Day 4 of the 2026 World Series of Poker main event began with tension right off the bat. There were 1,389 players, out of a starting field of 9,208, who bagged chips at the end of the night on day 3. Of that 1,389, only 1,382 would be entitled to a share of the $85,634,400 prize pool.
Action began at 11 a.m. local time in Las Vegas, with all remaining players inside of the ballroom at Paris Las Vegas. By 11:15, the clock had been paused, and hand-for-hand play kicked off in earnest. It took two hands to burst the bubble, and from the moment play resumed the day became a whirlwind until the final hand was dealt at the end of the night.
More than half of the remaining field, having earned a cash, fell to the rail by the time day 4 ended. Only 533 players still have a chance to be crowned the 2026 WSOP main event champion.
Florida’s Sam Sweilem holds the overnight chip lead with 3,800,000. His largest career result came in a 2019 $50,000 buy-in event at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, in which Sweilem finished in sixth place ($109,370) to eventual champion Jason Mercier.
Artur Martirosian, a four-time bracelet winner and four-time Triton Super High Roller champion, sits in third place overnight. Dan Stavila (3,060,000) and Farid Jattin (3,040,000), who each have multiple major final table runs on their resumes, also finished day 4 in the top 10.
Previous Champs Still In The Mix
Across six decades of history, only four players have won multiple WSOP main event titles. Four players in the 2026 WSOP main event field still have a chance to become the fifth. Defending champion Michael Mizrachi (440,000) is among the shorter stacks in the field after a tough end to his day 4. But Mizrachi still has a chance to join Johnny Moss, Doyle Brunson, Stu Ungar, and Johnny Chan in becoming a back-to-back WSOP main event champion.
2019 WSOP main event champion Hossein Ensan is in the strongest position of any previous champion, with 2,580,000. 2004 WSOP main event Champion Greg Raymer (535,000) and 2013 winner Ryan Riess (455,000) are in a similar position to Mizrachi, in need of an early spin-up on day 5. While 2005 WSOP main event winner Joe Hachem went out in 803rd place, his son, Daniel, has 2,110,000 going into day 5.
While he’s significantly older, and already a Poker Hall of Famer, Todd Brunson, like Daniel Hachem, still has a chance to to become the first player ever to follow in his father’s footsteps as a main event champion.
Heavy Hitters Picking Up Chips
Three of the top four players in the 2026 WSOP Player of the Year standings are still in the mix as well. Alex Foxen (1,695,000), Shaun Deeb (1,500,000), and Josh Arieh (610,000) could each make it very difficult for the rest of the WSOP POY contenders should they continue their runs.
The rest of the chip counts are littered with recent bracelet winners and tournament standouts. Soheb Porbandarwala (2,900,000), Brock Wilson (2,400,000), Caitlin Comeskey (1,740,000), Matt Salsberg (1,700,000), Masato Yokosawa (1,545,000), Sean Winter (1,525,000), Dylan Smith (1,320,000), and Tony Dunst (1,245,000) each bagged seven figures.
Stephen Chidwick, Chino Rheem, Boris Angelov, Martin Zamani, David Peters, and CoinPoker Ambassador Patrick Leonard are all still in the hunt, too.
Right To Work On The Bubble
Less than 15 minutes into day 4 of the 2026 WSOP main event, the field went from seven players off the money to hand-for-hand play on the bubble. Four-time WSOP bracelet winner Chance Kornuth was among the last players to go out before they reached the money.
Hand-for-hand play produced four all-in pots on the first deal, and all four short stacks survived. On the second hand of hand-for-hand action, six all-in pots proved enough to burst the bubble. Three players doubled, but three saw their main event runs cut short. One of the bubble casualties was 2003 WSOP main event champion Chris Moneymaker, who called an all in on a board showing a full house, sevens full of aces. Antonio Vargas tabled pocket aces, which Moneymaker could not beat.
The bubble has burst in the 2026 WSOP main event!
2003 champion @CMONEYMAKER was one of three players eliminated during the final round of hand-for-hand.
