The fourth day of the Main Event of the 2025 World Series of Poker ended with just 522 of the original 9,375 competitors still in contention for the $10m first prize. It was the day when the bubble burst, with just 15 of the 1,476 set to depart with nothing. In fact only 14 players left empty handed, as three hit the rail at the same time when there were 1,462 players left.
There are still 26 Brits (5% of the remaining field) left with chip stacks, none in the top twenty overall, but 10 have counts in the top 100. The average stack is just over 1.1m and the Britpack is in good shape, with several players sitting on huge piles (of chips), poised and ready to pounce.
Seventeen of the UK players have above average stacks and 20 of the remaining 26 are in the top half of the field. Only four of the remaining Brits are short stacked and only one, Andrew Wilson will return with less than 20 big blinds.
Fraser MacIntyre Leads UK Charge After Day 4 of Main Event
Fraser MacIntyre has the biggest chip stack of the remaining 26 UK players. The Ayr Utd chairman is very experienced at big field live mtts. He has three previous Main Event cashes at the WSOP and will be looking to better his highest finish, 301st in 2016. MacIntyre is the owner of poker event company Main Event Travel, so we safely assume he will have no problem extending his hotel booking if he does indeed make a deep run.
Kassouf, Sheils & Braddock Retain Big Stacks
Several players who have had big chip counts at the end of the last few days have extended their residency near the top of the leaderboard. Will Kassouf has consistently been in the top 5 chip counts of the UK crew throughout the tournament. He hasn’t always had a big stack during each session and has in fact had a rollercoaster of a ride so far, but has ended every day on a high. At the end of the day’s play he had 2,450,000, the second largest, behind McIntyre.
Kassouf battled with former Main Event champion Greg Merson on Day 4, scooping a big pot near the end of play to rise above the 2m chip mark. Merson remarked that he enjoyed the experience, noting that like or loathe him, he’s a character.
Brandon Sheils also made good progress, having been well placed overnight on 736,000, he more than trebled his stack on the fourth day, rising to 2,370,000, the third biggest of the Britpack. Oliver Braddock also maintained a high position in the UK WSOP chip chart, doubling his stack on Day 4 to 2,250,000.
Strength and Depth in Team UK
Several highly regarded UK players are still well in the hunt, bagging above average stacks. None less than Stephen Chidwick, who has 1,940,000, having had an average stack of 395,000 when the day began.
Tom Middleton also rose up from having slightly above average at the start of the day, to a healthy 1,905,000 when play ended. Benjamin Winsor, on exactly the same chip count as Middleton had an even more impressive rise up the chart, having started the day on 233,000.
Other British players who bagged above average chip stacks include Scott Margereson, who tangled with Will Kassouf in the early stages of the day, ending with 1,885,000 to his name. Jamie O’Connor (1,805,000), William Gibbons (1,780,000), Benjamin Jackson (1,660,000), Guy Leathley (1,540,000) and Nicholas Ramsey (1,410,000) are all in good shape going into Day 5.
Even the shortest stacked UK players left – Andrew Wilson, Andrew Hedley, Henry Fewster and Matthew Beltcher are highly capable and can easily steer themselves back into contention.
