2021 WSOP Main Event Champion and Two-Time Bracelet Winner
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2014
Koray Aldemir built an elite tournament résumé before securing poker’s most recognizable championship, winning the 2021 World Series of Poker Main Event for $8 million. The German professional has since added a second WSOP bracelet, reinforcing a career that includes major high-roller victories, deep championship runs and more than $23 million in recorded live tournament earnings.
As of August 26, 2026, the Hendon Mob profile for Koray Aldemir lists $23,271,015 in live tournament earnings and an $8 million best live cash. The official WSOP profile for Aldemir lists two bracelets, no WSOP Circuit rings and more than $13.8 million in earnings from events tracked within the WSOP ecosystem.
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Who Is Koray Aldemir?
Koray Aldemir is a German tournament poker professional whose recorded live results stretch back to 2012. Hendon Mob lists Berlin, Germany, as his birthplace and Vienna, Austria, as his residence.
PokerNews has reported that Aldemir first encountered poker in 2006 and began playing online before developing his live tournament career. His early recorded results came largely in European events, but by the middle of the 2010s he had begun producing significant finishes against international fields.
No-limit hold’em has generated most of Aldemir’s biggest scores, including his WSOP Main Event championship and multiple high-roller results. His later success in mixed games, however, has shown that his tournament résumé extends well beyond one format.
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Koray Aldemir’s Early Poker Career
Aldemir’s first recorded live cash came in Berlin in 2012. His results began to attract broader attention over the next several years as he competed across Europe and made trips to the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
A significant step came at the 2015 European Poker Tour festival in Malta, where he finished 16th in an EPT Main Event for €35,800. The following summer transformed his tournament profile.
At the 2016 WSOP, Aldemir finished second in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Summer Solstice event for $252,805. Later in the series, he entered the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop and finished third for $2,154,265.
That seven-figure result established Aldemir as a player capable of competing successfully in the highest buy-in tournament fields.
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Major Tournament Breakthroughs
Aldemir continued building on his 2016 breakthrough with major results around the world.
In February 2017, he won the HK$1,000,000 Triton Super High Roller Series Manila Main Event at Solaire Resort and Casino. The tournament drew 39 entries, and Aldemir defeated Sergio Aido heads-up after a three-way deal. His deal payout was HK$10,032,869, reported at the time as approximately $1.29 million.
The victory was an important milestone because it gave Aldemir a major high-roller title rather than another near miss.
His strong international results continued in 2018. Aldemir reached the final table of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event and finished third out of 582 entries for $481,560. Maria Lampropulos won the tournament, while Shawn Buchanan finished second.
In 2019, Aldemir added one of the most important titles of his pre-WSOP-championship career at the U.S. Poker Open. He won Event #9, the $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em tournament, defeating a 41-entry field and earning $738,000.
That same period included other significant high-roller finishes, including a runner-up result in the €25,000 EPT High Roller in Monte Carlo in 2019 for €655,840.
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Koray Aldemir Wins the 2021 WSOP Main Event
Aldemir’s defining career achievement came in November 2021 at the $10,000 World Series of Poker Main Event.
The tournament attracted 6,650 entries and generated a prize pool of more than $62 million. Aldemir reached the nine-player final table as the chip leader after navigating one of poker’s largest and most demanding championship fields.
He maintained a commanding position through much of the final table and advanced to heads-up play against American player George Holmes.
Aldemir ultimately defeated Holmes on the 223rd hand of the final table to win the championship, his first WSOP bracelet and the $8 million first prize.
The victory placed Aldemir among the relatively small group of players who can claim the title of WSOP Main Event champion. It also remains the largest recorded live tournament cash of his career.
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Aldemir’s Main Event Title Defense
Winning a WSOP Main Event is difficult enough. Making another deep run immediately afterward is even less common.
Aldemir returned to the Main Event in 2022 and reached 75th place, earning $101,700. PokerNews calculated that his consecutive runs left him unbeaten in Main Event play for roughly 135 hours before his 2022 elimination.
He did not come close to becoming the first back-to-back champion since Johnny Chan won in 1987 and 1988, but reaching the final 75 players one year after winning the tournament added another notable result to his Main Event record.
Aldemir also cashed the Main Event again in 2024, finishing 598th for $32,500.
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Success Beyond No-Limit Hold’em
Aldemir’s tournament record is not limited to standard no-limit hold’em.
During the 2022 WSOP, he reached sixth place in the prestigious $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $258,812. That event tests players across multiple poker variants and is widely regarded as one of the series’ most demanding championships.
He also finished fourth in the $10,000 Razz Championship that summer for $111,991.
Those results provided evidence of Aldemir’s ability to compete in mixed-game fields even though no-limit hold’em had produced most of his biggest career scores.
That versatility became even more significant several years later.
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Aldemir Wins His Second WSOP Bracelet
Aldemir returned to the winner’s circle at the 2025 WSOP Paradise festival in the Bahamas.
He captured Event #12, the $10,000 8-Game Mix 6-Handed tournament, defeating Felipe Ramos heads-up to earn $287,800 and his second career WSOP bracelet. The event drew 115 entries.