Moneymaker called off with a full house on board and was shown pocket aces by Antonio Vargas for a higher full house. pic.twitter.com/eYtMlzhTWk
— Card Player: The Poker & Gambling Authority (@CardPlayerMedia) July 9, 2026
Two other players reached the end of the line in the same window. Stoyan Madanzhiev’s A♥K♥ couldn’t beat Gregory Brown’s pocket fives. Zhaken Seitbekov fell to 2025 Card Player Poker Tour champion Dan Stavila, as Stavila’s flopped set of sixes were too much for Seitbekov’s singular pair of aces.
Big Bonus For Seitbekov
Because the field was one spot off the money, the three eliminated players shared the first two $15,000 payouts of the 2026 WSOP main event. That got each player their $10,000 buy-in back. As has become tradition, the three eliminated players sat down to play out a single blind runout hand for a bonus prize. For the second consecutive year, the winner earned a $25,000 seat to the 2026 WSOP Paradise super main event in December.
The three players who were simultaneously knocked out on the 2026 WSOP main event bubble flipped for a $25,000 WSOP Paradise super main event seat.
Zhaken Seitbekov bested Chris Moneymaker and Stoyan Madanzhiev, with king high earning him the hefty consolation prize. pic.twitter.com/ckbTerwUmw
— Card Player: The Poker & Gambling Authority (@CardPlayerMedia) July 9, 2026
As vice president of the WSOP Jack Effel narrated the action, the dealer ran out a board of Q♣Q♦9♦J♣4♥. Seitbekov tabled K♥2♦ for king-high, which beat Moneymaker’s five-high, and Madanzhiev’s six-high. Seitbekov, who is from Kazakhstan, earned the best live cash of his career earlier this summer with a 31st place finish in the $800 summer celebration event, worth $16,200.
Now, after his first ever WSOP main event cash, Seitbekov gets to play a tournament with a buy-in larger than any live result he’s ever had in his career.
What’s Next
Day 5 action kicks off at 11 a.m. local time on July 10 in Las Vegas. Blinds for level 21 will be 10,000-25,000 with a 25,000 big blind ante. There will be five levels of play before the remaining players bag up at the end of the night.
Coverage of the 2026 WSOP main event continues on ESPN+. The broadcast kicks off at noon PST, and runs through 4 p.m. local time. The broadcast resumes at 6 p.m. PST and then runs through the final hands of day 5 action in the 2026 WSOP main event.
Here is a look at the top ten chip stacks heading into day 5:
| Place | Player | Chips |
| 1 | Sam Sweilem | 3,800,000 |
| 2 | Steven O’Nan | 3,600,000 |
| 3 | Artur Martirosian | 3,495,000 |
| 4 | Kyle Mart | 3,480,000 |
| 5 | Chih Fan | 3,365,000 |
| 6 | Shreesh Hebbar | 3,340,000 |
| 7 | Felix Kuemayr | 3,125,000 |
| 8 | Arman Bezhanian | 3,100,000 |
| 9 | Dan Stavila | 3,060,000 |
| 10 | Farid Jattin | 3,040,000 |
Remaining Payouts In The 2026 WSOP Main Event
| Place | Payout |
| 1 | $10,000,000 |
| 2 | $6,000,000 |
| 3 | $3,750,000 |
| 4 | $2,750,000 |
| 5 | $2,250,000 |
| 6 | $1,750,000 |
| 7 | $1,500,000 |
| 8 | $1,250,000 |
| 9 | $1,000,000 |
| 10-11 | $750,000 |
| 12-13 | $510,000 |
| 14-17 | $410,475 |
| 18-26 | $325,000 |
| 27-35 | $265,000 |
| 36-44 | $215,000 |
| 45-53 | $180,000 |
| 54-62 | $150,000 |
| 63-71 | $125,000 |
| 72-80 | $105,000 |
| 81-89 | $90,000 |
| 90-98 | $75,000 |
| 99-161 | $65,000 |
| 162-224 | $57,500 |
| 225-287 | $50,000 |
| 288-350 | $45,000 |
| 351-413 | $40,000 |
| 414-476 | $35,000 |
| 477-533 | $32,500 |
Photo credit: WSOP / Alicia Skillman, Monique Marestein
