Top 10 Moments from the 2021 WSOP Series
2021 WSOP Series After seven exciting weeks, the 2021 WSOP Series has come to a close at the Rio Casino. Beginning next year, the event will be moved to Bally's and Paris. This marked the end of the 17-year-old Rio era at the WSOP. As the last WSOP of the Rio generation, there were many wonderful moments in this year's event, so let's look back at those unforgettable moments together.
Hellmuth wins 16th bracelet
Phil Hellmuth didn't win the WSOP Player of the Year award, but that doesn't mean he wasn't doing well this year. Instead, it was one of his most impressive series in years. Hellmuth extended his bracelet record to 16 with the #31: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw and made multiple final tables.
He ended the series with seven final table appearances, including two runner-up finishes. In a move that broke An Tran's 28-year-old record, Hellmuth is now not only the man with the most bracelets in history, but also the man who has reached the most final tables in a single series in history.
At the age of 57, Phil Hellmuth proved to the world that he is still one of the best players.
2021 WSOP Main Event Epic Heads-Ups
One of the most exciting moments of the series came at the end of the Main Event. This year's Main Event was full of great hands, especially the final hand between George Holmes and champion Koray Aldemir.
In that hand, Koray Aldemir faced a tough decision on the river with 10♦7♦. The board was 10♥7♠2♥K♠9♣ and George Holmes moved all-in for 130 million with K♣Q♠. If Koray Aldemir calls, the game is over. But if he folds, George Holmes will have a nearly 2-1 chip lead.
After thinking for a few minutes, Koray Aldemir finally made the call, winning the bracelet and an eye-watering $8 million jackpot.
George Holmes' all-in on the river was questioned by PokerGO commentators and many on Twitter. His hand is strong, but not the strongest, not enough to beat the call. As a result, many viewers questioned why he chose to shove rather than check or make a smaller bet.
Negreanu takes third place twice on the same day
It has been 8 years since Daniel Negreanu last received a bracelet. The WSOP Poker Hall of Famer came close to winning twice in 17 hours last week, but failed to get his seventh bracelet on both occasions.
He first finished third behind Jeremy Ausmus and Phil Hellmuth in #84: Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller. Then signed up for #85: $50,000 High Roller on the same day, broke into the FT again and went out in third place.
Dragana Lim fighting for charity
As an inexperienced poker player, Dragana Lim entered the 2021 WSOP Main Event and quickly became one of the best stories in this year's Main Event. She finished 64th with $95,700, not only the only woman in the awards circle, but also made headlines for vowing to spend all her winnings on the Animal Foundation.
Dragana Lim and her husband retired early and wanted to give back. This includes establishing their own animal foundation in Las Vegas, where they live. Every penny she wins from the Main Event, and what they've already saved, will go towards funding these programs.
Pittsburgh poker player comes to WSOP with his ‘dirty diaper'
Nicholas Rigby has the busiest supporters in the 2021 WSOP Main Event. He is also one of the most entertaining players on the field. The Pittsburgh-based poker player introduced poker players around the world to a game popular in his hometown called “Dirty Diaper.”
The rules of this game are similar to the “7-2” game, where each player must give a bounty to the winner with a 7-2 hole card, except that Nicholas Rigby's game uses 3-2. You can't play this “stupid” game in tournaments, but that doesn't stop him from repeatedly 3-betting big bets like 3-2 on poker's biggest stage. Everyone in the room liked him because of it. He made the game more enjoyable to watch,
Nicholas Rigby's trip to the Main Event ended in 34th place ($136,100), but he did make his mark on this year's series.
Doyle Brunson could be the last to fight for the bracelet
It's been three years since Doyle Brunson last played at the WSOP. On Halloween, the 88-year-old surprised everyone by showing up at the Rio Casino. He signed up for that day's #58: $1,000 Super Seniors No-Limit Hold'em, but was quickly eliminated.
After that, he signed up for the main event and successfully entered Day2. We can't say for sure if he'll play in the WSOP in the future, but if this is the last time the living poker fossil will play in the series, it would be great to see him play for the last time.
Josh Arieh – Unexpected Poker Player of the Year
At the start of the series, most people predicted that the WSOP Player of the Year was Daniel Negreanu, Shaun Deeb and a few other favorites from previous years. In fact, for most of the series, Josh Arieh and Phil Hellmuth were the real candidates.
In the end, Phil Hellmuth's seven-game final table record didn't stop Josh Arieh, who was the best player of the year.
Josh Arieh has won two bracelets in this series and has also made the bonus round in multiple races. His overall performance was better than Phil Hellmuth, winning a variety of poker games as well as small and high stakes tournaments. Is the undisputed poker player of the year, and one that few people foresee before the event.
The warmth of poker
Texas hold 'em is not just a life-and-death competition, and beyond that, the kindness of the players makes this cold zero-sum game full of temperature. Poker player Michael Graydon from Alabama showed this while seeking sponsorship for the Main Event.
He tweeted that he had terminal brain cancer and was planning to play in the main event, hoping to find some investors willing to sponsor his 70% buy-in. Players lined up to help him, and MJ Gonzales and Jonathan Depa were more generous, deciding to pay his full $10,000 buy-in and let him keep his winnings.
It's a pity that he didn't make it to the reward circle, but he had an unforgettable experience. Maria Ho also stepped up to cover his Las Vegas trip. PokerNews also caught up with the grateful poker player about his experience following his elimination in the Main Event.
Moneymaker dives deep into the WSOP Main Event
Chris Moneymaker is one of the most important players in poker history. He has undoubtedly been one of the key players in advancing poker for the past 18 years. So the media spotlight is on him as he cashes in in the 2021 WSOP Main Event.
Moneymaker, who didn't appear at the WSOP until the Main Event, had previously announced he would not play in this year's series due to concerns over COVID-19. But he just couldn't let go of his love for poker and decided to play late in the series, which turned out to be a smart move. He amassed a decent stack on Day 4 of the Main Event, but sadly was eliminated on Day 5 in 260th place.
Adam Friedman won three consecutive championships in the same event
Event #36: Adam Friedman faced Phil Hellmuth in a bracelet heads-up in the $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship, but he trailed his opponents by a huge margin of 1:2.5.
This disadvantage is no big deal to Friedman. After all, he was the champion of the event in the previous two years (2018, 2019). After a lengthy battle with Hellmuth, who had just won his 16th bracelet a few days earlier, Friedman won his fourth career bracelet, three of which were won in the $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship, WSOP Poker History one of the most impressive achievements in the Maybe it's time to rename it the $10,000 Adam Friedman Invitational.
【About WSOP World Series of Poker】
WSOP World Series of Poker ( World Series of Poker referred to as WSOP ) The WSOP World Series of Poker is the most influential poker tournament in the world. For more than 40 years, the WSOP World Series of Poker has been the most trusted event hall in Texas Hold'em. Anyone can play, anyone can have the opportunity to go straight to the tournament hall, no matter who you are, there is always a seat waiting for you. In 2020, WSOP (wsoppuke.com) will fully enter the Chinese market and jointly hold WSOP world-class poker competitions with GG Poker (gg-puke.com).
See more WSOP news
Follow WSOP Official Weibo
Head to the WPT World Poker Tour
