Michael Addamo 4 WSOP
Michael Addamo won his fourth bracelet in stunning fashion on the final day of action at the 2021 WSOP in Las Vegas

After two more tournaments closed out the 2021 World Series of Poker, there was late drama across the Rio. Michael Addamo claimed the High Roller victory that confirms 2021 as the ‘Year of Addamo’, Boris Kolev won his first-ever bracelet and there was late drama in the WSOP Player of the Year race, which was over, not over, then done for good.

Addamo Claims Huge High Roller Win

Australian high roller crusher Michael Addamo won his fourth WSOP bracelet after taking down the $100,000-entry Event #87 High Roller after a final table performance that confirmed his greatness in 2021.

Addamo has crushed the year, winning more in the past 11 months than many great players have in their entire careers. His quest for his fourth bracelet began looking down from a great height at the top of the leaderboard. Nevertheless, Addamo would have been surprised that his closest challenger when play began, Danish player Henrik Hecklen, busted in fifth place for $434,523.

Sam Soverel had chipped up in the early exchanges at the table, and his raise pre-flop saw Hecklen call off his 14 big blind stack with QhJd. Soverel called it off with Kh3d and managed to ride home his better hand, with the board playing out KcJs5dTd8d for a flopped top pair to almost double his stack.

Soverel was on a mini heater and doubled through the chip leader Addamo to take the lead when he was all-in and at risk with top pair against the Aussie’s two pair on the turn, only for the river to give him a better two pair and stun the table.

If Addamo was running bad, could it be anyone’s tournament? Sean Perry certainly hoped so when he moved all-in with 6h6s against the 8h8d belonging to Kevin Rabichow. The board of JdTd8cAhQd saw Rabichow make trips and slay Perry’s chances, the result worth $590,344.

Down to three players, Rabichow was still the short stack, but over an extended period of play without an elimination, Soverel first spiked as chip leader, but then plummeted in two hands as Addamo delivered him from the tournament in brutal fashion, his AsJd dominating Soverel’s AhTd on a board of JsJcThKs]2c and sending Soverel home with $830,992.

Heads-up, it was that hand that propelled Addamo into a dominant position. With 28 million to Rabichow’s 5 million, the Australian needed no time at all to wrap up the event and claim his fourth WSOP bracelet of an already astounding poker career. Rabichow was all-in pre-flop for his last 12 big blinds with As6h and although he began the final hand ahead of Addamo’s Kc2c the board of 5h5d2hQs7h saw the most successful Australian tournament player in history add yet more glory to a stunning poker CV.

Kevin Rabichow won over $1.2 million for a great run to runner-up but it was Michel Addamo who lost the lead yet won it all back and more to take down Event #87 and claim a famous victory worth $1.95m

WSOP 2021 Event #87 $100,000 High Roller Final Table Results:

  1. Michael Addamo – $1,958,569
  2. Kevin Rabichow – $1,210,487
  3. Sam Soverel – $830,992
  4. Sean Perry – $590,344
  5. Henrik Hecklen – $434,523
  6. Sorel Mizzi – $331,806
  7. Sam Grafton – $263,227
  8. Mikita Badziakouski – $217,274
  9. Bill Klein – $186,909
  10. Fedor Holz – $167,869

Kolev the King as WSOP Closes Rio Events With Maiden Win

In the final event of the WSOP 2021, Boris Kolev became the answer to a thousand poker quizzes of the future as he won the last physical bracelet inside the Rio.

Kolev had come into play just outside the top 10 chipcounts with 30 players remaining and for some time, the day was about Ben Yu in more ways than one. Yu, who led the field heading into the final day, was actually in the running to win the WSOP Player of the Year as Justin Bonomo of all people revealed.

Eventually, thanks in no small part to Shaun Deeb’s amusing asides and general great play, Yu could not prevent Josh Arieh from celebrating – again – the Player of the Year title that was re-confirmed upon Yu’s exit in 10th place, as we wrote about right here in more detail.

