WSOP 2021: Benny Glaser Wins Fourth WSOP Bracelet, Ole Schemion Captures First Crown
WSOP 2021: Benny Glaser Wins Fourth WSOP Bracelet, Ole Schemion Captures First Crown

British mixed game specialist Benny Glaser won his fourth WSOP bracelet of a career defined by his World Series of Poker greatness as he closed out the heads-up battle to seal victory in the $10,000-entry Razz Championship.

Glaser the Closer as Carlton Finally Overcome

Taking his seat on the final day of the event, Glaser had only one opponent to topple, after Everett Carlton had fought so hard yesterday that the finale had to be delayed by 24 hours. But in the end, there was no denying the British pro, who bagged his fourth WSOP bracelet after an hour-long rollercoaster heads-up battle to the finish.

Carlton took Glaser’s lead at one point and threatened to put himself in a dominant position for victory. Instead, Glaser chipped away at his opponent before taking the lead back and grinding his opponent down to the point where he had simply no chips left to fight with. It was a powerful display of exactly the skills that Glaser has established over so many years playing specifically WSOP Events at the Rio.

After the win, Glaser thanked his supporters online as he celebrated his latest incredible mixed game victory.

WSOP 2021 Event #78 $10,000 Razz Championship Final Table Results:

  1. Benny Glaser – $274,693
  2. Everett Carlton – $169,773
  3. Yuri Dzivielevski – $123,254
  4. Erik Sagstrom – $90,859
  5. John Monnette – $68,025
  6. Yehuda Buchalter – $51,739
  7. Erik Seidel – $39,987
  8. Phil Hellmuth – $31,411

Schemion Wins First-Ever Bracelet After Long Wait Ends in Style

German poker superpower Ole Schemion won his first-ever WSOP bracelet in the $1,979-entry Poker Hall of Fame Bounty event. At a final table where he went into play with a huge lead, Schemion used his stack and his considerable skills to get the job done in stunning fashion in the Thunderdome at the Rio.

With six players making the final day, it didn’t take long for that number to be reduced. Jerry Wong busted in sixth place to Schemion when Wong shoved pre-flop with QcJc and Schemion called with 6s6c. The board of AsAh7d5hAc saw Schemion win another important hand and increase his lead over the remaining four players.

James Alexander busted in fifth place for $37,965 when he moved all-in pre-flop with As7s and Marc Rivera called with JdJc. The board of Ks9d6hKh6s saw Alexander exit, but his conqueror only laddered one more rung, busting in fourth for $52,569.

Rivera’s final hand was a call from Schemion’s shove with 3c2c. Rivera was way ahead with 9h9d, but while the flop of Qh6s5d kept him ahead and the turn card of Qd was safe, the 4h on the river gave Schemion the straight and sent the Philippines player home.

Minutes later, Giovani Torre busted in third place to send play heads-up. Schemion shoved once again, moving all-in with Td8d and getting a call from Torre with Jh6h. The flop of Jd6s2d looked to have all but locked the hand up apart from diamonds for the Portuguese player, but an incredible runout of a Ts turn and Tc gave Schemion trips instead to send Torre to the cash desk with a payout slip worth $73,175.

Heads-up, Schemion had eight times his opponents stack, and it took no time at all after a short break for the event to conclude in the German’s favor. Canadian player Ben Underwood had made it all the way to second place, but his KhJd couldn’t catch Schemion’s Ad5s as a board of AsAcTc7c4h gave the German the top prize of $172,499 and Underwood a runner-up result worth $106,618.

WSOP 2021 Event #79 $1,979 Hall of Fame Bounty Final Table Results:

  1. Ole Schemion – $172,499
  2. Benjamin Underwood – $106,618
  3. Giovani Torre – $74,175
  4. Marc Rivera – $52,569
  5. James Alexander – $37,965
  6. Jerry Wong – $27,951

In Event #80, the third bracelet of four to be won on a mammoth day of action went to Robert Cowan as an all-British heads-up played out in the Amazon Room at the Rio.