The victory was especially notable because Aldemir’s first bracelet had come in no-limit hold’em on poker’s largest stage. His second came in an eight-game mixed format requiring proficiency across several poker variants.
PokerNews noted that the victory made Aldemir the first former Las Vegas WSOP Main Event champion to win another bracelet since Phil Hellmuth did so in 2023.
Aldemir also cashed the $25,000 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event during the same festival, finishing 158th for $70,000.
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Koray Aldemir’s Major Poker Accomplishments
Aldemir’s career combines a world championship with sustained success in high buy-in tournaments and multiple poker formats.
2021 WSOP Main Event champion for $8,000,000
Two-time WSOP bracelet winner
2025 WSOP Paradise $10,000 8-Game Mix champion for $287,800
2017 Triton Super High Roller Series Manila Main Event champion
2019 U.S. Poker Open Event #9 champion for $738,000
Third place in the 2016 WSOP $111,111 High Roller for One Drop for $2,154,265
Third place in the 2018 PCA Main Event for $481,560
Sixth place in the 2022 WSOP $50,000 Poker Players Championship
Fourth place in the 2022 WSOP $10,000 Razz Championship
More than $23 million in recorded live tournament earnings as of August 26, 2026
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Koray Aldemir’s Live Tournament Earnings
Hendon Mob lists Aldemir with $23,271,015 in live tournament earnings as of August 26, 2026. His $8 million payout for winning the 2021 WSOP Main Event remains his largest recorded live cash.
Hendon Mob also places him fourth on Germany’s all-time tournament money list as of that date. Earnings totals and rankings change whenever new results are added, so those figures should be treated as a current snapshot rather than permanent career statistics.
The WSOP database reports a lower earnings figure because its player profile tracks results within the WSOP and affiliated tournament ecosystem rather than all live tournament results worldwide.
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What Is Koray Aldemir’s Playing Style?
Aldemir’s results support describing him as a high-level tournament specialist with experience across both no-limit hold’em and mixed games.
His biggest accomplishments have required success in very different environments. The WSOP Main Event demands navigation through thousands of players over many days, while high rollers feature smaller fields filled with experienced professionals. His 2025 8-Game bracelet and strong 2022 mixed-game results also demonstrate that he is not limited to a single poker variant.
It is more accurate to describe Aldemir through that record of tournament versatility than to assign him a narrow stylistic label such as purely aggressive, mathematical or exploitative without stronger supporting evidence.
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Why Koray Aldemir Matters in Poker
The 2021 Main Event championship alone guarantees Aldemir a lasting place in World Series of Poker history, but his career was already substantial before that victory.
He had recorded seven-figure high-roller scores, won a Triton Main Event and competed successfully against some of poker’s strongest tournament fields before becoming world champion.
His second bracelet further strengthened that résumé because it demonstrated championship-level success in a completely different discipline. Winning an 8-Game event after previously winning the Main Event separates his career from players whose major accomplishments are concentrated entirely in no-limit hold’em.
Aldemir’s 2022 Main Event run also gave his championship another layer of context. Rather than disappearing from contention after winning in 2021, he returned the following year and advanced to 75th place.
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Where Is Koray Aldemir Now?
Aldemir’s most recent cash currently listed by Hendon Mob came at the 2025 WSOP Paradise festival. He won the $10,000 8-Game Mix for his second bracelet and also cashed the $25,000 Super Main Event.
As of August 26, 2026, Hendon Mob does not list a 2026 live tournament cash for Aldemir. That should not be interpreted as evidence that he has retired or stopped playing poker. No reliable source reviewed for this profile supports describing him as retired.
His latest verified major achievement remains the second WSOP bracelet he won in December 2025.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many WSOP bracelets does Koray Aldemir have?
Koray Aldemir has two WSOP bracelets as of August 26, 2026. He won the 2021 WSOP Main Event and the 2025 WSOP Paradise $10,000 8-Game Mix 6-Handed event.
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When did Koray Aldemir win the WSOP Main Event?
Aldemir won the 2021 World Series of Poker Main Event in November 2021. He defeated a field of 6,650 entries and earned $8 million.
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How much has Koray Aldemir won in live poker tournaments?
Hendon Mob lists Koray Aldemir with $23,271,015 in live tournament earnings as of August 26, 2026. Tournament earnings databases are updated as new results are recorded.
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What is Koray Aldemir’s biggest poker cash?
Aldemir’s largest recorded live tournament cash is the $8 million he earned for winning the 2021 WSOP Main Event.
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Does Koray Aldemir have any WSOP Circuit rings?
The official WSOP player database lists Aldemir with zero WSOP Circuit rings as of August 26, 2026.
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Where is Koray Aldemir from?
Aldemir is German. Hendon Mob lists Berlin, Germany, as his birthplace and Vienna, Austria, as his residence.
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What did Koray Aldemir win his second bracelet in?
Aldemir won his second bracelet in the $10,000 8-Game Mix 6-Handed event at the 2025 WSOP Paradise festival. He defeated a 115-entry field and earned $287,800.