Tosoc Bags 2023 WSOP Main Event Chip Lead on Day 4; Halverson is Hot on His Heels
Things are starting to get very real for the remaining 441 players in Event #76: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship as Day 4 has drawn to a close. The $12,100,000 first-place prize is within striking distance and the business end of the tournament is just on the horizon.
It was the Nicholas Rigby show once again for the majority of the day as he set the pace in the early going. Rigby ran up a stack of over 4,000,000 before the dinner break, far away ahead of anyone else at the time. The "Dirty Diaper" was moved to the secondary feature table and finished the day with 3,655,000 chips, good for 12th among the returning players.
However, Day 4 belonged to Chicago's Ryan Tosoc, who crammed a tournament-leading 5,120,000 chips into his overnight chip bag. Tosoc captured a bracelet in 2018 when he took down the $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em online championship for $238,779. During the same series, he finished sixth in the $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller for $215,718.
He now has the chance of reeling in the third seven-figure score of a glittering career, having received $1 million+ for a runner-up finish and then an outright victory in $10,000 buy-in events in Las Vegas in 2016 and 2017.
Top Ten Chip Stacks After Day 4
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Tosoc | United States | 5,120,000 | 205 |
| 2 | Mitchell Halverson | United States | 5,100,000 | 204 |
| 3 | Aditya Systla | India | 5,075,000 | 203 |
| 4 | Scott Berko | United Kingdom | 4,700,000 | 188 |
| 5 | Bradley Moskowitz | United States | 4,145,000 | 166 |
| 6 | Juan Maceiras Lapido | Spain | 3,985,000 | 159 |
| 7 | Jon Cohen | United States | 3,815,000 | 153 |
| 8 | Gabi Livshitz | Israel | 3,800,000 | 152 |
| 9 | John Racener | United States | 3,710,000 | 148 |
| 10 | Quan Zhou | China | 3,705,000 | 148 |
Among the leaders heading into Day 5 is Mitchell Halverson, who bagged up a whopping 5,100,000. Halverson made a deep run in the Main Event in 2021, finishing in 15th place for just over $380,000. Halverson has been around the block once or twice with over $1.5 million in career earnings but will be looking for his first seven-figure score if he can make a deep run.
Other big stacks belong to Aditya Systla with 5,075,000, the only other player to finish with over 5,000,000 chips and over 200 big blinds when the action resumes. Bradley Moskowitz (4,145,000), Jon Cohen (3,815,000), and Gabi Livshitz (3,800,000) are also near the top of the leaderboard.
The Money Bubble Pops!
There were just 1,518 players who returned to the felt for Day 4, and only 11 players would be sent home empty-handed. That number was actually reduced as three players were eliminated on the same hand and split the prize, earning $10,000 each. Jeppe Bisgaard, Yueqi Wang, and Peter Nigh were eliminated on the same hand but at separate tables. They each participated in a flip afterward to see who would be awarded the seat for the 2024 WSOP Main Event. It was Bisgaard who came out on top, collectively earning more than all of the min-cashers with his $10,000 cash and $10,000 seat in next year's main event.
The money bubble itself took over 100 minutes to burst from the start of the day, with multiple double-ups occurring during the hand-for-hand portion. The chaos was felt throughout the Horseshoe ballroom as the TV crews and media outlets traveled in herds to catch every possible elimination. Once the field was finally in the money, loud applause broke out for the largest WSOP Main Event in history.
It was a streamline to the payout desk in the following hands, including Steven Wang, who managed to make it through with just a single 1,000 chip. He was joined by the likes of Allen Kessler with another patent min-cash, 2009 WSOP Main Event champion Joe Cada, Joshua Faris, Farah Galfond, and "Boston" Rob Mariano.
Jamie Gold was looking for another chance to grab at least $12,000,000, but his run came to an end in the second level of the day despite a double-up after the bubble burst. Johnny Chan and Scott Blumstein were the other previous Main Event winners that were eliminated on Day 4.
One of the feel-good stories heading into Day 4 was Cody Daniels, who is battling a terminally-ill disease. When it was announced that the players reached the money, Daniels got pretty emotional at the table and was then interviewed by PokerGO. Daniels proceeded to double up post-bubble but was eventually eliminated later in the day. On his way to the payout desk, his table congratulated him with a round of applause.
Some other notables making their way to the payout desk throughout the day included Jason Mercier, chess superstar Alexandra Botez, Doug Polk, Stephen Chidwick, and Michael Mizrachi. In total, the field dwindled down to just 441 players who will return Tuesday for Day 5.
There are two previous WSOP Main Event champions that are still looking to add a second title to their name. Chris Moneymaker (435,000) and Joe Hachem (1,485,000) maneuvered their way through the field and will be looking to make another deep run. Other notables moving on as well include Michael Duek (2,670,000), Chance Kornuth (3,200,000), John Racener (3,710,000), and Masato Yokosawa (2,140,000).
The action is slated to resume on Tuesday, July 11, at 12 noon local time, which will be a quick turnaround for the players who had to play an extra hour tonight due to the extended bubble. The blinds will resume on Level 21 at 10,000/25,000 and a 25,000 big blind. The same schedule applies with another five levels on tap and a 75-minute dinner break after the third level of the day.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be back on the tournament floor to bring you all of the live updates and any exciting highlights throughout the day.