The highly anticipated money bubble is just on the horizon as 1,476 players will return to their seats for Day 4 of Event #81: $10,000 WSOP MAIN EVENT No-Limit Hold'em World Championship. Last night, or early into the morning, players bagged up their chips for the conclusion of Day 3, and the short stacks were forced to get a wink of sleep knowing that they would be coming back for one of the most important days of summer camp at the Horsehoe and Paris, Las Vegas.
With just 1,461 places getting paid and a min-cash worth $15,000, it is expected to be a slow start to the day as the short stacks attempt to maneuver their way through an additional 15 eliminations. There will be a point in the first level where the tournament staff will commence the hand-for-hand process, which always brings plenty of drama to the biggest tournament of the year.
Despite that, many big stacks in the room will be looking to feast on the passive short stacks during the money bubble. Leading the way into Day 4 is Japan's Shotaro Kobayashi, who bagged the chip lead with 1,971,000 chips. Max Neugebauer is sitting not far behind and knows what it's like to run deep in a Main Event, having won the WSOP Europe version in 2023. Sam Jakubowicz, Juliet Hegedus, and Thomas Eychenne are others near the top of the leaderboard to keep an eye on.
Day 4 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shotaro Kobayashi | Japan | 1,971,000 | 246 |
| 2 | Max Neugebauer | Austria | 1,928,000 | 240 |
| 3 | Sam Jakubowicz | France | 1,800,000 | 225 |
| 4 | Juliet Hegedus | United States | 1,745,000 | 218 |
| 5 | Tomas Szwarcberg | Mexico | 1,709,000 | 214 |
| 6 | David Alvarez | Spain | 1,629,000 | 204 |
| 7 | Thomas Eychenne | France | 1,618,000 | 202 |
| 8 | Brandon Harris | United Kingdom | 1,616,000 | 202 |
| 9 | Luke Chung | United States | 1,606,000 | 201 |
| 10 | Chad Power | United States | 1,546,000 | 193 |
There are only two WSOP Main Event champions still in the field, hoping to repeat as champions for only the fifth time in history. Greg Merson (2012 champion) and Damian Salas (2020 champion) will be returning with 560,000 and 480,000, respectively. Neither player is any danger of being eliminated before the bubble bursts, but they will have their sights set on building a stack good enough for days down the road.
Many other familiar faces will also be returning for the fourth day of this event and they join the list of ones to watch as the tournament progresses. Keep your eyes on high-stakes pros Viktor Blom, Sergio Aido, and Chris Hunichen, old school legends Phil Laak, Liv Boeree and Jason Mercier, content creators Ashley Frank and Brad Owen, and poker media's Donnie Peters, Tim Duckworth, Terrance Reid and Jack Bittker.
Another five 120-minute levels are on the schedule for today, with a 20-minute break after each level. The players will be returning to Level 16 with the blinds at 4,000/8,000 and an 8,000 big blind ante. The cards will go back in the air at noon local time with the action wrapping up after midnight. There will be a 75-minute dinner break slotted in after the third level of the day.
This year's edition of the Main Event is the third-largest in history, with a total of 9,735 entries and a prize pool of $90,535,500. While most players will be walking away today with a min-cash of $15,000, every single one of them still has hopes and dreams of making it to the end, where the winner will pocket an even $10,000,000.
2025 WSOP Main Event Final Table Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st | $10,000,000 |
| 2nd | $6,000,000 |
| 3rd | $4,000,000 |
| 4th | $3,000,000 |
| 5th | $2,400,000 |
| 6th | $1,900,000 |
| 7th | $1,500,000 |
| 8th | $1,250,000 |
| 9th | $1,000,000 |
Follow along with the PokerNews live reporting team for all of the updates throughout the day, including exclusive Main Event bubble coverage to start your day!
