‘Main Event specialist’ hangs onto second
Atlanta native rallies from final big blind
George Holmes barely plays poker tournaments, but he is becoming a Main Event specialist.
Holmes was holding onto second chip position with five players left at the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event, the $10,000 buyin No-limit Hold’em World Championship, late Tuesday at the Rio.
The players were set to continue for one more elimination, then the final four will return Wednesday to determine who walks away with the bracelet and $8 million. (The WSOP awards trophy bracelets for tournament victories.)
Holmes, 49, of Atlanta, has cashed only one other time in a poker tournament, according to the Hendon Mob Poker Database: 213th in the 2019 Main Event for $50,855.
Now he’s guaranteed at least $1.8 million for fifth place out of the field of 6,650.
“I only play the Main Event,” Holmes told Pokernews. “I’ve been to a WSOP Circuit stop in North Carolina a few years ago, but this is the only WSOP event I come out to play.”
Holmes said he concentrates on cash games and plays in a weekly home game in Atlanta.
He was nearly out the door on Day 7. According to Pokernews, he was down to just over one big blind (475,000) after losing an all-in pot. Holmes went all-in against four callers and won to get back to 2 million.
A couple of hours later he had 20 million, and by the end of the day, he was second in chips with 83.7 million.
“It’s a wild ride. It’s surreal,” Holmes said. “I don’t even think I’ll be able to take it all in until it’s over.”
Holmes and everyone else at the final table were looking up at highstakes standout Koray Aldemir. He came into the day on top with 140 million chips and built a massive lead at 253 million with five players left. (No one else had more than Holmes’ 51.9 million.)
Aldemir flopped a full house with pocket nines on a jack-jack-nine flop and bet all the way.
Alejandro Lococo called all the way with pocket tens and went from second in chips to out in seventh for $1.225 million.
Aldemir later knocked out Hye Park in sixth for $1.4 million.
Aldemir, a Germany native who lives in Austria, has more than
$12 million in career tournament earnings, according to the Hendon Mob. He has more than $3 million in earnings in WSOP events, but has never won a bracelet.
The day started with two quick eliminations.
Chase Bianchi, the only player at the table already with a bracelet, shoved his short stack in with kingqueen and lost to the ace-king of Jack Oliver. Bianchi won $1 million for ninth.
Jareth East followed on the next hand. He went all-in with ace-jack and lost to Holmes’ pocket queens. East got $1.1 million.