The halfway point has been reached during the 2023 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip and one of the most prestigious tournaments on the schedule will continue at 1 p.m. local time. Only 12 players out of 99 entries remain in contention on Day 4 of Event #43: $50,000 Poker Players Championship and they will battle in nine different poker variants to earn the biggest slice of the $4,727,250 prize pool.
Two former champions of the mixed-game contest have a chance at a repeat victory and 2013 winner Matthew Ashton returns as the chip leader with 4,450,000. Two-time PPC champion Brian Rast advanced with 3,365,000 in chips and can further cement his legacy in the world of poker by potentially joining Michael Mizrachi as a three-time champion in this very event.
All eyes of spectators and opponents alike will also be on ten-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Ivey, who returns fifth on the leaderboard with 3,135,000. Right behind Ivey is the 2021 WSOP Player of the Year Josh Arieh (2,360,000), who joined the elusive club of five-time bracelet winners earlier in the ongoing series.
While nine of the 12 remaining players already have at least one WSOP gold bracelet to their name, Hal Rotholz (3,900,000), Talal Shakerchi (3,430,000), and Kristopher Tong (1,190,000) all seek a maiden victory.
Three players have earned cash prizes in this event so far including John Monnette, Phil Hellmuth and Maxx Coleman but they all bowed out late on Day 3.
The 12 remaining hopefuls have already locked up a cash prize of $97,209, but the next pay jump to a six-figure score awaits after just one elimination. Day 4 is seeking to whittle the field of contenders down to the last five contenders and will continue the deep structure with levels of 100 minutes each.
Seat Assignments for Day 4
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Josh Arieh | United States | 2,360,000 |
| 1 | 2 | Daniel Alaei | United States | 1,885,000 |
| 1 | 4 | Talal Shakerchi | United Kingdom | 3,430,000 |
| 1 | 5 | Hal Rotholz | United States | 3,900,000 |
| 1 | 6 | Matthew Ashton | United Kingdom | 4,450,000 |
| 1 | 7 | James Obst | Australia | 1,805,000 |
| 2 | 1 | Brian Rast | United States | 3,365,000 |
| 2 | 2 | Johannes Becker | Germany | 1,520,000 |
| 2 | 4 | Phil Ivey | United States | 3,135,000 |
| 2 | 5 | Ray Dehkharghani | United States | 2,285,000 |
| 2 | 6 | Marco Johnson | United States | 375,000 |
| 2 | 7 | Kristopher Tong | United States | 1,190,000 |
The action is set to commence at 1 p.m. local time inside the Horseshoe Event Center and the conclusion of live poker's most coveted mixed-game contest will be streamed on the PokerGO platform with a delay of up to two hours.
Furthermore, the PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor to provide all the key hands en route to crowning the champion in Event #43: $50,000 Poker Players Championship.