Only 16 Remain in the Hunt for the $3,000 Mid‑Stakes Championship Bracelet
Day 4 of Event #89: $3,000 Mid‑Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold'em gets underway at noon today with just 16 players left to battle it out for the WSOP title and gold bracelet. The spotlight will once again fall on Yangting Jiang, who returns as the commanding chip leader and will retake her seat with more than double the next‑closest stack.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yanting Jiang | United States | 30,925,000 | 124 |
| 2 | Chahn Jung | United States | 16,500,000 | 66 |
| 3 | Peter Yang | United States | 16,075,000 | 64 |
| 4 | Maurice Hawkins | United States | 12,700,000 | 51 |
| 5 | Punnat Punsri | Thailand | 11,400,000 | 46 |
| 6 | Roberto Romanello | United Kingdom | 11,300,000 | 45 |
| 7 | Mark Newhouse | United States | 7,900,000 | 32 |
| 8 | Luis Yepez | Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) | 7,150,000 | 29 |
| 9 | Darius Samual | United Kingdom | 6,350,000 | 25 |
| 10 | Michael Rocco | United States | 6,000,000 | 24 |
Jiang closed out Day 3 with a dominant surge and bagged 30,925,000 chips, good for 124 big blinds when action restarts at Level 31 later today. It has already been a standout year for Jiang, who shipped a tournament in January for $133,430, the biggest score of her career, and later ran deep in this summer’s Event # 63: $1,000 Mystery Millions No‑Limit Hold’em , finishing 47th for $24,650. With her live results only dating back to 2022, a deep run in this bracelet event would push her poker career to new heights.
Right behind her is Chahn Jung (16,500,000), one of the more seasoned players remaining in the field. Jung brings $1,085,350 in lifetime earnings and is a familiar face in WSOP high‑roller events. He also ran deep in last year’s $10,000 Main Event, finishing 67th for $135,000, and has four Main Event cashes in total. With over a decade of results on his record, Jung understands the pressure of navigating massive fields and the dynamics of entering the final two tables.
Completing the top three is Peter Yang (16,075,000), who appears relatively new to the tournament scene, with live results only dating back to 2023. He came close to winning a WSOP Circuit ring in the 2024 $1,700 No‑Limit Hold’em Main Event, finishing 3rd for $77,399, still his best live cash. If Yang reaches 11th place or better today, he will surpass that mark and make this event a defining moment in his young poker career.
(Results courtesy of The Hendon Mob.)
Several familiar faces remain in contention for another title, including Punnat Punsri, the only 25K Fantasy draft player remaining. Four previous WSOP bracelet winners are also hunting for more gold: Roberto Romanello (11,300,000), Darius Samuals (6,350,000), Michael Rocco (6,000,000), and Barry Shulman (4,075,000). Rocco dominated much of yesterday’s action, scoring multiple eliminations that helped propel him into the final 16.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,159,182 | 9 | $116,485 |
| 2 | $772,580 | 10 | $91,740 |
| 3 | $576,099 | 11 | $91,740 |
| 4 | $432,875 | 12 | $72,835 |
| 5 | $327,767 | 13 | $72,835 |
| 6 | $250,110 | 14 | $58,298 |
| 7 | $192,347 | 15 | $58,298 |
| 8 | $149,093 | 16 | $58,298 |
Two players will return short‑stacked and looking to ladder early: Jose Aguilera (2,350,000) and Yoon Choi (3,025,000), each sitting with roughly ten big blinds as play resumes at Level 31 with 100,000/250,000 blinds and a 250,000 big blind ante. Levels are 60 minutes in length, and action will continue down to a winner with 15‑minute breaks every two levels. A dinner break will be determined based on the rate of play.
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The stage is set for a dramatic Day 4 as the final 16 return to battle for the bracelet. Stay locked in with PokerNews as we capture every key pot, every elimination, and every twist on the road to crowning the next Mid‑Stakes Championship winner.