WSOP 2021: Koray Aldemir Leads Final Three in Main Event; Brian Hastings Wins Fifth Bracelet
WSOP 2021: Koray Aldemir Leads Final Three in Main Event; Brian Hastings Wins Fifth Bracelet

After Day 8 of the WSOP Main Event, overnight chip leader and German poker professional Koray Aldemir leads the final three players in their quest for the $8 million top prize. With a massive lead, Aldemir sits ahead of British pro Jack Oliver and George Holmes as the final day of this year’s Rio showstopper looms.

Just Three Remain In The Main Event

The final table of the WSOP Main Event began with nine players in seats, but it wasn’t long before Chase Bianchi departed in ninth place for $1 million. Bianchi was all-in for 9.7 million with the big blind at 800,000 with KsQc but was called by British player Jack Oliver with AdKc and after the board played out 8d8h6sTdJc, Bianchi was on the rail.

Just a couple of minutes later, Jareth East was on the sidelines with just over a million bucks, too. East shoved with AsJh and was called by the three-bet jam of George Holmes, which got folds from the rest of the table. Holmes had QdQc and the AdQh7h flop put his hand way into the lead, and nothing changed across the 4d turn and 6c river.

In seventh place, Argentinian DJ Alejandro Lococo made his departure, as a big hand went the chip leader’s way. Pre-flop, Lococo, holding TcTs, called a three-bet from Aldemir with 9h9d, and a flop of JhJc9c saw Aldemir three-bet and get a call from Lococo. The turn card of 8h saw Aldemir bet 11.6 million and again Lococo called. On the 3d river, Aldemir fired out a pot-sized bet and Lococo called off his stack in seconds, shot down by Aldemir’s flopped full house and out for $1,225,000.

It was Hye Park who busted in sixth place, earning $1.4 million when his 7s7c couldn’t hold against Aldemir in yet another flip that went the way of the German. Aldemir’s AcQd hit a queen on the turn of a board that showed Kd8h2dQh9d and sent Park, the former chip leader in the Main Event, home.

Aldemir wasn’t just winning hands, he was winning every hand in an orbit as the massive chipleader continued to dominate his opponents and put them in ICM hell. That was only getting tougher, of course, with the escalating places and attendant prizes, so when Ozgur Secilmis of Turkey shoved with Kh5h, Aldemir had an easy call with 9s9h. The board of AdAhJhAs8c saw the German add to his stack and sent his opponent home with a prize of $1.8 million.

One more player needed to bust and while it looked like it might be the last remaining British player in Jack Oliver, that was not the case. As he rivered a miracle to stay alive and treble up with a straight, he and his British rail went crazy.

Shortly afterwards, the final three were confirmed when Joshua Remitio busted with Jh7h, called by Jack Oliver from the big blind with As2c with the AsTc7d4s2c board sending Remitio home in fourth for $2.3 million.

Three men remain, with a British, American and German player all hoping to top the 6,550- WSOP Main Event field and become world champion in the Thunderdome.
Johnnie ‘Vibes’ knows who he is picking to go all the way and win the WSOP Main Event tomorrow evening.

Koray Aldemir might be most professionals’ pick, but Matt Affleck has a bone to pick.

Whoever wins, the next 24 hours is about to change their life forever.

WSOP 2021 Event #67 $10,000 Main Event

Chipcounts:

    1. Koray Aldemir – 264,600,000
    2. Jack Oliver – 77,300,000
    3. George Holmes – 57,400,000

Payouts:

4. Joshua Remitio – $2,300,000

5. Ozgur Secilmis – $1,800,000

6. Hye Park – $1,400,000

7. Alejandro Lococo – $1,225,000

8. Jareth East – $1,100,000

9. Chase Bianchi – $1,000,000

Moses Down Takes Crazy Eights

There was a big winner in the value $888-entry Crazy Eights event as David Moses clinched victory after a heads-up win against Sejin Park saw him win his first-ever WSOP bracelet. Moses’ victory came after a rollercoaster final table reconvened.

