Koray Aldemir has become a contender for the 2019 US Poker Open after taking down Event #9: $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em.
The young German star added a win to his runner-up finish in Event #3: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em where he failed to get past Lauren Roberts in the final hurdle.
Aldemir has now won eight live tournaments, with the last three coming at the ARIA. All told, he has earned $11,246,093 in live tournament cashes.
41-entrants paid the $50,000 buy-in fee, and after 16-Levels, Day 1 ended with a final table that looked a little like this.
Final Table Seat Draw
Seat 1: Ryan Riess – 1,185,000
Seat 2: Sean Winter – 2,020,000
Seat 3: Alex Foxen – 1,005,000
Seat 4: Koray Aldemir – 1,185,000
Seat 5: Seth Davies – 270,000
Seat 6: David Peters – 535,000
Only Ryan Riess was making his first ITM finish of the series. Alex Foxen, David Peters and Aldemir were making a second appearance, Seth Davies a third, and Sean Winter an incredible fifth final table.
Here is how the action went down.
Seth Davies was the first casualty.
Davies moved all-in for 270,000 in late position, and Alex Foxen called in the big blind. Both players turned over ace-queen, with Davies holding a couple of diamonds and Foxen with a pair of clubs. The flop contained two clubs, and a third on the river sent Davies to the rail in a cooler and a half.
David Peters fell in fifth place.
With blinds at 15k/30k/30k, Peters raised to 60,000 from the cutoff, Foxen three-bet to 255,000 from the big blind, Peters moved all-in for 815,000, and Foxen called. The pair got on their spikes with Peters holding pocket eights, and the Global Poker Index (GPI) #1 holding AK. An ace appeared on the flop, the snowmen stayed in the deck, and Peters was out.
Foxen took the chip lead after that hand, but after a succession of hands where the tearaway doubled up most of the table he got it in a dominated position with A8 versus the A9 of Riess, and five community cards later he was out in fourth place.
Three-Handed Chip Counts
Ryan Riess – 2,600,000
Koray Aldemir – 2,540,000
Sean Winter – 1,010,000
Winter doubled through Riess when his JT beat K2 when all in blind on blind. A jack on flop sorting that one out. Riess then doubled through Winter K6 versus A4 – again in a battle of the blinds – and Riess flopped two pair, and turned a boat to win that one.
Then we lost the dangerous Winter.
Winter raised the button to 430,000, Riess moved all-in, and Winter called for the remainder of his stack. Winter turned over J9ss, and Riess was ahead with AK. Winter did flop an open-ended straight draw, but a pair of fours completed the turn and river action to send Winter out in third place.
Heads-Up
Koray Aldemir – 3,600,000
Ryan Riess – 2,600,000
Two hands of note happened during heads-up.
In the first hand, with blinds at 60k/120k/120k, Aldemir limped into the pot holding Js3c, Riess checked holding QcTh, and the pair were soon checking a Kc7d6s flop. On the Jh turn, Riess checked, Aldemir bet 180,000, and Riess called. The river was the Ks. Riess checked, and then folded to a 540,000 bet, leaving the German with a 2:1 chip lead.
Then came the final hand.
Riess open jammed for 1.17 million, and Aldemir made a quick call. Riess showed Kh7s, but Aldemir dominated him with KcQh. The flop, turn, and river was devoid of any computational lifesavers for Riess, and the former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion was out.
Final Table Results
1. Koray Aldemir – $738,000 (200 pts)
2. Ryan Riess – $492,000 (140)
3. Sean Winter – $328,000 (100)
4. Alex Foxen – $205,000 (80)
5. David Peters – $164,000 (60)
6. Seth Davies – $123,000 (40)
The following players could still win the 2019 US Poker Open if they take down the $100,000 Main Event.
US Poker Open Overall Standings
1. Sean Winter – 540 pts
2. Stephen Chidwick – 540
3. Nick Schulman – 410
4. Brandon Adams – 365
5. Koray Aldemir – 340
6. Cary Katz – 340
7. Bryn Kenney – 240
8. Lauren Roberts – 240
9. Jordan Cristos – 240
10. Ali Imsirovic – 200
11. David Peters – 200
12. Ben Yu – 200