UK Players Main Event Day 4 Survivors Chip Counts
| Position | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 25 |  Fraser Macintyre | 2,735,000 |
| 36 | Will Kassouf | 2,450,000 |
| 39 | Brandon Sheils | 2,370,000 |
| 45 | Oliver Braddock | 2,250,000 |
| 67 | Stephen Chidwick | 1,940,000 |
| 70 | Tom Middleton | 1,905,000 |
| 71 | Benjamin Winsor | 1,905,000 |
| 76 | Scott Margereson | 1,885,000 |
| 84 | Jamie O’Connor | 1,805,000 |
| 89 | William Gibbons | 1,780,000 |
| 103 | Benjamin Jackson | 1,660,000 |
| 117 | Guy Leathley | 1,540,000 |
| 144 | Nicholas Ramsey | 1,410,000 |
| 155 | Mitchell Hynam | 1,370,000 |
| 157 | Carl Shaw | 1,350,000 |
| 200 | Joe Hindry | 1,160,000 |
| 205 | Seun Oluwole | 1,130,000 |
| 210 | Daniel Carney | 1,100,015 |
| 258 | Samuel Darkin | 930,000 |
| 261 | Steven Alper | 920,000 |
| 278 | Rohit Mariwalla | 870,000 |
| 302 | James Bagley | 835,000 |
| 435 | Matthew Belcher | 480,000 |
| 444 | Henry Fewster | 445,000 |
| 445 | Andrew Hedley | 445,000 |
| 472 | Andrew Wilson | 365,000 |
Frankland and Joshi in Bubble Not Bubble Drama
The player who bubbles in a poker tournament is usually the person who misses out on a payout by just one place. However, when they got down to the hand-for-hand situation and there was just one player left to bust, three players simultaneously lost their tournament lives.
In such situations, all three share two min cashes, meaning that none of them go home empty handed, technically promoting the player in 1,463rd place to be the player who just misses out on the money.
And why is this important? Because the WSOP has a promotion whereby they award a prize worth $30,000 to the player who exits on the bubble. In any case, the prize did not go to Adam Rude, who was the 1,463rd finisher, he went home with absolutely nothing.
Instead, a three-way flip was staged as a play-off between the three players who busted simultaneously, to determine who would be deemed to be the “stone cold bubble.”
For the purposes of the promotion, it does seem fair that it was conducted this way, as those who put their tournament lives on the line knowing this prize was an option, may have done so due to this artificial influence.
But it is nonetheless a devaluing of the term “stone cold bubble,” as the player who achieved this wooden spoon accolade actually did cash for $10,000 and walked off with a WSOP Paradise package worth $30,000 as well! There’s nothing stone, nor cold about that result, but fair play to those who took a chance at eating this added value by putting their tournament lives on the line.
Two British players were involved in this bizarre re-scripting of what it means to bubble a poker tournament. Mathew Frankland and Sachin Joshi, along with Canadian Marco Dickner were all eliminated (on different tables) when play was hand-for-hand.
All three were short-stacked and had clearly made moves with the bonus in mind, getting it in with below par starting hands, or committing when marginal on the flop. Dickner even celebrated when he was sent to the rail, before realising what was happening on the other tables.
Frankland won the flip and took the $30,000 package for the $60m guaranteed WSOP Paradise Super Main Event, while Joshi and Dickner had to settle for what was presumably an extremely tilting situation, getting just their $10,000 buy-ins back.
A bittersweet moment for Joshi, but a triumphant finishing symphony for Frankland, who going by the look on his face on Kevmath’s tweet, was absolutely delighted with the outcome. He secured $10k more than he would have hoped to have, when he played his exit hand.
The PR friendly thing for the WSOP to do would be for additional $30,000 packages to be awarded to Dickner, Joshi and Rude. Let’s hope that happens.
Sheils Brothers Both Cash in Main Event
Brandon Sheils has been having a very good summer, winning trophies at the Wynn and the Venetian, plus several WSOP cashes, including a 5th place finish for over $200,000. Both Brandon and brother Richard Sheils are in the money in the 2025 WSOP Main Event.
Richard making his first cash of 2025, busted in 882nd for $20,000, while Brandon is still in with 2,370,000 chips and a deep run in his sights. The news delighted the poker playing matriarch of the Sheils family, who posted her reaction on Facebook. Mother of both Brandon and Richard, Michelle Bricknell, almost secured a Wynn trophy of her own, when she was runner-up in the $550 No Limit Hold’em Ladies at the Summer Classic in 2022.
