Monday Evening Update
Tiffany Michelle is table-side at the Main Event, and in it for the long haul as we play down to the final nine players.
Tiffany Michelle is table-side at the Main Event, and in it for the long haul as we play down to the final nine players.
Demosthenes Kiriopoulos opened to 1,000,000 and Koray Aldemir defended in the big blind.
Aldemir checked on the and Kiriopoulos bet 800,000. Aldemir check-raised to 2,400,000 and Kiriopoulos responded by re-raising to 4,200,000. Aldemir called.
Aldemir checked on the turn and Kiriopoulos checked back. Aldemir then bet 3,300,000 on the river and Kiriopoulos raised all-in to 10,900,000. Aldemir tanked before making the call.
The two players respectively held and for the same two pair and chopped up the massive pot.
Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
---|---|---|
Koray Aldemir |
64,800,000
-3,100,000
|
-3,100,000 |
|
||
Demosthenes Kiriopoulos |
16,000,000
1,500,000
|
1,500,000 |
Sean Ragozzini raised it up to 1,000,000 in the hijack and Nicolas Vayssieres shoved all in for 1,675,000 in the cutoff. The action folded back to Ragozzini who quickly called.
Nicolas Vayssieres:
Sean Ragozzini:
The flop came to put Vayssieres in the lead with a pair of aces. Ragozzini flopped a pair of kings and the on the turn vaulted him into the lead with trip kings. The on the river changed nothing and Vayssieres was ousted in 17th place.
Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
---|---|---|
Sean Ragozzini |
24,800,000
2,300,000
|
2,300,000 |
Nicolas Vayssieres | Eliminado |
Alejandro Lococo raised to 1,000,000 in the cutoff and was called by Vasu Amarapu on the button and George Holmes in the big blind.
The flop fell and Holmes checked to Lococo who fired out a bet of 2,200,000. Amarapu shoved all in for 7,100,000 which got Holmes to fold. Lococo asked for a count but also dumped his cards to the muck after 30 seconds.
Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
---|---|---|
Alejandro Lococo |
37,400,000
-3,400,000
|
-3,400,000 |
|
||
George Holmes |
30,100,000
-2,700,000
|
-2,700,000 |
Vasu Amarapu |
13,100,000
4,500,000
|
4,500,000 |
Ark Onikul opened to 1,000,000 and Ramon Colillas called middle position. Onikul checked on the flop and called a bet of 1,100,000 from Colillas.
Onikul checked again on the turn and his opponent checked back. Onikul then led out with a bet of 3,600,000 on the river and Colillas folded.
Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
---|---|---|
Ark Onikul |
48,600,000
2,550,000
|
2,550,000 |
Ramon Colillas |
9,700,000
-2,100,000
|
-2,100,000 |
|
Chase Bianchi raised to 1,200,000 in middle position and was called by Chance Kornuth on the button and Vasu Amarapu in the big blind. The flop came and the action checked to Kornuth who bet 1,600,000. Amarapu folded but Bianchi called.
The landed on the turn and Bianchi checked again. Kornuth counted out a bet of 2,550,000 and Bianchi stuck around to see the on the river. Bianchi checked for the third time and Kornuth pushed out a bet of 6,000,000 which finally got Bianchi to release his cards.
Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
---|---|---|
Chance Kornuth |
27,900,000
11,300,000
|
11,300,000 |
|
||
Chase Bianchi |
24,100,000
-10,600,000
|
-10,600,000 |
|
The remaining 16 players are going for a quick 10-minute break as Level 34 has been completed. The players will return to blinds at 300,000/600,000 and a 600,000 big blind ante.
Nível: 35
Blinds: 300,000/600,000
Ante: 600,000
In 2005, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) relocated to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. That year, Australia’s Joe Hachem topped a 5,619-entry field to win the $10,000 Main Event for $7.5 million, which sparked a poker boom in his home country.
Now, 16 years later in what’s rumored to be the WSOP’s last year at the Rio, 35-year-old Sean Ragozzini is seeking to follow in his fellow countryman’s footstep.
"I just learned with friends. I think it was after Moneymaker, especially in Australia after Hachem won it,” Ragozzini told PokerNews. “A lot of guys my age, I guess I was 18 or 19 at the time, got involved and started playing home games. I kind of had a knack for the strategy part of it. I enjoyed it and it was fun taking money off my friends.”
Ragozzini, who has dual citizenship in the United Kingdom, qualified for the 2021 WSOP Main Event online at GGPoker via a $1,000 satellite. With just two tables remaining in the tournament, Ragozzini is guaranteed a nice six-figure score with a good shot at millions.
“Not a real job, just play a lot of poker,” Ragozzini told PokerNews when asked what he does. “I play a bit of both live and online.”
According to The Hendon Mob, Ragozzini had $576,448 in lifetime earnings before the 2021 WSOP. Back in May, he won the WPTDeepStacks Gold Coast A$5,000 Challenge for $108,790, and just a few days later he won the A$3,000 Quartetly Poker Championship Gold Coast for $53,769, which he chopped with his good friend Vincent Huang. Those scores came two years after he took down the 2019 Star Sydney Champs A$20,000 High Roller for a previous career-best $153,826.
“I’ve probably taken it more serious the last few years, have had some good results, can’t complain,” Ragozzini said when asked about his recent success.
If Ragozzini continues to make a run for the bracelet, he’ll be cheered on by both family and friends.
“I’ve got a few friends, about five or six guys, who are playing a lot as well. We kind of came together, it’s been good,” said Ragozzini, who said he is single but has half a dozen nieces and nephews.
Only time will tell if cheers of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!” ring throughout the Main Event once again, and if Australian victories can bookend the Rio era of the World Series of Poker.
Jack Oliver raised to 1,200,000 in the cutoff and George Holmes three-bet to 3,000,000 on the button. The blinds folded and Oliver called to see a flop of .
Both players checked and the turn paired the board on the turn. Oliver checked again and Holmes fired out a bet of 2,400,000. Oliver called and the river completed the board.
Oliver checked one more time and Holmes splashed in a bet of 5,000,000. Oliver went into the tank for nearly two minutes and eventually folded, allowing Holmes to collect the pot.
"Yeah, George!" you could hear coming from the rail. "He's a problem!" which has changed from "He's becoming a problem."
Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
---|---|---|
George Holmes |
34,200,000
4,100,000
|
4,100,000 |
Jack Oliver |
16,800,000
-300,000
|
-300,000 |