It was Leonid Yanovski who led the final table, but he busted in fifth place as others at the final table rose from lowly positions to ladder with care and daring in equal measure. German player Timo Kampheus began the day looking up at the field but finished third for over $200,000 before Moses finally got the better of the skilled and experienced Park in the final duel.

WSOP 2021 Event #70 $888 Crazy Eights Final Table Results:

  1. David Moses – $888,888
  2. Sejin Park – $400,888
  3. Timo Kamphues – $200,888
  4. Paul Fehlig – $134,888
  5. Leonid Yanovski – $102,888
  6. Georgios Sotiropoulos – $79,888
  7. Joseph Liberta – $61,888
  8. Farhad Davoudzadeh – $47,888

Brian Hastings Is A Five-Time Bracelet Winner

In the $10,000 Stud Hi-Lo Championship, Brian Hastings won a fifth WSOP bracelet, putting him in the company of only 28 other players in poker history. Hastings came into the final day fourth of the four remaining players, but managed to triumph after a heads-up comeback against Ian O’Hara.

With both Scott Seiver (4th for $107,967) and overnight chip leader Yuval Bronshtein (3rd for $151,460) bowing out before the showdown, only Hastings had previous WSOP success in terms of winning bracelets. O’Hara had the chip lead heads-up, but couldn’t seal the deal to win his debut bracelet, with Hastings triumphing in style as he made a flush and saw O’Hara pair an ace on the river to hand Hastings the title.

WSOP 2021 Event #73 $10,000 Stud Hi-Lo Championship Final Table Results:

  1. Brian Hastings – $352,958
  2. Ian O’Hara – $218,144
  3. Yuval Bronshtein – $151,460
  4. Scott Seiver – $107,967
  5. Marco Johnson – $79,073
  6. John Monnette – $59,545
  7. Erik Seidel – $46,140
  8. Gary Benson – $36,821

At the final table of Event #74, the $2,500-entry Big Bet Mix event, Russian player Denis Strebkov went wire-to-wire in claiming his second WSOP bracelet and the $117,898 top prize. Jerry Wong was the unfortunate player to finish in second place after a run to the heads-up which saw both men outlast the field due to a mixture of chip dominance and daring.

Wong went into the heads-up battle with a marginal lead but lost it almost immediately in a hand where he tried to bluff Strebkov off a flush and failed to do so. With the tournament ending a short time later, the Russian player had won a second WSOP bracelet and the only six-figure prize on offer, while Wong, like everyone else at the seven-handed final table, had to conceded to Strebkov’s dominance after he led from the start then closed out an impressive victory.

WSOP 2021 Event #74 $2,500 Big Bet Mix Final Table Results:

  1. Denis Strebkov – $117,898
  2. Jerry Wong – $72,868
  3. Pearce Arnold – $48,864
  4. Richard Bai – $33,583
  5. Shanmukha Meruga – $23,670
  6. Patrik Ciklamini – $17,119
  7. Hooman Nizad – $12,715

In the denouement of Event #76, the $10,000-entry Super Turbo Bounty event, just seven players entered the second and final day of play. When the dust settled, French poker professional Romain Lewis had won his first-ever WSOP bracelet and the top prize of $463,885.

Heading into the action, Ukrainian player Yevgeny Timoshenko had just seven big blinds, and they went into the middle when he was dealt 8d8c in early position. WSOP 2019 Main Event runner-up Dario Sammartino made the call with QdQc and stayed ahead through the board of 4h2s2c9hTd as he busted his Ukrainian opponent and the Italian got a vital boost to his stack.

Sadly for Sammartino, it was merely a stay of execution. Up to 15 big blinds, he hoped to make that 30 when he moved all-in with Ad6c pre-flop from the small blind. The Italian was in great shape to do so with Stephen Chidwick calling him with Ad3h, but the Kh3d2hTcKc board put paid to his hopes and helped Chidwick chip up in the process.

