Nobody wants to bubble a tournament, especially not one like the World Series of Poker Main Event. It’s not just missing out on the min-cash that is painful. It’s the three days of effort, the long nights, the sweat lost from flipping for your tournament life. That’s what really hurts.
The bubble burst early on in Day 4, and a very familiar face hit the rail before the money. Chris Moneymaker, the 2003 Main Event champion, and the player who is widely accredited for ushering in the poker boom, was eliminated on the stone bubble.
According to PokerNews, Moneymaker opened from the hijack with J♥9♦ and called a three-bet from Antonio Vargas, who had A♥A♠. On the 8♥7♠7♦ flop, Vargas bet 20,000 and Moneymaker called. The turn was the 7♣ and Moneymaker once again called a bet, this time for 45,000. The 8♠ river put a full house on board and Vargas piled on the pressure, betting for Moneymaker’s last 100,000.
Moneymaker made the call, playing the board, and was sent to the rail when Vargas showed his sevens full of aces to win the pot.
Moneymaker wasn’t the only player to bust on the bubble. Two other eliminations occurred at the same time at separate tables. He was joined by WSOP online Main Event champion Stoyan Madanzhiev, as well as Zhaken Seitbekov. The three players split two prizes, each taking $10,000, while the rest of the field cheered as they made the $15,000 min-cash.
WSOP tradition has it that the player who busts on the bubble wins a very welcome consolation prize. This year, that prize was a seat in the WSOP Paradise Main Event. The three busted players flipped for it, and Seitbekov won the seat. It wasn’t the end Moneymaker was looking for, but he shouldn’t be too disappointed after his previous Main Event win, worth $2.5 million, set up his poker career for life, all from an $86 online satellite.
With the bubble firmly behind them, players now look to build stacks to make a run at the top spots, with $10,000,000 reserved for the eventual winner.
Sweilem Bags Chip Lead, Martirosian in Top Three
Of the 1,389 players who returned for Day 4, only 533 found the bag at the end of the night. Sam Sweilem, a little known player from the United States, topped the counts with 3,800,000, worth 190 big blinds when action resumes. Sweilem has one six figure score to his name, which accounts for the majority of his live tournament winnings.
Steven O’Nan, another recreational player from the US, bagged in second with 3,600,000, while Russian beast Artur Martirosian, who has four WSOP bracelets and over $35 million in live tournament winnings, according to The Hendon Mob, sits in third place with 3,495,000. Martirosian is a serious contender and one to watch heading into Day 5.
Top Ten Day 4 Chip Counts
| Position | Player | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Sam Sweilem | United States | 3,800,000 |
| 2 | Steven O’Nan | United States | 3,600,000 |
| 3 |  Artur Martirosian | Russian Federation | 3,495,000 |
| 4 | Kyle Mart | United States | 3,480,000 |
| 5 |  Chih Fan | Taiwan | 3,365,000 |
| 6 |  Shreesh Hebbar | Canada | 3,340,000 |
| 7 |  Felix Kuemayr | Austria | 3,125,000 |
| 8 | Arman Bezhanian | Russian Federation | 3,100,000 |
| 9 |  Dan Stavila | Moldova | 3,060,000 |
| 10 |  Farid Jattin | Colombia | 3,040,000 |
Other notable players who bagged big stacks included Brock Wilson (2,415,000), Alex Foxen (1,695,000), Japanese vlogger Masato Yokosawa (1,545,000), Shaun Deeb (1,500,000), Greg Mueller (1,500,000), Brian Yoon (1,350,000) and Tony Dunst (1,245,000). Caitlin Comeskey made headlines as a representative of a growing field of female entries. She bagged for 1,740,000.
Day 3 chip leader Sasha Liu (2,340,000), Day 2d chip leader Michael Rossitto (1,845,000), Day 1c chip leader Yulian Bogdanov (1,760,000), and Day 1a chip leader Ryuta Nakai (1,685,000) each finished within the top 100 after growing their stacks, demonstrating that it’s possible to maintain an advantage in the generously structured WSOP Main Event.
Martin Zamani’s run proved the opposite; that anything can happen in poker and that nothing is guaranteed. He was second in chips at the start of the day, but finished with only 545,000. That was a touch ahead of 2025 Main Event champion Michael Mizrachi (440,000), who could still make it a double, but now has a very long way to go after dropping down the counts.
The other past Main Event champions who are still in the mix are Hossein Ensan (2,580,000), Greg Raymer (535,000), and Ryan Riess (455,000).
Further down the counts, but still with very playable stacks, are names and faces that include Ryan Leng (990,000), Brad Ruben (965,000), Joey Weissman (900,000), Stephen Chidwick (760,000), and Josh Arieh (610,000).
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What’s Next at the 2026 World Series of Poker?
With Day 4 in the books, the remaining 533 hopefuls return to the felt at 11 a.m. Vegas time on July 10th for Day 5. Players will come back to blinds of 10,000/20,000 with a 20,000 big blind ante for five 120-minute levels. They have each already locked up at least $32,500 as the event plays deeper into the money.
| Date | Time | Day |
| Friday, July 10 | 11:00 AM | Day 5 |
| Saturday, July 11 | 11:00 AM | Day 6 |
| Sunday, July 12 | 11:00 AM | Day 7 |
| Monday, July 13 | 11:00 AM | Day 8 |
| Monday, August 3 | 06:00 PM | Final Table Day 1 |
| Tuesday, August 4 | 06:00 PM | Final Table Day 2 |
| Wednesday, August 5 | 06:00 PM | Final Table Day 3 |
2026 WSOP Main Event in Numbers
- Day 1a – 722 entries, 543 players advanced
- Day 1b – 1,038 entries, 759 advanced
- Day 1c – 1573 entries, 1166 advanced
- Day 1d – 4,694 entries, 3638 advanced
- Day 2abc – 2,780 returned or late regged, 1,260 advanced
- Day 2d – 4,458 returned or late regged, 2,034 advanced
- Day 3 – 3,294 returned, 1,389 advanced
- Day 4 – 1,389 returned, 533 advanced
- Day 5 – 533 set to return
Total entries – 9,208
Prize pool – $85,634,400
Top Prize – $10,000,000
2026 WSOP Final Table Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 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 |
