Koray Aldemir

Koray Aldemir was born in 1990 in Berlin, Germany, and is of Turkish descent. He first encountered poker on New Year's Eve 2006 at a friend's house and began playing freerolls on PokerStars. His first recorded live cash came in January 2012 in a €200 tournament in Berlin. Aldemir briefly attended Brandenburg University of Technology without earning a degree, then moved to Vienna to study psychology. While playing in Rozvadov, Czech Republic in 2013, he let another player use his computer to send money on PokerStars, which led to his account being locked for four years. He currently resides in Vienna, Austria.

Aldemir's crowning achievement came at the 2021 World Series of Poker Main Event, where he won the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Championship for $8,000,000. He entered the final table as the chip leader and ultimately faced George Holmes heads-up. On the 223rd hand of the final table, with a board of 10♥ 7♠ 2♥ K♠ 9♣, Holmes moved all in holding K♣ Q♠, and Aldemir called with 10♦ 7♦ for two pair, securing the title and his first WSOP bracelet. The victory moved him past $20 million in career earnings and into fourth place on Germany's all-time money list. In 2022, defending his title, he finished 75th out of 8,663 entrants.

Before his Main Event win, Aldemir had already made a name for himself in high roller tournaments. His previous best cash was $2.1 million for third place in the $111,111 One Drop High Roller at the 2016 WSOP. That same year, he finished runner-up to Adrian Mateos in the Summer Solstice event. In 2017, he won a Triton Super High Roller Series event in Manila for $1.3 million. He placed third in the 2018 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event for $481,000 and won Event #9 of the 2019 U.S. Poker Open for $738,000. At the 2022 WSOP, he finished 3rd in the Player of the Year race and cashed in multiple high rollers: 6th in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship ($258,812), 6th in the $50,000 High Roller NLH ($241,791), and 5th in the $100,000 Bounty NLH ($249,693). At the 2023 WSOP, he took 5th in the $100,000 High Roller NLH for $533,561.

Aldemir is a versatile player who excels in mixed games. In addition to No-Limit Hold'em, he has cashed in Limit Hold'em, Razz, 8-Game Mix, and Pot-Limit Omaha. At the 2022 WSOP, he finished 4th in the $10,000 Razz Championship for $111,991. He further demonstrated his mixed-game skills by winning his second WSOP bracelet in December 2025 at WSOP Paradise: Event #12, the $10,000 8-Game Mix 6-Handed, for $287,800. This win also marked his second bracelet overall.

Aldemir's total live tournament earnings exceed $22.9 million, placing him 46th on the all-time money list (41st according to more recent rankings). He holds two WSOP bracelets and has made numerous final tables. In 2024, he continued to perform well: he cashed in the $10,000 6-Handed Championship (41st), the $10,000 Main Event (598th for $32,500), and other events. At the 2025 WSOP Paradise, besides his bracelet win, he also cashed in the $25K Super Main Event (158th for $70,000). He is active online as @kooraay90 on Twitter.

Known for a calm and analytical style, Aldemir combines patience with aggression at key moments. His deep runs across diverse formats—from high rollers to mixed games—highlight his well-rounded skill set. As a WSOP Main Event champion and multiple high roller winner, Aldemir has cemented his place among Germany's top poker talents. He was awarded the GPI National Player of the Year award and continues to compete at the highest level, both live and online.

As of 2025, Aldemir has two WSOP bracelets, 11 final tables, and 102 cashes at the World Series of Poker, with total WSOP earnings of $13,647,483. he has 33 WSOP money finishes. His two bracelets were both earned in No-Limit Hold'em (2021 Main Event) and 8-Game Mix (2025 Paradise). At the WSOP, he has consistently performed across multiple variants, including Limit Hold'em, Razz, and Pot-Limit Omaha.

In December 2025, Aldemir participated in the WSOP Paradise series in the Bahamas. He won his second bracelet in Event #12: $10,000 8-Game Mix 6-Handed for $287,800. In the same series, he also cashed in the $25,000 Super Main Event, finishing 158th out of 2,891 entrants for $70,000. These results added to his already impressive year, which included multiple cashes at the 2024 WSOP.