At the six-handed final table, reached after the elimination of

WSOP 2021 Event #80 $3,000 Pot Limit Omaha Final Table Results:

  1. Robert Cowan – $280,916
  2. Robert Emmerson – $173,613
  3. Uri Reichenstein – $116,106
  4. Dylan Weisman – $79,368
  5. William Benson – $55,485
  6. Karel Mokry – $39,688

An exciting conclusion to the $800 Deepstack Event #81 saw Jason Wheeler take home his first-ever WSOP bracelet after many years on the professional poker circuit. On a day where Will givens held the lead going into the action, 121 players played down to a winner in dramatic fashion.

After players such as the aforementioned Givens (39th for $4,605) joined other like Justin Lapka (47th for $3,920) and Melanie Weisner (66th for $2,933) on the rail, the unofficial final table was reached in record time, with Wheeler the shortest stack of ten. Doubling up quickly with 9h9d against the AsJd of Antoine Goutard, however, Wheeler grabbed some chips and more importantly momentum as he began his ascent to the top of the leaderboard.

After Maxwell Sabel busted in 10th place, Robert Hill busted in ninth place for $18,968 when his AcJd couldn’t catch the pocket kings of Julian Velasquez on a queen high board after the chips all went in pre-flop. John O’Neal busted in eight for $24,165 when Goutard held again, his JsJd standing up to O’Neal’s AcKd.

When Ralph Massey busted to Velasquez in seventh place, his Ad6s dominated and defeated by the Colombian’s AcQd, an ace and two queens on the board saw Velasquez take the lead, but with players like Garry Gates and Wheeler himself chipping up, the power dynamics at the table were shifting every orbit.

Shelok Wong busted in sixth place for $40,376 when his ace-high couldn’t top Velasquez’ top pair on the turn, and Goutard busted very soon after when his ThTs was shot down by Diogo Veiga’s QcQd, leving the French player on the rail in fifth for $52,943.

Garry Gates knows plenty about finishing fourth in a major tournament, as he came in that exact position in the Main Event just a couple of years ago, but he will regret this bust-out almost as much. ‘Not finishing fourth again’ was never said by Gates, however, and it was a good job as his KcQh was shot down by Velasquez’ Ac8s on a board where an ace on the turn ended the drama before 5th street fell.

Gates cashed for an impressive $70,077, and he was joined on the rail soon after by Veiga, whose third-place finish earned him $93,627. Veiga’s Ac6c] didn’t hold as Wheeler’s Kh9s flopped the world on a board of KdJc9c3d3h.

Heads-up, it was Velasquez who took an early lead, but Wheeler was not to be denied, getting there with an all-in with Ac4c. Velasquez called with 6d6c and was favorite to lift the title, but a board of 5s3d2sKc4d saw Wheeler jumping for the ‘wheel’ straight he made on the river.

Shortly afterwards, Wheeler’s AcAs held with ease against Velasquez’ Ah2c as an ace on the turn ended all hope the Colombian had, his tournament devastated by the closing two major hands of the event.

WSOP 2021 Event #81 $800 Deepstack Final Table Results:

  1. Jason Wheeler – $202,274
  2. Julian Velasquez – $126,252
  3. Diogo Veiga – $93,627
  4. Garry Gates – $70,077
  5. Antoine Goutard – $52,943
  6. Shelok Wong – $40,376
  7. Ralph Massey – $31,087
  8. John O’Neal – $24,165
  9. Robert Hill – $18,968

In the $250,000 Super High Roller event, just five players made the money and lasted to the final day’s play, with Spanish sensation Adrian Mateos a runaway chip leader with more chips than his four remaining opponents combined.

With a busy day of action in the event that the elite of poker will be talking about for weeks, Adrian Mateos took the lead and dominated the latter stages as just five players made the money, with over $3 million up top for tomorrow’s winner.