After Barth Melius busted in fifth place for $103,547 and Uri Reichenstein left in fourth for $142,840, Chidwick himself was eventually ousted in third for $200,598. The British poker legend and WSOP bracelet winner shoved from the small blind with KdJs but was behind Aditya Agarwal’s QhQd and stayed that way through the Ac3c3s5h2c board.

Heads-up, Agarwal had a 3:1 chip lead, but Lewis won a crucial flip with pocket fives holding before the final hand saw the Frenchman triumph with Th9h against Agarwal’s As3c, a ten on the turn clinching the debut WSOP victory and $463,885 top prize and sending the delighted professional’s rail into raptures.

WSOP 2021 Event #76 $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty Final Table Results:

  1. Romain Lewis – $463,885
  2. Aditya Agarwal – $286,705
  3. Stephen Chidwick – $200,598
  4. Uri Reichenstein – $142,840
  5. Barth Melius – $103,547
  6. Dario Sammartino – $76,442
  7. Yevgeniy Timoshenko – $57,489
  8. Haribhai Gopaul – $44,060

In Event #75, Renmei Liu bagged the chip lead heading into the eight-handed final day of action as the $1,500 Freezeout’s penultimate day took place. Liu piled up 7.1 million chips, with others such as Nicholas Hubers (5.6 million) and Kaue De Souza (4.54million) also having great days at the felt.

On a day when players such as David Pham, Simon Lofberg, Asi Moshe and Mike Watson all fell close to the final, play was fast and furious, with tomorrow’s final expected to be the same. We’ll find out who wins the $270,877 top prize and their first-ever WSOP bracelet tomorrow.

WSOP 2021 Event #75 $1,500 Freezeout NLHE Final Table Chipcounts:

  1. Renmei Liu – 7,100,000
  2. Nicholas Hubers – 5,600,000
  3. Kaue De Souza – 4,540,000
  4. Chad Himmelspach – 4,000,000
  5. Tarun Gulati – 3,080,000
  6. Ori Hasson – 3,020,000
  7. Stefan Reiser – 1,985,000
  8. Seth Evans – 925,000

In the penultimate tournament of eight to take place on Day 48, Ryan Depaulo bagged up the biggest pile of chips in the $1,500-entry FIFTY STACK event.

With a total of 1,501 entries into the tournament, just 114 players survived to take on the next day’s play as Ryan Depaulo piled up 2,735,000 chips, a clear chip lead over Craig Burke (2,080,000) and John Gorsuch (1,525,000), with everyone outside the top eight players having less than half of Depaulo’s stack.

WSOP 2021 Event #77 $1,500 FIFTY STACK Top 10 Chipcounts:

  1. Ryan Depaulo – 2,735,000
  2. Craig Burke – 2,080,000
  3. John Gorsuch – 1,525,000
  4. Valentyn Shabelnyk – 1,490,000
  5. Kevin Theodore – 1,410,000
  6. Roongsak Griffeth – 1,375,000
  7. Garrett Beckman – 1,375,000
  8. Ron Moisescu – 1,375,000
  9. Scott Hall – 1,280,000
  10. Ryan Hiller – 1,275,000

With just eight days to play in the 2021 WSOP, the 78th event to begin was the $10,000-entry Razz Championship, with Jeff Lisandro leading the field after an entertaining Day 1 at the felt.

The Australian’s stack of 270,500 dwarfs most, but Phil Hellmuth (237,500) and Brian Hastings (212,000) who sit second and third in chips respectively, will feel like they have a great shot at victory. Indeed, Phil Hellmuth is as positive as you can imagine at his chances.

WSOP 2021 Event #78 $10,000 Razz Championship Top 10 Chipcounts:

 

Jeff Lisandro – 270,500

Phil Hellmuth – 237,500

Brian Hastings – 212,000

Nicolai Morris – 209,000

Jordan Siegel – 200,000

Chip Jett – 184,000

Max Pescatori – 178,500

Adam Owen – 178,000

Erik Sagstrom – 175,500

Shane Littlefield – 173,000

Finally… what are you doing between May and July next year? Us too.