Apparently, German wunderkind Fedor Holz will never get tired of winning high roller events. The 2016 WSOP $111,111 High Roller for ONE DROP has become the latest prestigious tournament to be taken down by the young poker pro. Holz collected his debut gold bracelet and the first-place prize of $4,981,775 for his amazing performance.
The young player admitted that this has been one of the best experiences in his life. He further said that he had had a good feeling about the upcoming week and had felt particularly intense about the $111,111 High Roller event.
Holz has had an amazing run over the past several months. Apart from his most recent victory at the WSOP, the player has also won five more high roller tournaments. He topped the field of two $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em events at Aria Resort & Casino and a $50,000 Super High Roller at that same venue.
Last December, the German poker pro emerged as the victor of the $100,000 Alpha8 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller for a payout of $1,589,219. Only a fortnight later he became the first WPT National Philippines $200,000 Triton SHR Series – Cali Cup champion. Among other prizes, he was also paid a top payout of $3,463,500.
Holz started his career in poker by playing high stakes cash games online. Gradually, he has turned into a sensation on the online circuit. As it could be seen, he is repeating his feat on the live poker stage.
The $111,111 High Roller for ONE DROP was played over three days, from July 8-10. Events like this one have been taking place for the past five editions of the WSOP to promote and raise awareness and money for a charity that has gradually gained quite a lot of popularity.
The ONE DROP organization was created by Cirque Du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte and Caesars Interactive Entertainment CEO Mitch Garber and among numerous other good causes, it is mainly focused on providing clean water to people from developing countries. Since its establishment, ONE DROP has raised more than $10 million for its initiatives.
This year’s $111,111 High Roller for ONE DROP attracted as many as 183 of the world’s best poker players as well as business and financial leaders who wanted to contribute to the ONE DROP charity. With that said, the tournament has become the one to feature the largest field since such events have first started being held. A prize pool of $19,316,565 was accumulated and was distributed to the top 28 finishers.
Holz emerged victorious over a nine-handed final table that was comprised of several former gold bracelet winners and WSOP regulars, with 2015 WSOP Main Event Champion Joe McKeehen indisputably being the headliner. Eventually, the young German faced Dan Smith heads-up. Both players were contending for their first gold bracelets.
The moment of victory came when Holz limped in from the button and his opponent raised to 2,500,000. Holz then moved all in and Smith called almost immediately. The young German tabled [8c][7c] against his opponent’s [As][9s]. The board ran out [10s][9c][2h][6c][Ac], securing Holz with a flush and the title. Smith collected $3,078,974 for his runner-up finish.
Koray Aldemir from Austria was the player to finish 3rd in the event, good for $2,154,265. UK player Jack Salter took 4th place for a payout of $1,536,666. Brian Green from Decatur, Texas finished 5th for $1,117,923.
Former WSOP Main Event winner Joe McKeehen from North Wales, Pennsylvania scooped a payout of $829,792 for his sixth-place finish. Nick Petrangelo from Feeding Hills, Massachusetts finished 7th for $628,679. Niall Farrell, the other UK player at the final table, took 8th place for $486,383. Scott Seiver from Las Vegas, Nevada rounded out the official final table for a payout of $384,425.
