Jareth East opened to 1,200,000 and Koray Aldemir three-bet to 3,300,000. East called.
East checked on the flop and called when Aldemir bet 2,800,000. Both players then checked on the turn.
East led out with a bet of 4,500,000 on the river and Aldemir took a minute before calling. East tabled for ace-high and Aldemir showed to win the pot with a pair of kings.
Joshua Remitio raised to 1,200,000 in the hijack and Jack Oliver called from the big blind. The two players went heads-up to a flop of and Oliver check-called a bet of 1,000,000 from Remitio.
The turn brought the and both players checked to the on the river. Oliver led out with a bet of 1,000,000 and Remitio quickly called. Oliver turned over for Broadway and Remitio sent his cards to the muck.
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.
Chase Bianchi made it 1,200,000 to go on the button and both Joshua Remitio and Sean Ragozzini called from the blinds. The flop came and the action checked to Bianchi who continued with a bet of 1,500,000. Remitio called and Ragozzini check-raised to 6,000,000. Bianchi quickly folded but Remitio called.
The turn brought the and both players checked to the on the river. Remitio checked a final time and Ragozzini thought for a moment before checking it back. Remitio turned over for a set of sixes and Ragozzini mucked his cards.
Joshua Remitio opened to 1,200,000 from under the gun and was called by Sean Ragozzini on his left. The flop fell and Remitio continued with a bet of 1,000,000. Ragozzini called and the rolled off on the turn.
Remitio led out with another bet of 2,200,000 but Ragozzini still called to see the on the river. Remitio checked this time and Ragozzini thought for over a minute before sticking in a bet of 4,500,000. Remitio instantly folded and Ragozzini raked in the pot.
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.
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."
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.
Heater Continues
“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.