Richard is less well known than his high flying brother, but has a few poker notches under his own belt. His greatest triumph came in 2015 when he won the New Year Day Deepstack at Dusk Till Dawn for £26,000. He’s also had a few WSOP cashes over the years, including a final table in the €1,650 Monster Stack at the WSOPE, also in 2015.
But now Richard has another important job, railing his brother to make as deep a run as possible. Brandon would be a popular winner for the UK, especially as he barely keeps any sizeable percentage for himself in most events. His 5th place finish in Event #62 $5,000 No Limit Hold’em 6-Handed for $203,292 only benefitted him by $40k, as he had sold 80% of his action to a loyal group of backers.
Carry On Kassoufing
Will Kassouf was once again performing his trademark table chat show throughout the day, some of which was played out on a feature table. All the usual catchphrases were rolled out, with one of the most oft repeated ones being “if you’ve got it, you’ve got it.” Usually they didn’t and Will would scoop in a big pot.
Indeed Will played loudly, loosely and largely and was involved in some big hands throughout the day, including making this call, after a lengthy soliloquy.
While some complain that Will’s table chat slows down the game, others simply find it repetitive and annoying. However, not everybody is turned off by the prospect of facing Will Kassouf and some try to give back as good as they get, which usually gets Kassouf’s respect. In one hand, Will was bluffed off a pot by Terence Klee, who was happy to show “7-high like a boss” bluff after scooping in the chips.
UK Min Cashers Club: $15,000
Eight players from the UK min-cashed. The first few to depart after the bubble-not-bubble situation had passed were Jack Hardcastle (1,425th), Stephen Kurland (1,412th), Andrew Teng (1,411th) and Christopher O’Donnell (1,395th).
888 Poker’s Nick Eastwood (1,365th), Beer Poker Tour London champion Dan Spataru (1,355th), bracelet holder Darius Samual (1,303rd) and Jason Wong (1,288th) were the next to make their way to the payout window, to collect their $15,000 prizes.
UK Min Ladders Club: $17,500
After the bubble had burst, the pace of exits picked up and fourteen further members of the Britpack saw their 2025 WSOP Main Event journeys come to an abrupt end. Adam Whitenstall (1,252nd), James Rann (1,246th), Paul Ephremsen (1,221st) and Christopher Scholes (1,218th) were the first to join the min cash plus one club.
They were soon joined by Martins Adeniya (1,200th), Samuel Goodman (1,198th), Paul Sokoloff (1,186th), Gareth Devereux (1,137th) and Jamie Harding (1,112th).
Bracelet winner Jamie Walden (1,098th) also departed at this point of the day, as did mortgage adviser extraordinaire James Atkin (1,081st), Matthew Hunt (1,076th), Minnes Scott (1,055th) and Deal Lyall (1,034th)
UK 2 Ladders Club: $20,000*
Half the size of the min ladders club, just seven players from the UK doubled their money, cashing for $20,000. In 999th place was Christopher Wood, with Simon Burns (982nd), Niall Costigan (980th) and James MacKenzie (949th) soon following him to the cash desk.
Mark Rubbathan (918th), Kevin Williams (901st) and Richard Sheils (882nd) also saw their tournaments conclude during this payout bracket.
*Ed: that’s enough of this cringe please
UK $22,500 Cashers
Five UK players made it to the fourth rung of the payout ladder, taking away $22,500 and a ”what if?” moment that will last a lifetime. What if that final hand of theirs had held up? What if I’d made that marginal call back in level 12?
These questions will never have answers for Boutros Awad (847th), Nikolay Ponomarev (833rd), Christopher Whitaker (824th), Giorgos Onisforou (809th) or Jamie Dale (768th).
UK $25,000 Cashers
Another seven Brits made it as far as the $25,000 payout zone, including Joshua Boulton (689th), who had been the largest stacked Brit at the end of Day 2abc. Evan Hu (746th), Laith Edris (710th) Andrew Hawksby (708th), Samuel Wilkinson (700th), Fahir Han (690th) and Rehman Kassam (688th) also exited at this stage of the day.
