2021 WSOP Main Event Final Table Profile: Jack Oliver

Final Table Profile Jack Oliver

Jack Oliver’s Main Event Story

Jack Oliver is a British grinder who cut his poker chops playing in low buying events in the United Kingdom. Oliver’s first recorded live tournament cash was a ninth-place finish in the £275 buy-in UK Student Poker Championships High Roller event back in 2016. He has since amassed $117,414 in live winnings.

Oliver’s first WSOP cash came at the 2018 series, doing so in the $1,500 Millionaire Maker event. He won a $4,700 package online that granted travel expenses and a Millionaire Maker entry. Oliver navigated his way to a 359th place finish worth $4,518.

The Brit’s second WSOP in-the-money finish came at this year’s WSOP. Oliver finished 322nd in the $1,500 Monster Stack for $3,005.

Despite now being a millionaire and having the chance to win the 2021 WSOP Main Event, Oliver feels calm and collected.

"I’m pretty calm, to be honest, we haven’t won anything yet. It’s a big day tomorrow, so I just want to rest and feel good for tomorrow. There is no one I’m trying to go after, just trying to play good poker that’s all."

Oliver started his quest for WSOP Main Event glory like a runaway train, bagging 205,800 chips on Day 1d, which were good enough for 29/1,933. His hot run continued on Day 2abd and Day 3, before losing a little momentum on the subsequent days.

Day 5, for example, saw Oliver drop from 1,878,000 chips to 1,565,000, which placed him 80th of the 96 surviving players. Day 6 was more profitable, in terms of accumulating chips, but he was still only 27/36.

Oliver kept his cool and went from 6,043,000 chips at the start of Day 7 to 30,400,000 by the close of play. He sits down in fifth place and with a legitimate shot of becoming the Main Event’s champion.

Jack Oliver’s Key Hands

Saving chips is often more important than accumulating them, and Oliver has already shown he can make disciplined folds. Many players would have gone broke in the spot we are about to recount, but Oliver lived to fight another day.

Ramon Colillas opened to 500,000 at the 120,000/240,000/240,000a level with 9♥️

Oliver checked the 9♦️ turn, and Colillas bet his set of nines to he tune of 2,600,000, a bet that Oliver called. Colillas emptied the clip on the 4♥️ river, putting Oliver to the test for his last 7,900,000. Oliver tanked for five minutes before correctly letting his hand go.

Another key hand saw Oliver double through George Holmes, who shoved for 30 big blinds with k♠️q♦️ and Oliver called all-in for less with the dominating a♣️k♥️. The board ran 7♣️6♠️j♥️5♦️4♣️ to secure Oliver’s double, and leave Holmes with 1.5 big blinds. Amazingly, Holmes not only survived to the end of the day, but did so with the second-largest stack in the tournament.

How Jack Oliver Got to the Final Table

What to Watch For

Oliver sits down at the final table in Seat 3, sandwiched between the tournament’s two biggest stacks. He has chip leader Koray Aldemir to his immediate right and George Holmes two seats to his left. It is not the ideal scenario for the British star but it does give him the opportunity to accumulate some chips from two players who may splash around a little more than the other finalists.

Several British pros have jetted their way to Vegas to support Oliver at the final table. The likes of Chris Maguire, Euan McNicholas, and Tim Joyner will be present and correct as Oliver attempts to become the first British WSOP Main Event champion since Mansour Matloubi triumphed in 1990. First place prize money was $895,000 when Matloubi won the Main Event, Oliver has already locked up $1 million.

2021 WSOP Main Event Final Table Seating

2021 WSOP Main Event Final Table Payout

2021 WSOP Main Event Final Table Player Stats

^{Stats courtesy of WSOP.com and HendonMob.com.}