Koray Aldemir Becomes 2021 WSOP Main Event Champion

Written by Jennifer Newell

Last updated on November 18th, 2021

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Day 49 of the 2021 World Series of Poker delivered American and Brazilian champions in No Limit Hold’em events. Other players competed for WSOP gold in Razz and Omaha. And players came together for a special Poker Hall of Fame bounty tournament that featured some of the biggest and most lauded players in the game.

And then there was the Main Event. It played out dramatically late into the evening, taking more than six hours to find a winner.

Let’s see how everything played out, starting with Koray Aldemir becoming the 2021 WSOP Main Event champion.

Event 67: $10K WSOP Main Event

Only three players remained when Day 9 of the Main Event began. The UK’s Jack Oliver was the shortest of the three stacks (57.4M), with American George Holmes holding the middle stack (77.3M) and German Koray Aldemir maintaining the chip lead (264.6M).

The final table had started on the previous day and played 125 hands. With only three players left, action started on Wednesday, November 17, with Aldemir using his big stack, as one might expect he would. But then Holmes got aggressive. He took some from Oliver, though the latter did double back through Holmes. Oliver continued to lose ground, though, and finally pushed his last 35.7M all-in with A-8. After some thought, Holmes called with Q-J suited. The board delivered an eight on the flop but a jack on the turn. That sent Oliver out in third place with a $3M consolation prize.

Head-up play started on the 169^th hand of the final table with Aldemir holding 261.9M to the 137.4M of Holmes.

It was Holmes who took control and chipped up, ultimately taking over the chip lead just eight hands into the duel. Aldemir took it back a few hands later, Holmes then took it back with a pot worth well over 100M chips. The two then exchanged the lead over the next couple dozen hands.

Finally, on the 223^rd hand of the final table and after a serious and tense battle, the final hand developed. Aldemir had 205.1M chips, and Holmes started with 194.2M.

Holmes raises to 6M.

Aldemir calls.

-Flop: 10h-7s-2h

Aldemir checks.

Holmes bets 6M.

Aldemir check-raises to 19M.

Holmes calls.

-Turn: Ks

Aldemir bets 36.5M.

Holmes calls.

-River: 9c

Aldemir checks.

Holmes moves all in for 133M.

Aldemir tanks and calls.

Holmes shows Kc-Qs (top pair).

Aldemir shows 10d-7d (two pair).

Professional poker player Koray Aldemir won the Main Event. Recreational home game player George Holmes finished in second place.

 

Event 75: $1,500 NLHE Freezeout

Eight players unbagged their chips to play the third and final day of this single buy-in tournament. The playdown was somewhat cautious until heads-up play, when it slowed significantly. The two finalists fought hard for the title until Chad Himmelspach finally claimed it. He told PokerNews that he’s been playing since 2003 but finally achieved this goal of a bracelet and largest tournament payday:

“Feeling good. … I’ve been kind of a veteran, actually, at this point, since 2003. It’s kind of crazy.”

 

In the shadow of the Main Event, Chad Himmelspach took down the $1,500 NLH Freezeout to earn $270,877 and his first WSOP bracelet.
📸: @RomeForReal https://t.co/9t7yUR7gF8 pic.twitter.com/UuBmhpDumE

— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) November 18, 2021

Event 77: $1,500 NLHE Fifty Stack

The first day reduced this field from around 1500 to 226, and the second day played it out. The day’s original chipleader, Ryan Depaulo, finished in 37^th place for $7,100, and 2020 Main Event champion Damian Salas busted shortly before that in 44^th place.

An international final table saw two-time bracelet winner Elio Fox out in seventh place, a Frenchman out in sixth, an Israeli player out in fourth, and the Czech out in third. And in the end, Brazilian Paulo Joanello and his excited rail won celebrated victory. He spoke with PokerNews afterward:

“When he came back in heads-up, I thought I was going to lose. But I looked at the bracelet, and my rail and I said no, this is going to Brazil and these people. And I’m very happy. … Today, I ran good. It feels awesome. … It’s a dream, a dream come true. I have no voice left because I was yelling, but it’s a dream for all of us.”

 

The moment Paulo Joanello won the #wsop FIFTY Stack #vamoooooo pic.twitter.com/RkmOCIblJc

— Kevin Mathers (@Kevmath) November 18, 2021

Event 78: $10K Razz Championship

A small but tough field thinned from 63 players on Day 2 down to only 13 survivors. Payouts started in the evening with Brian Rast in 17^th place for $16,299. Long Tran followed, as did David Benyamine and John Racener. The final day brings big names like Phil Hellmuth and Erik Seidel in with short stacks and Brad Ruben, Shirley Rosario, and Benny Glaser in with medium stacks. John Monette is in third on the leaderboard, but partypoker Ambassador Yuri Dzivielevski holds the chip lead.

 

Event 79: $1,979 NLHE Poker Hall of Fame Bounty

This was a fun and exciting tournament with many members of the Poker Hall of Fame in the tournament as bounties. They included Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, Scotty Nguyen, Linda Johnson, Barbara Enright, and Phil Hellmuth, as well as the latest inductee, Eli Elezra. New WSOP Master of Ceremonies Vince Vaughn also played with a bounty.

The night ended with 63 players, and the fast structure will push them to play it all out today. Players like Joao Vieira and Scott Davies remain in the action, with Michael Gathy and Ole Schemion holding solid stacks. Jerry Wong sits in second in chips behind Filipino Marc Rivera.

 

Event 80: $3K PLO 6-Handed

The first day of this event brought in nearly 500 entries for a prize pool that exceeded $1.3M. More than 100 players made it through to play the second of three days.