button in SafariEighty Hopefuls Return For Day 4 of Monster Stack
Day 3 of Event #18: $1,500 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold’em saw the field trimmed from 660 players down to 80 as the remaining hopefuls aim to chase a bigger piece of the $15,841,057 prize pool and the first-place prize of $1,302,125 at the 2026 World Series of Poker.
Valentin Vornicu will walk into the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas as the chip leader after his successful Day 3 saw him bag a stack of 27,525,000. Vornicu has been a longtime crusher of the WSOP Circuit scene with 14 rings to his name, making him fifth all-time in the WSOP-C ring count. However, the bracelet has eluded the accomplished pro thus far in his career. Vornicu will be in a position to change that with a strong Day 4.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valentin Vornicu | United States | 27,525,000 |
| 2 | Andrew Moreno | United States | 22,530,000 |
| 3 | Matthew Miller | United States | 19,345,000 |
| 4 | Yaser Al-Keliddar | United States | 17,860,000 |
| 5 | Jonas Lauck | Germany | 17,670,000 |
| 6 | Yegor Moroz | United States | 15,390,000 |
| 7 | Marc Fiorentino | United States | 14,150,000 |
| 8 | Richard Alsup | United States | 13,420,000 |
| 9 | Aaron Massey | United States | 13,350,000 |
| 10 | Martin Zamani | United States | 13,350,000 |
Andrew Moreno is looking to add another deep run at this year’s WSOP and is in a great position to do just that after he bagged 22,530,000. Moreno finished 25th in Event #11: $10,000 GGMillion$ High Roller No-Limit Hold’em and will look to add to his over six million in career earnings, according to The HendonMob.
Matthew Miller rounds out the podium after he finished with 19,345,000 in chips. Miller is a two-time ring holder, but has yet to add a WSOP bracelet to his collection. He will have a chance to break through and make a final table with a strong showing on Day 4.
WSOP bracelet winner Yaser Al-Keliddar finished fourth in chips with 17,860,000. Al-Keliddar won his bracelet back at the 2018 WSOP when he took down Event #70: $3,000 Limit Hold’em 6-Handed. Al-Keliddar will have the opportunity not only to add another bracelet but also to add a substantial amount to his career earnings, which now exceed $1,400,000, with a first-place finish in this event.
Richard Alsup and Martin Zamani join Al-Keliddar as the two other bracelet winners to finish in the top ten chip counts. Alsup’s win came at the 2022 WSOP in Event #82: $800 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack. Zamani’s pair of bracelets both came in 2021, when he took down the WSOP.com online PLO Crazy Eights event before winning another online bracelet later that year in the No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Payout | Place | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,302,125 | 12-13 | $93,000 |
| 2 | $900,000 | 14-17 | $75,000 |
| 3 | $700,000 | 18-26 | $61,000 |
| 4 | $520,000 | 27-35 | $50,000 |
| 5 | $400,000 | 36-44 | $40,000 |
| 6 | $305,000 | 45-53 | $33,000 |
| 7 | $240,000 | 54-62 | $27,200 |
| 8 | $190,000 | 63-71 | $22,500 |
| 9 | $150,000 | 72-80 | $19,000 |
| 10-11 | $120,000 |
Other bracelet winners to advance to Day 3 include Kevin Eyster (11,960,000), Seth Fischer (9,890,000), Alen Bakovich (9,730,000), John Ripnick (5,825,000), Ankush Mandavia (5,140,000), Thomas Cazayous (3,560,000), Joao Simao (3,035,000), David Peters (2,380,000), Jeremy Eyer (2,210,000), and Scott Eskenazi (485,000).
Day 4 will resume at 11 a.m. local time and will play down to five players. The blinds are scheduled to start at 120,000/240,000 with 60-minute levels. There will be a 15-minute break after every two levels, with a 60-minute dinner break at approximately 5:30 p.m. local time.
Stay tuned here at PokerNews for coverage of Day 4 of Event #18: $1,500 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold’em at the 2026 World Series of Poker.