Michale Addamo led the field when Day 2 kicked off, but he and Ali Imsirovic saw their control of the field evaporate as the Spanish pro Mateos took over. With Ben Heath maintaining third place from Day 1 by the end of Day 2, he and the other three opponents, Keith Tilston, Seth Davies and John Kincaid, will all be threats to Mateos. Right up until German crusher Christoph Vogelsang’s elimination on the money bubble in sixth, though, Mateos was in control.

It will take some performance to stop the young European superstar winning what would be his fourth WSOP bracelet at the age of just 27 years old.

WSOP 2021 Event #82 $250,000 Super High Roller Final Table Chipcounts:

  1. Adrian Mateos – 25,500,000
  2. Keith Tilston – 8,900,000
  3. Ben Heath – 6,500,000
  4. Seth Davies – 4,550,000
  5. John Kincaid – 3,925,000

A Day 1a of drama in the Closer saw Turkish player Osman Ihlamur bag the chip lead with 1,765,000 chips by the end of play. With players such as Dimitar Danchev (1,635,000) and Wesley Belding (1,620,000) on his tail, Ihlamur will not have it easy on Day 2, but with just 25 players surviving from 802 entries, it was a fast-paced finish to the action as 121 players cashed.

Big names such as Kenny Hallaert (1,250,000) and Chris Moorman (1,250,000) will be a threat when Day 2 takes place, but before that happens, there is tomorrow’s Day 1b to consider, where some players who busted bigger buy-in tournaments over the last couple of days will be doing everything they can to bag up one last Day 2 stack and close out the 2021 World Series of Poker in style.

WSOP 2021 Event #83 $1,500 The Closer Top 10 Chipcounts:

  1. Osman Ihlamur – 1,765,000
  2. Dimitar Danchev – 1,635,000
  3. Wesley Belding – 1,620,000
  4. Chris Moorman – 1,250,000
  5. Kenny Hallaert – 1,250,000
  6. Gergely Kulcsar – 1,200,000
  7. Martins Adeniya – 1,190,000
  8. Joao Simao – 1,100,000
  9. Bin Liu – 1,000,000
  10. Stephen Song – 940,000

An exciting first day of action in the $50,000 Pot Limit Omaha Event #84 saw Hungarian player Laszlo Bujtas (1,980,000) bag up the chip lead as Josh Arieh (1,355,000) continued his heater in pursuit of the WSOP Player of the Year title. Ben Lamb (1,755,000) is second in chips, but it is the appearance of Arieh in fourth place of the 33 survivors from 85 entries that catches the eye.

The level of players in this $50,000-entry event is really high, and players like Jake Schindler, Dan Shak and Mark Herm all busted along the way as players such as Daniel Negreanu (1.12m) and Dan Cates (1.045m) both made the top 10.

With others such as Chance Kornuth (625,000), Shaun Deeb (520,000) and Anthony Zinno (420,000) all still involved, players will battle  attempt to win what will be a prestigious bracelet to claim late in the 2021 World Series of Poker.

WSOP 2021 Event #84 $50,000 Pot Limit Omaha Top 10 Chipcounts:

  1. Laszlo Bujtas – 1,980,000
  2. Ben Lamb – 1,755,000
  3. Alexander Petersen – 1,355,000
  4. Josh Arieh – 1,355,000
  5. Jared Bleznick – 1,270,000
  6. Alex Aleksandrovski – 1,130,000
  7. Daniel Negreanu – 1,125,000
  8. Jeremy Ausmus – 1,125,000
  9. Scott Seiver – 1,070,000
  10. Dan Cates – 1,045,000

After a stunning Main Event win, the new world champion Koray Aldemir tackled some of the fans’ thoughts in an intriguing post on Twitter.

Phil Hellmuth is determined to chase down the top of the Player of the Year leaderboard and claim one of the only titles the ‘Poker Brat’ hasn’t won in what has been a glittering career.

He’s not going to have it easy, however, after the man at the top of the chart came out of 2021 WSOP ‘retirement’ to make a sprint for the line with just a few days of competition left.

Can you imagine if these two are heads up for a bracelet late in the series? We can dream!