The long-awaited final table of the 2021 World Series of Poker Main Event began on Tuesday at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas with a plan to play down to three players on Day 8. Germany's Koray Aldemir (246.6M) holds the chip lead with UK's Jack Oliver (77.3M) and American George Holmes (57.4M) still alive an in the hunt for the bracelet and $8 million in cash. Eliminations on Day included.... Joshua Remitio (4th place), Ozgur Secilmis (5th place), Hye Park (6th place), Alejandro Lococo (7th place), Jareth East (8th place), and Chase Bianchi (9th place).
The day that we've all been waiting for had finally arrived. The 2021 World Series of Poker $10,000 Main Event Championship, aka Event #67, began with 6,650 players and after seven-long days and nights of action, the field had been whittled down to the final table of nine players. One of those fortunate souls would win a coveted bracelet and $8 million in cash while becoming the next celebrated cardslinger as the newest world champion.
Day 8 of the Main Event was also the first of a two-day Final Table where the final nine played down to the final three. German pro Koray Aldemir entered the final table as the big stack with 140M and had a sizable gap between himself and George Holmes in second place with 83.7M. Jareth East, the lone Brit at the final table, was the shortstacked with 8,300,000. But Hye Park (13.5M) and Chase Bianchi (12.1M) also had shorties when cards went in the air for Day 8.
It only took five hands before we saw the first bustout at the 2021 WSOP Main Event Final Table, and it only took six hands before two players hit the bricks. Yeah in a "fast and furious" start to the 2021 WSOP Main Event, two players busted before the first orbit was even finished. Both were the shortest stacks among the final nine.
Chase Bianchi is a former poker dealer turned pro who won a bracelet back in 2016 and nearly won a second bracelet with a deep run in the 2021 Main Event. Bianchi made an early move and got it all-in with 
against Jack Oliver's 
. Big Slick held up when the board ran out with blanks and neither player improved. Bianchi was the first player to exit the final table and he earned a cool million bucks.
Short-stacked Jareth East did not waste any time before he also attempted a quick double up in the first orbit. On Hand #6, East's 
sprang into battle against Holmes and his 
. East flopped an ace, but Holmes flopped a set of Queens. The pocket Queens prevailed and Holmes dragged the pot. East won $1.1 million for an eighth-place finish and two players busted in back-to-back hands.
Seven-handed last 55 hands before we saw the third elimination on Day 8. Koray Aldemir flopped a full house with 
and knocked out Alejandro Lococo and his 
. Lococo earned $1,225,000 for seventh place. With six to go, Aldemir padded his humungous lead with 209M, or more than 50% of the chips in play. George Holmes was second with 62M followed by Joshua Remitio in third with 58M. Ozgur Secilmis was the shorty with 8.3M when blinds were 500K/1M and a 1M ante.
Six-handed lasted 20-plus hands before Hye Park went busto on Hand #82. Classic race. Park's 
lost a duel against Koray Aldemir's Ace-Queen. Park's pocket sevens survived the flop, but Aldemir took the lead when the 
spiked on the turn. Park whiffed on the river and his run ended in sixth place. Park banked $1.4 million.
With five to go, Aldemir gobbled up more chips and surged over 250M and almost 200M more than George Holmes in second place. Joshua Remitio and Jack Oliver were in the middle with 40M or so, while short-stacked Ozgur Secilmis brought up the rear with 17M.
On Hand #113, Turkey's Ozgur Secilmis said goodbye. He was shortstacked and made a final stand with 
, but could not defeat Akdemir's pocket treys even though the Turk flopped a nut-flush draw. The treys held up when the turn and river were heartless. Ozgur Secilmis busted in fifth place and snagged a payout worth $1.8 million. Aldemir chipped up to 277M.
A dozen hands later, we saw our final elimination of Day 8. Josh Remitio moved all-in with 
and made a final stand against Jack Oliver's Ace-deuce. Oliver flopped an Ace to take the lead, even though Remitio hit the flop with a pair of sevens. Oliver rivered two pair and won the pot, while Remitio hit the bricks in fourth place, which paid out $2.3 million.
With three remaining, Aldemir held an insane lead with 246.6M, while Jack Oliver moved into second with 77.3m, followed by George Holmes with 57.4M. The final three -- an American, Brit, and German -- return to the Rio on Wednesday to play down to a champion.
2021 WSOP Main Event - Final Table
Buy-in: $10,000
Prize Pool: $62,011,250
Payouts: 1,000
Entrants: 6,650
Remaining: 3
Final Table Results:
4. Josh Reitio (USA) $2,300,000
5. Ozgur Secilmis (Turkey) $1,800,000
6. Hye Park (USA) $1,400,000
7. Alejandro Lococo (Argentina) $1,225,000
8. Jareth East (UK) $1,100,000
9. Chase Bianchi (USA) $1,000,000
Final Table Payouts:
1. $8,000,000
2. $4,300,000
3. $3,000,000
Final Three Chip Counts:
Koray Aldemir 140,000,000
George Holmes 83,700,000
Jack Oliver 30,400,000
