George Holmes completed his small blind and Alejandro Lococo opted to check in the big blind.
The flop came , Holmes bet 500,000 and Lococo called.
They both checked through the on the turn to the on the river. Holmes bet 2,300,000 for Lococo to raise it up to 8,000,000 after a minute of thinking it through. Now it was Holmes' turn to consider his options. He called to see Lococo table the to show his own for two pair and the pot.
Vasu Amarapu raised to 1,000,000 from under the gun and Lewis Spencer three-bet jammed for 4,650,0000 from the hijack. The action folded back to Amarapu who made the call.
Lewis Spencer:
Vasu Amarapu:
The flop came for Amarapu to hit top pair.
The turn was the for Amarapu to improve to trips and the river completed the board with the for Amarapu to hold and eliminate Spencer in twentieth place.
Andreas Kniep limped in from the small blind and Alejandro Lococo raised to 1,700,000 in the big blind. Kniep responded by shoving all in for 16,100,000. Lococo asked for a count and then made the call.
Andreas Kniep:
Alejandro Lococo:
It was a coin flip for a huge pot and the flop of gave Lococo the lead with a pair of aces. The on the turn improved Lococo to two pair and the on the river sent Kniep home in 18th place.
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.
Chance Kornuth opened to 1,200,000 from under the gun and George Holmes three-bet to 3,000,000 in the cutoff. The action folded back to Kornuth who four-bet shoved all in for 25,700,000. Holmes snap-called and the cards were on their backs.
Chance Kornuth:
George Holmes:
It was a cooler for Kornuth who would require a lot of help. The flop came which left Kornuth drawing dead.
"Show them the lights, George!"
The turn and the river completed the board and Kornuth was forced to exit in 16th place.
Mitchell Halverson opened to 6,300,000 with just 100,000 behind and Ozgur Secilmis raised all-in for 8,800,000. Halverson called.
Mitchell Halverson:
Ozgur Secilmis:
The flop of gave Secilmis trip aces and the on the turn improved his hand to a full house. Halverson was drawing dead before the peeled off on the river and he hit the rail in 15th place.
George Holmes is on the ride of his life after coming back from the brink of elimination to pick up over 65 million chips on Day 7 of the WSOP Main Event at the 2021 World Series of Poker.
In the midst of the second level of Day 7, Holmes found himself with just over one big blind left after a failed attempt to oust Jack Oliver from the Main Event. Holmes had shoved his last 9 million into the middle with king-queen, and Oliver, an up-and-coming poker star from England, called with ace-king. The board ran out with no favors for Holmes, and he was left with just 475,000 in tournament chips.
A few hands later, Holmes got it in with four callers and won a pot to give himself some life with just over 2 million chips. Within 90 minutes, he had 16 million. When Day 7 broke for dinner he had 20 million, and by the end of the fourth level of the day, Holmes had amassed over 32 million in chips and had become a legitimate problem for the remaining Main Event hopefuls.
The rollercoaster ride on Day 7 is just another one of the many unforgettable experiences that Holmes is managing in just his second Main Event. His first shot at the WSOP’s flagship event came in 2019, where Holmes ran deep and finished in 213th place for $50,855.
“I only play the Main Event,” Holmes told PokerNews during a quick break on Day 7. “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 is originally from New Jersey, and he currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia where he plays in a weekly home game. He mostly plays cash games, and he has been interested in poker since 1999. His tournament experience is limited, and his run at the 2019 Main Event is the only recorded cashing finish.
To say that this is all new and exciting would be an understatement, but the Main Event grind doesn’t allow that much time for reflection.
“It’s a wild ride. It’s surreal,” Holmes said about his Main Event experience. “I don’t even think I’ll be able to take it all in until it’s over.”
The Comeback Trail
After fighting his way back from the felt, Holmes crossed the 30 million mark when he picked up two-pair in a hand with Alejandro Lococo. The hand started out innocently enough when Holmes limped from the small blind and Lococo checked his option.
Holmes bet 500k on the flop, and Lococo called. Both players checked the turn to see on the river.
Holmes bet 2.3 million and Lococo raised to 8 million. After taking a moment to consider his options, Holmes called with and took the pot with two-pair as Lococo mucked a pair of aces. The pot was big enough to push Holmes above the 30 million mark, a far cry from the 475,000 he had just a few hours prior.
If Holmes can navigate his way to the final table, which he has a good shot of doing, he'll have a shot at turning his comeback into an $8 million payday.
Ramon Colillas raised to 6,000,000 on the button and Ozgur Secilmis three-bet to 11,300,000 in the small blind. Colillas called off with just 700,000 more.
Ramon Colillas:
Ozgur Secilmis:
Colillas was dominated and Secilmis took a massive lead with top pair on the flop. Colillas hit the rail in 14th place after the turn and completed the board. For his efforts, he earned a payday of $380,050.