On Day Four at the 2026 WSOP Main Event, the tension was palpable. 1,389 players were left in the field after the Day Three battles, but seven of them would not receive anything for their efforts. After two hours, the drama broke, involving a former World Champion, and by the end of the night there were only 533 runners left in the race with Tampa, FL’s Sam Sweilem holding the lead.
Dramatic Bubble Play
From the start of action on Thursday, there was some apprehension among the players, especially those on the shorter stacks. Seven players had to be eliminated before players could start cutting their piece of the $85 million prize pool, so hand-for-hand play was in effect. That meant the tension would only ramp upward, as each hand took a lengthy time to play out. How lengthy? Some players would wrap their hands, head to the facilities, and STILL be back in time to make the next hand.
One of those who departed early was poker professional Chance Kornuth. Kornuth would get his chips to the center with a K-7 of diamonds against pocket eights, and it did not start (or finish) well for him. The eights would flop a set, but Kornuth caught four to the flush and, on the turn, that flush draw would come in with a potential redraw to a straight flush. Alas, the dreams of a double for Chance ended on the river, when the board paired to give his opponent a full house and send Kornuth home short of the money.
At approximately 4 PM on Thursday (3:57, to be exact), the money bubble would pop. Six all-ins were on tap, with the field only one elimination from making it to the money, sending Tournament Director Jack Effel running around the tournament floor for each showdown. Three of those all-ins would survive their efforts, but the other three, including former World Champion Chris Moneymaker, did not. That meant that the three knocked out of the tournament would split the 1,382nd and 1,381st place money of $30,000 among each other ($10,000 each), and the three men were eligible for a $25,000 seat to the 2026 WSOP Paradise this December in the Bahamas; perhaps fortunately, Moneymaker did not win that special hand, with it going to Zhaken Seitbekov earning the free chair in the Bahamas.
And with those three eliminations, the 1,380 players remaining were in the money in the 2026 WSOP Main Event.
Former Champions, Top Pros Still in the Mix
Once the money bubble popped, the floodgates opened with players heading to the cage for their piece of the WSOP Main Event pie. Former World Champions John Cynn, Scott Blumstein, and Joe Hachem would end their stays at the 2026 WSOP Main Event with something to show for their efforts, while Kristen Foxen, Jesse Sylvia, Poker Hall of Fame nominee Chris Moorman, and Ren Lin would join them on the rail. Even with these luminaries heading to the rail, there were still some former World Champs in the mix, including the defending titleholder, along with an assortment of top pros.
The defending champion of the WSOP Main Event, Michael Mizrachi, had an extremely volatile day at the featured table. Starting the day with 615,000 in chips, ‘The Grinder’ would see his stack peak at over 1.2 million. Much of it was due to Mizrachi’s hyperactive style, which would serve him well in at least one case.
On one of the featured table hands, Mizrachi convinced an opponent to get their money to the center with an A-J against Mizrachi’s pocket Kings (sometimes these guys have it, kiddoes). Shockingly, the flop came A-J-J, delivering an unlikely full house for the astonished opponent. Mizrachi never broke once, even as the turn missed him, but the river delivered the goods… a King, giving Mizrachi a better full house. That knockout sent Mizrachi over the 900K mark, but by the end of the day, he was down to only 440K and will have some work to do on Friday if he is to defend his title.
The news was better for another top professional, Alex Foxen. Although his wife would depart with a minimum cash, the “other” half of the Foxen Poker Empire did very well during his featured table stay. In one hand, Foxen was able to hit a royal flush to earn his chips, and he did not let many of them get away once they were in his stack. Foxen would end the day in prime position for a deep run with 1.695 million in his possession.
The true star of the show, however, was Sweilem. He quietly collected chips throughout Day Four’s action, and he will hold a slim lead over the field when the cards hit the air on Day Five. Here is how the Top Ten line up with Friday’s action looming:
1. Sam Sweilem (USA), 3.8 million
2. Steven O’Nan (USA), 3.6 million
3. Artur Martirosian (Russian Federation), 3.495 million
4. Kyle Mart (USA), 3.48 million
5. Chih Fan (Taiwan), 3.365 million
6. Shreesh Hebbar (Canada), 3.34 million
7. Felix Kuemayr (Austria), 3.125 million
8. Arman Bezhanian (Russian Federation), 3.1 million
9. Dan Stavila (Moldova), 3.06 million
10. Farid Jattin (Colombia), 3.04 million
If there is a player to watch, it is Jattin. He has consistently lurked in the Top Ten since the start of the tournament, and he has the experience to drive deep in large-field tournaments (he also knocked out Martin Kabrhel, so he has the support of the poker world). Martirosian is also a dangerous customer, although he just made his first thrust into the upper spots during Day Four’s action.
Other notable names in the Top 50 (or so) include Brock Wilson (2.145 million, 25th place), Day Three chip leader Sasha Liu (2.34 million, 29th), Daniel Hachem (son of former World Champion Joe, 2.11 million,35th), Anton Wigg (2.015 million, 41st), and Day Two chip leader Michael Rossitto (1.845 million, 55th). Those who are on ‘tournament death watch’ include Poker Hall of Famer Todd Brunson (205K), Vanessa Kade (215K), former World Champ Hossein Ensan (255K), Mizrachi (440K), and former World Champ Ryan Riess (455K).
The 533 remaining players will head back on the chain gang again for Day Five at 11 AM (Pacific Daylight Time), with another five levels (120 minutes each) of play scheduled. Blinds will be 10K/20K with a 20K big blind ante, meaning short stacks will have to get moving quickly if they are to make any further impact on the 2026 WSOP Main Event. Everyone left is guaranteed $32,500, but the dream remains of winning the $10 million first-place prize and the title of World Series of Poker Main Event Champion.
(Photo courtesy of World Series of Poker)
