 19,000,000 on the Th-7s-2h flop; Holmes called. Aldemir led for 36,500,000 on the Ks turn, and Holmes called. The 9c river saw Aldemir check after much deliberation. Holmes moved all-in for 133,000,000, only 10,000,000 fewer chips than his opponent. The German went into the tank for almost three minutes, before emerging with a call. Aldemir showed Td-7d, which beat Holmes’ Kc-Qs.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Koray Aldemir | Germany | $8,000,000 |
| 2 | George Holmes | United States | $4,300,000 |
| 3 | Jack Oliver | United Kingdom | $3,000,000 |
| 4 | Joshua Remitio | United States | $2,300,000 |
| 5 | Ozgyr Secilmis | Turkey | $1,800,000 |
| 6 | Hye Park | United States | $1,400,000 |
| 7 | Alejandro Lococo | Argentina | $1,225,000 |
| 8 | Jareth East | United Kingdom | $1,100,000 |
| 9 | Chase Bianchi | United States | $1,000,000 |
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Brad Johnson
You name the game, and you can bet your bottom dollar that Brad has either played it or placed a wager on it! Brad calls himself a natural gambler, and someone who gains as much enjoyment from writing about the crazy game of poker as he does playing it.