Liv Boeree Out in 645th for $27,500
The only player from the UK to claim $27,500 at the payout window was Liv Boeree, for 645th place. Her dream of matching her WSOP Paradise Super Main Event final table last year was dashed when she defended with pocket tens on the button in level 19. She re-raised all-in for 265,000, but was snapped off by the original raiser, Preston Green, who had pocket kings.
UK $30,000 Cashers
As the day progressed, the attrition rate slowed down, with players eyeing up a seat in Day 5, to ensure their continuation in the event for at least another day. But the end of the day came just a level too soon for Oliver Bithell (601st), Jacob Stone (597th), Jamie Kingston (558th), Brandon Harris (548th) and James O’Sullivan (543rd), who all had to settle for $30,000 payouts.
UK $32,500 Cashers
With the day very nearly over, two further Brits – Daniel James (538th) and Grant Gardner (533rd) just missed the Day 4 curtain call and will play no further part in the event.
UK Players In The Money Table
Fifty-one players from the UK cashed on Day 4 of the 2025 Main Event.
| Position | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 533 | Grant Gardner | $32,500 |
| 538 | Daniel James | $32,500 |
| 543 | James O’Sullivan | $30,000 |
| 548 | Brandon Harris | $30,000 |
| 558 | Jamie Kingston | $30,000 |
| 597 | Jacob Stone | $30,000 |
| 601 | Oliver Bithell | $30,000 |
| 645 | Liv Boeree | $27,500 |
| 688 | Rehman Kassam | $25,000 |
| 689 | Joshua Boulton | $25,000 |
| 690 | Fahir Han | $25,000 |
| 700 | Samuel Wilkinson | $25,000 |
| 708 | Andrew Hawksby | $25,000 |
| 710 | Laith Edris | $25,000 |
| 746 | Evan Hu | $25,000 |
| 768 | Jamie Dale | $22,500 |
| 809 | Giorgos Onisiforou | $22,500 |
| 824 | Christopher Whitaker | $22,500 |
| 833 | Nikolay Ponomarev | $22,500 |
| 847 | Boutros Awad | $22,500 |
| 882 | Richard Sheils | $20,000 |
| 901 | Kevin Williams | $20,000 |
| 918 | Mark Rubbathan | $20,000 |
| 949 | James Mackenzie | $20,000 |
| 980 | Niall Costigan | $20,000 |
| 982 | Simon Burns | $20,000 |
| 999 | Christopher Wood | $20,000 |
| 1034 | Dean Lyall | $17,500 |
| 1055 | Minnes Scott | $17,500 |
| 1076 | Matthew Hunt | $17,500 |
| 1081 | James Atkin | $17,500 |
| 1098 | Jamie Walden | $17,500 |
| 1112 | Jamie Harding | $17,500 |
| 1137 | Gareth Devereux | $17,500 |
| 1186 | Paul Sokoloff | $17,500 |
| 1198 | Samuel Goodman | $17,500 |
| 1200 | Martins Adeniya | $17,500 |
| 1218 | Christopher Scholes | $17,500 |
| 1221 | Paul Ephremsen | $17,500 |
| 1246 | James Rann | $17,500 |
| 1252 | Alex Whitenstall | $17,500 |
| 1288 | Jason Wong | $15,000 |
| 1303 | Darius Samual | $15,000 |
| 1355 | Dan Spataru | $15,000 |
| 1365 | Nick Eastwood | $15,000 |
| 1395 | Christopher O’Donnell | $15,000 |
| 1411 | Andrew Teng | $15,000 |
| 1412 | Stephen Kurland | $15,000 |
| 1425 | Jack Hardcastle | $15,000 |
| 1461 | Mathew Frankland | $10,000 |
| 1462 | Sachin Joshi | $10,000 |
Photos courtesy of PokerNews and WSOP
