Fedor Holz continues to make his case as the best poker player in the world. The German high roller legend took down yet another major tournament, this one the $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em event at the 2020 WSOP Online Bracelet Series on GGPoker, the poker site he promotes.
Holz spent part of his summer defending GGPoker against allegations the site bans players for winning too much. On Sunday, he spent his afternoon winning his second World Series of Poker bracelet on that same poker site.
The heads-up high roller event began on Tuesday with 127 players. To advance to Sunday's final two rounds, players first had to win five consecutive matches against formidable opponents. Four players - Holz, Sergi Reixach, Bruno Botteon, and Oktay Kahyaoglu - made it through unbeaten to the semifinals.
Two different matches
Holz, given his status as one of the best in the world, was favored to win the tournament heading into Sunday's semifinals. But the cards didn't seem to care much about his reputation early on in the match against Reixach, who jumped out to a 2-1 chip lead early on.
Reixach couldn't get cocky though. A 2-1 chip advantage against a legend like Fedor Holz might as well have been a deficit. Holz crawled back into the match and then took the lead before his opponent could blink. And he never relinquished that lead. The German poker star hit a flush on the turn against Reixach's flopped pair of aces. He moved all-in on the river and his opponent couldn't find a fold.
That ended the match and sent Holz into the finals. Reixach didn't go home empty-handed though. For reaching the semifinals, he received $311,150, his second largest cash in a World Series of Poker event.
In the other semifinals match, Botteon grinded out a hard-fought victory in a lengthy battle against Kahyaoglu. Like Reixach, Kahyaoglu earned $311,150 after coming just short of his first WSOP bracelet. That set up what turned out to be a lopsided finale.
Holz versus Botteon wasn't much of a contest, it was more of a beat down. It took Fedor — the 27-year-old — just a few minutes before jumping out to a 3-1 chip advantage. His opponent never made a game of it, and then was eliminated on an unlucky flop.
With pocket fives, Holz flopped a set on a 5-4-8 board. Botteon, with an over pair (10's), was in a world of hurt. In heads-up play, it's very difficult to get away from an over-pair because the odds are you're ahead. Both players moved all-in on the turn (a 9), and then watched the meaningless 4 land on the river, putting an end to the tournament. The champ shared a celebratory video on Twitter.
The runner-up from Brazil took home $622,300 for his efforts. Holz earned $1,077,025 along with his second gold bracelet.
Fedor Holz, still three years away from reaching his 30s, is one of the game's all-time greats. With over $32 million in live tournament cashes, millions of online poker earnings, and two WSOP bracelets, he's already ensured a Poker Hall of Fame induction when he becomes eligible at age 40.
Featured image source: Flickr
