The PokerNews Deepstack Challenge keeps getting bigger, and Week 4 proved it. Over seven packed days of action, players turned out in record numbers, with 13,281 total entries and $2.85 million in prize pools, making it the busiest and richest week of the series so far. That brings the summer’s overall tally to more than 40,000 entries, $8.6 million in prize pools, and close to $1.5 million awarded just in first-place payouts.

Leading the way this week was a familiar name. Hawaii’s Duy Ho, the 2024 Week 2 PNDC leaderboard champion, added another title to his resume after racking up five cashes, including a win in Monday’s $250 Deepstack. Ho’s victory came against a 1,216-player field, good for $33,406, and capped off a week that saw him pile up 1,328 leaderboard points — enough to finish comfortably on top.

Florida’s Brent Hoover wasn’t far behind. He made three cashes across the week, highlighted by a career-best $35,158 score in Thursday’s $250 event, finishing second in the standings with 1,094 points. Joining him in the top three was Tao Qin, who mirrored Hoover’s results with a $400 victory on Tuesday and two more cashes to lock up 1,022 points.

Further down the leaderboard, it was a mix of international talent and familiar faces battling for spots in the $600 PokerNews Deepstack Championship. Dutch grinder Yoel Selles Meijer finished fourth with 934 points after winning Saturday’s $400, while India’s Sridhar Sangannagari claimed fifth after taking down Tuesday’s $200 event for nearly $12,000. Germany’s Martin Kritsch recorded the biggest single payout of the week, bagging $36,694 in Wednesday’s monster $250 Deepstack, which drew 1,388 entries.

New Jersey’s Jeremy Brown, who came second in the 2009 WPT Borgata Championship, added another trophy and crossed the $1 million mark in career earnings with his Friday win. Britton Purvis, Joseph Davidman, and Lithuania’s Tomas Geleziunas all found their way into the top ten, each riding strong finishes to lock up their Championship seats.

PNDC Week 4 Top Ten

Week 4 PNDC Winners At a Glance

The week delivered 21 tournaments, non-stop poker action, and plenty of big storylines. Hoover’s career-best win, Sotiris Georgiou adding to his hot summer with another deep run, and Megan Chapman grabbing the second-largest score of her career in Monday’s $200 event were just some of the week’s highlights.

The $400 fields were tough as ever, with Liviu-Rodrig Bartha, Yoel Selles Meijer, and Oscar Avellaneda each finding the winner’s circle. On the $200 front, European grinders like Tomas Geleziunas and Douglas Ferreira stood out, while Abdullah Ahmad and Ediberto Pilotin celebrated their first known victories.