Profile of Koray Aldemir 2021 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion
2021 was a big year for poker, a year that saw the return of the World Series of Poker after a year away due to the Global Covid-19 pandemic. Koray Aldemir, the German born Austrian resident would win the event and claim his first ever bracelet. The win was the third in his career of more than a million dollars and has taken his career earnings to over the £20,000,000 mark.
Aldemir and the 2021 World Series of Poker Main Event
The Main Event at the 2021 World Series of Poker was much awaited after a year away, with the chance to crown the first live poker World Champion in two years. 6,650 players lined up in the Main Event and the total prize fund was more than $62 million. $8 million would go to the eventual winner.
After eight days of gruelling play, the event came down to the final table and surprisingly, there wasn’t a single bracelet winner in the final nine. Each player already had a prize of $1 million guaranteed, but only one player could take home the winner’s bracelet.
Day 5 Chip Leader Becomes Final Table Chip Leader
Aldemir had led the tournament after day 5 when 96 players remained and was in 5th spot when the tournament came down to 36 players. By the time, the final nine was reached, Aldemir had the lead again.
Aldemir would lead the tournament throughout the final table, eliminating many of the other players himself. At one point with 6 players remaining, Aldemir would hold 52% of the chips. He remained in control throughout the final table, all the way to heads up. Here he would face US player George Holmes. At one point, heads up, Aldemir would relinquish the lead at the final table for the first time.
Aldemir’s WSOP Winning Hand
The final hand was an interesting one. 33-year-old Aldemir called pre-flop with the 10-7 of diamonds and saw an almost dream flop of 10-7-2. A King of spades appeared on the turn giving Holmes top pair and he wasn’t able to get away from the hand on the river as all the chips went in. Aldemir called and his two pairs held up to make the 2021 World Series of Poker Champion. The $8 million prize was his.
Aldemir:
“He was really, really tough. I didn’t expect that at first, but he played great. He put us in spots, not only against me, but against the other players. He made good bluffs, made good folds. As you could tell, it was really tough. I had the chip lead to start with and he grinded me down. Then I had to fight really hard to beat him.”
Other Tournament Successes for Korey Aldemir
The second biggest win in the career of the German pro came in 2016. This was also at the World Series of Poker when he played in the $111,111 No Limit Hold’em for One Drop. He would finish third to Fedor Holz and claim more than $2 million in the process.
The following year would see Aldemir claim first place in the HKD 1 Million No-Limit Hold’em event, claiming a prize equivalent to just over $1.3 million.
Two big wins in 2019 made for an incredible year. A win at the US poker open would pocket him $738,000 and a second place on the European Poker Tour would see him win a check for $734,000.
Playing Style of Korey Aldemir
It seems clear that Korey Aldemir is a player who can get the job done when the big money is on the line. The German player has 29 career pay outs of more than $100,000 and has cashed 33 times at the World Series of Poker. Part of the success of Korey Aldemir could be attributed to his study of psychology at university in Vienna.
About Korey Aldemir
Aldemir was born in Berlin in 1990 and now resides in Vienna, Austria. Unlike many other top pros, Aldemir wouldn’t play his first hand of poker until the age of 26, enjoying a game while at a friend’s house on New Year’s Eve. Like many players, he started on PokerStars and would record his first live cash in a Berlin tournament in 2012. In 2013, his poker world was rocked, as he allowed another player to use his computer to send money on PokerStars. This saw his account locked for the next four years.
At this point he made the move to Vienna to study psychology. His run of success on the live circuit began with regular big cash wins coming almost incessantly. The win at the 2021 WSOP Main Event might have been a surprise to some, but it wouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone who has watched Korey Aldemir in the last 5 years.
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