button in SafariDay 4 Begins in the Millionaire Maker With the Final Table in Sight
After an action packed Day 3, the field in Event #50: $1,500 Millionaire Maker returns today with only a few steps remaining before the final table. The surviving players have already navigated one of the largest fields of the summer as 11,769 entries were recorded, and with $1,250,000 up top, the stakes continue to rise as Day 4 begins at 11 a.m. for the remaining 62 players.
At the top of the leaderboard sits Bo Chen (13,300,000), who bagged the biggest stack heading into Day 4. While little is known about Chen’s tournament history, he showed strength throughout a tough Day 3 field, and enters Day 4 as the player everyone will be watching.
Kunal Patni (11,600,000) will return second in chips and continues to build on an already impressive summer. Patni has recorded two WSOP cashes this year and has a long history in the Millionaire Maker, having cashed in the 2018, 2022, 2023, and 2024. This run marks his deepest ever, surpassing his previous best finish of 196th place. With more than $2 million in career earnings and plenty of big field experience, Patni enters Day 4 as one of the most experienced contenders in the field.
Day 3 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bo Chen | United States | 13,300,000 | 67 |
| 2 | Kunal Patni | India | 11,600,000 | 58 |
| 3 | Seiji Sasaki | Japan | 11,400,000 | 57 |
| 4 | Jed Friedman | United States | 10,700,000 | 54 |
| 5 | Jacob Gagnon | United States | 10,500,000 | 53 |
| 6 | Yifu He | United States | 9,100,000 | 46 |
| 7 | Meng Dian Peng | China | 8,400,000 | 42 |
| 8 | Steven Hinkle | United States | 7,500,000 | 38 |
| 9 | Irene Carey | United States | 6,900,000 | 35 |
| 10 | Jordan Meltzer | United States | 6,800,000 | 34 |
Also returning near the top is Sasaki Seiji, who begins Day 4 in third place with 11,400,000 chips. Seiji is no stranger to deep WSOP runs in landmark tournaments as just last year he finished 279th in the Main Event for $52,500. With another strong start in this event, he’ll be looking to the Millionaire Maker to add to his record, and if Seiji keeps up the momentum and manages to reach 26th place, it will mark the largest recorded live cash of his career.
Many WSOP bracelet holders are still in the field and hunting for more gold including Ryan Eriquezzo (5,885,000), Will Givens (5,260,000), Harrison Gimbel (3,495,000) and Bradley Gafford (3,445,000), making it for a fierce day of action as players battle to ladder up the payouts.
Each returning player has locked up $27,300 as Matt Affleck fell in the final hand of last night, ensuring everyone returning made the ~$5,000 prize increase, after getting it in good against Benoit Fiasson but falling flat on the runout.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,250,000 | 10-11 | $118,000 |
| 2 | $1,000,000 | 12-13 | $94,000 |
| 3 | $750,000 | 14-17 | $75,200 |
| 4 | $530,000 | 18-26 | $60,600 |
| 5 | $410,000 | 27-35 | $49,200 |
| 6 | $315,000 | 36-44 | $40,200 |
| 7 | $245,000 | 45-53 | $33,000 |
| 8 | $190,000 | 54-62 | $27,300 |
| 9 | $150,068 |
Action will resume at 11 a.m. local time today, and the tournament is scheduled to play down to five players. Play will resume at Level 31 with blinds at 100,000/200,000 with a 200,000 big blind ante, and there will be a 15-minute break every two levels. A one-hour dinner break will take place after Level 37 is completed, at approximately 5:30 p.m.
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As the Millionaire Maker moves into its decisive stages, stay with the PokerNews as we edge closer to crowning the next WSOP millionaire.