Watch Koray Aldemir's Reaction To Winning The WSOP Main Event

On the same day that Koray Aldemir is crowned 2021 WSOP Main Event champion, two more bracelet winners are crowned.

Check out these stories and more in the Thursday report on the World Series of Poker.

Koray Aldemir Reacts to WSOP Main Event win

Reaction continues to pour in after Aldemir’s big win on Thursday night, who became the latest WSOP Main Event champion and add $8 million in winnings to his storied poker career. In comments shortly after the match, Aldemir called the win “incredible”:

I kind of had the idea of winning Player of the [Year] once because I’m just starting in mixed games and to have a Player of the Year banner… but I never expected to have a Main Event banner. It’s incredible.

Just woke up as world champion, what a luckbox I am!????
I’ll write a few things as soon as my brain starts working normally again, might take a day or two though.
Ty for the incredible support and nice words I’ve been experiencing, walking around with a huge grin on my face today

— Koray Aldemir (@kooraay90) November 18, 2021

Check out how the final hand played out, which some are speculating could be one of the best final hands in WSOP Main Event history.

After the win, Aldemir also spoke with PokerNews’ Tiffany Michelle to discuss his win:

Fellow high stakes poker pro Dan Smith had some fun with Aldemer’s win, saying he might be hitting him up for a stake.

Do I want to jump on the train and say nice things about @kooraay90 ? Not really.

But if I brick this week of high rollers I might need a stake and he looks like my best option????

— Dan Smith (@DanSmithHolla) November 18, 2021

Chad Himmelspach wins $1,500 Freezeout No Limit Hold’em

North Dakota’s Chad Himmelspach is the winner of the $1,500 Freezeout No Limit Hold’em after three days of play and 1,191 entries including a 3-hour heads-up battle with runner-up Stefan Reiser. In addition to taking home the bracelet, Himmelspach wins $270,877 while second-place Stefan Reiser earned a $167,418 consolation prize. Other top winners included Renmei Liu ($121,590) and Kaue De Souza ($89,344).

With the win, Himmelspach now has accumulated $363,942 in career winnings. His previous best came during a 2nd place finish in the 2013 Midwest Poker Classic in Columbus, where he won $30,730 in the $1,000 No Limit Hold’em Main Event.

Between the tough heads-up battle and only having a single blind on Day 1, Himmelspach kept battling. “It’s just a mindset. You’re never really out of it. You always have a chance, you know. A chip and a chair. And you’ve just got to battle. It’s a battle, you’ve got to battle it out and you can’t give up.”

In the shadow of the Main Event, Chad Himmelspach took down the $1,500 NLH Freezeout to earn $270,877 and his first WSOP bracelet.
????: @RomeForReal https://t.co/9t7yUR7gF8 pic.twitter.com/UuBmhpDumE

— WSOP (@WSOP) November 18, 2021

Paulo Joanello wins $1,500 Fifty Stack No Limit Hold’em

Brazil’s Paulo Joanello came out on top of Event #77, the $1,500 Fifty Stack No Limit Hold’em on Wednesday night, winning his first WSOP bracelet and the first-place prize of $321,917. It was the fourth WSOP cash of his career.

In his path to victory, Joanello defeated a field of 1,501 players including Toby Price heads-up ($198,970). Other six-figure prizes were won by Martin Bicanik ($146,061) and Ron Moisescu ($108,349). Notables Elio Fox ($47,145) and David Morel ($36,508) also made the final table.

The moment Paulo Joanello won the #wsop FIFTY Stack #vamoooooo pic.twitter.com/RkmOCIblJc

— Kevin Mathers (@Kevmath) November 18, 2021

Ongoing action

Yuri Dzivielevski leads Razz Championship

After two days of play and 109 entries, Yuri Dzivielevski finds himself as the chip leader in the $10,000 Razz Championship. When action picks up at 3 PM PT, he will be joined by a handful of notables including John Monnette, Benny Slaser, Erik Seidel and Phil Hellmuth, who is vying for his 17th WSOP bracelet.

Marc Rivera leads Poker Hall of Fame Bounty

A total of 468 players entered the $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty event on Wednesday, which awards bounties to players who knock out Poker Hall of Famers equal to the year they were inducted. Among the top chip stacks alive from the 63 remaining players includes Jerry Wong and Christian Pham. The remaining players will be competing solely for a piece of the prize pool on Thursday as all 11 Poker Hall of Famers that entered were knocked out during Day 1.

Ruslan Nazarenko leads $3,6000 6-handed Pot Limit Omaha

The United Kingdom’s Ruslan Nazarenko leads the $3,000 6-Handed Pot Limit Omaha event after the first day on Wednesday. He is joined by a field of 122 players, which was whittled down from the 496 that entered during the first day. Right behind Nazarenko is Chino Rheem, who will join the other survivors beginning at 2 PM PT.

Upcoming events

Even with the WSOP Main Event in the books, there is still another week of World Series of Poker action. Thursday sees the start of two very different. First up will be the $800 Deepstack, beginning at 11 AM PT, followed by the $250,000 Super High Roller getting underway at 3 PM PT.

Watch the WSOP

After a thrilling conclusion to the 2021 WSOP Main Event yesterday, there is nothing planned on the streaming schedule for Thursday.

Sights and sounds from the WSOP

Add me to the list of people cutting their series short a bit. Starting the long drive home today. Combo of the outbreak and hitting a level of fatigue where I probably needed a day or two off anyway.

— Rob Gardner (@RobGardnerLive) November 18, 2021

(1/?) It’s also time to start saying goodbye to sections of the @WSOP, a thread.

First is the King’s Lounge, home to the higher-stakes cash game action and where I could get free snacks/hot chocolate thanks to @FabienRichard1e pic.twitter.com/MsCYRowf99

— Kevin Mathers (@Kevmath) November 18, 2021

The game is methodical while also entertaining. Millions of dollars are on the line every single hand in the Main Event. Live coverage captures everything and it’s great. #WSOPMainEvent

Buckle up.

— Hanks ???? (@BuffaloHanks) November 18, 2021

I finally did it …

… I got a picture with Bob Smith and Charlie Ciresi! pic.twitter.com/hhzb1dli2O

— Tim Duckworth (@tRaMSt0p) November 18, 2021

In his latest WSOP vlog, Daniel Negreanu spends some time with Vince Vaughn before entering the Hall of Fame Bounty event.