Yu’s exit in 10th place saw the final table of eight almost there and when Justin Liberto crashed out in ninth place with AsJc unable to beat Niko Koop’s 9s9h across a thrilling run out of KdJs2hJh9d that gave the latter a full house on the river, the race was on to win the final bracelet of the series.

Lee Markholt busted in eighth place for $49,107 when his shove with 7d7s was overtaken by Kolev’s Kd3d as the board played out Ks9c2dQsKh] to give the eventual winner trips, and George Wolff lost his stack to Huy Nguyen when Qh8h didn’t hold against Nguyen’s Ac3d as a board of KsJhThJdTc saw Wolff cash for $64,207.

With six players remaining, Koop made his bow in sixth place for $85,411 as his shove with Ac5s ran into the dominating AhQh belonging to Uri Reichenstein. The board of 9c9d6d4cKh saw Reichenstein win that important pot to climb the ranks and send the dangerous Koop to the rail.

It was the turn of Z Stein to bust in fifth place as his check-call for his stack on the turn of a board showing Jd9d6hQc doomed his Jh8c with Reichenstein holding Js9h. The river of Jc confirmed a full house for the Israeli and sent Stein home with a result worth $115,558 his final result of the Autumn WSOP.

It was some time before the next elimination, but when it came, it belonged to Ramon Colillas. The PokerStars player busted with Ah6h when Kolev’s 9s7c got there on a board of Tc9h5cQc6s, Colillas cashing for $158,972.

It wasn’t long before Huy Nugyen was on the rail too, his short stack of 12 big blinds going into the middle with KsTs unable to hold against Reichenstein’s Jc8h. The board of 9h3c3s6d8d was a killer, too, rivering Nguyen’s chances of a vital double and instead condemning him to a third-place finish worth $222,310.

Heads-up, Kolev had a marginal lead over Reichenstein, the Bulgarian’s stack of 13.7 million a little ahead of Israeli Reichenstein’s 12.8 million. Kolev opened up a lead, however, and on a flop of Ac5cAs, check-called to the turn holding Jc6c. The turn of Ks saw the same pattern, Kolev check-calling Reichenstein, who held only Qd7s for a total bluff.

Reichenstein ran that bluff for his whole stack on the river, but it was the 4c that came and Kolev called it off, showed his flush and became a first-time winner in the final ever WSOP Event at the Rio, winning the $511,184 top prize and leaving Reichenstein with another consolation prize of a deep run to a final table and $315,936.

WSOP 2021 Event #88 $5,000 8-Handed NLHE Final Table Results:

  1. Boris Kolev – $511,184
  2. Uri Reichenstein – $315,936
  3. Huy Nguyen – $222,310
  4. Ramon Colillas – $158,972
  5. Z Stein – $115,558
  6. Niko Koop – $85,411
  7. George Wolff – $64,207
  8. Lee Markholt – $49,107
  9. Justin Liberto – $38,222

With the final events playing out at the Rio, most of the players had left the building…but perhaps for some, most importantly, the car park.

Not everyone believes the Rio was the ideal place to play poker, of course, and they were nobly represented by the viral sensation of videos that has fuelled so many Twitter Poker laughs over the last years of the home of the WSOP.

Matt Glantz neatly summed up Josh Arieh’s two-time triumph in the WSOP Player of the Year race.

Legendary WSOP font of all knowledge Kevin Mathers, known to us all as ‘Kevmath’ signed off his look at the old venue with one last short of the Rio’s lights burning bright as the shadows took the building one last time.

Finally, how could we close out the series without a glimpse into the bizarre, amazing world of Phil Hellmuth. Answer: we couldn’t.

It’s been an immense end to the World Series of Poker at the Rio and a WSOP never to be forgotten in 2021. The best news of all is that in six months time, the poker world will be ready to do it all over again at Bally’s and Paris… we can’t wait!