Event #70: $10,000 MAIN EVENT No-Limit Hold'em World Championship

The day began with 1,299 players guaranteed at least $15,000 and after ten hours of fast-paced play, just 380 remain to continue to Day 5 of the 2022 World Series of Poker Main Event.

Taylor von Kriegenbergh is the player to catch on Monday as he finished the day with 5,305,000 chips. Not far behind him is Dan Colpoys with 4,835,000 and Day 3 chip leader Aaron Mermelstein with 4,285,000.

Event #70: $10,000 Main Event Top 10 Chip Counts

While six former Main Event champions started the day, only 2020 champ Damian Salas (2,355,000) and defending champion Koray Aldemir (1,285,000) survived, as Ryan Riess, Chris Moneymaker, Greg Merson, and John Cynn fell at various points of the day.

Main Event Champions Moving on to Day 5

Plenty of other big names navigated their way through the day to bag healthy stacks for Day 5 including two-time bracelet winner Yuliyan Kolev (3,500,000), Alex Keating (3,000,000), and PokerStars Ambassador and 2021 seventh place Main Event finisher Alejandro Lococo.

Asked about how he felt at the end of an impressive day, the man known as "Papo MC" said, "I feel amazing. Last year, I made Day 5 with 100,000. I just bagged 3,200,000 so I am really happy, really excited about that, still dreaming."

Table of the Day

While plenty of tables provided an abundance of high-quality play and entertainment, one stood out the entire day and was moved to the mothership by day's end. That table featured Ali Imsirovic and the chatty Zilong Zhang, who provided several big pots with his wild and aggressive play. Zhang held the chip lead for much of the day and finished with 2,970,000 after using his big stack mostly to his advantage.

"With over 400 big blinds, I think that means I need to see flops as much as I can. Even if I miss the board, I'll give as much pressure as I can to the other players."

Along with Imsirovic, Zhang had Dan Smith to his immediate left for the last few hours of the day, but Zhang said that didn't really impact how he played.

"I was just enjoying my Day 4. I didn't really care who I played with. I just wanted to make Day 5 with a deep stack. Right now I'm near three million, still a good stack."

Smith initially made the most of his time at Zhang's table, growing his stack significantly to more than 2,500,000, thanks to a triple up versus Zhang and Imsirovic, but a hand late in the day where he ran his queens into aces preflop nullified his progress and left him with just 390,000 to end the day.

Stars Hui, Baumann Among Remaining Women in the Field

Several notable women are also advancing to Day 5 with healthy to large stacks including Loni Hui (1,900,000) and Gaelle Baumann (665,000), who was pleased with how her day turned out despite a dip from her high point in chips.

"I'm feeling pretty good, obviously. I had an amazing day. I started with 370,000 and went up to 1,700,000. I got moved to a new table and went all the way down. I have less than I would have liked, but it's good. Tomorrow, I'll have around 30 big blinds. I'll try to fight, play well. Eat some good breakfast tomorrow, and have a good night's sleep tonight."

Several qualifiers from GGPoker also finished the day with strong stacks, including Espen Jorstad, who finished the day with 1,335,000 after a steady day at the table.

"My day wasn't super eventful, to be honest, I started with 800,000, and then I went up a million and been hovering around that all day. I think the biggest pot I played was worth around 20 big blinds. A lot of small pots, I am bagging around 1,300,000."

With so many players eliminated throughout the day there were plenty of big names that weren't immune to an early exit, including multi-time bracelet winners Adrian Mateos, David Peters, Upeshka De Silva, Benny Glaser, Phillip Hui, Robert Mizrachi, and Mike Matusow who went home after an old-school "Mike Matusow blowup".

Day 5 Monday

The Main Event is getting to the meat of the tournament and each elimination will mean that much more on Day 5 as the field is thinned to roughly 100 players. The final 380 will return at noon local time Monday to try to earn their way to that final group, who will have the final table, the champions bracelet, and the $10,000,000 top prize in their sights.

PokerNews will be there for all the action as the march toward history continues from the 53rd World Series of Poker in its new home at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas.

Stuart Ruff opened to 50,000 from early position with   . Dan Smith, also had a premium as he was holding the   . The 2020 $25K Heads-Up bracelet winner made it 175,000 from the hijack.

Ruff wasted little time before four-betting to 525,000. Smith put in the call to build the pot to 1,100,000.

The     flop prompted Ruff to jam for 955,000 and Smith was in an uncomfortable position with his overpair. He asked for a count before calling.

Ruff would catapult up the leaderboard as the   turn and   river confirmed his double up. Smith on the other hand was left with less than 20 big blinds.

Stuart Ruff	3,010,000	1,595,000
Dan Smith	360,000	-1,575,000

Zilong Zhang three-bet to 145,000 from the small blind after Abdullah Alshanti opened from the hijack. Alshanti called the raise.

Zhang, with   , bet 85,000 on the     flop and Alshanti called with his   . The   came on the turn and Zhang fired a second barrel of 185,000. Again, Alshanti called.

The   river paired the board, giving both players the same best five-card hand. Zhang not content with sharing the pot added an extra 575,000 to the pot. Alshanti and Zhang had been at the same table for most of Day 4 and began the table chat.

"You never have a seven or an ace," chimed Zhang.

"Why are you so confident? Stop talking," Alshanti joked. The pair had developed a good rapport throughout the day.

Alshanti had seen Zhang show many bluffs throughout, but Alshanti was convinced Zhang had it this time around.

"This is so sick man," Alshanti continued.

Zhang tried to a few more lines but Alshanti took a stand and called to receive half of the pot.

Zilong Zhang	3,055,000	135,000
Abdullah Alshanti	1,010,000	20,000

The floor has announced four more hands before play ends for the day. Day 5 restart will be at noon local time.

There was a raise to 40,000 from early position and Jack Allen three-bet to 140,000 in the cutoff. The action folded back to the initial raiser who shipped all in. Allen instantly called off his stack of 825,000 and the cards were tabled.

Jack Allen:   
Opponent:   

The flop came     and Allen looked poised for a double up. The turn was the   and the river was the   as Allen earned a late-night double up.

Jack Allen

1,700,000

300,000

On the PokerGO stream, action picked up on the      board with Zilong Zhang checking in the cutoff with   . Dan Smith, with the   , bet 215,000 from the button. Zhang then put his stack to use and raised to 675,000, Smith called.

The   river put a four to a straight on the board and Zhang fired for 780,000. Smith went into the tank but opted to fold and awarded the pot to Zhang.

Zilong Zhang	2,920,000	645,000
Dan Smith	1,935,000	-630,000

Action panned to the outer table with Andrew Barfield betting 75,000 on the       board from the big blind. Daniel Rezaei, with   , then jammed for 1,190,000 from the hijack.

Barfield had his opponent covered and called as the covering stack with his   , which was good for a flopped set.

Andrew Barfield	3,375,000	2,413,000
Daniel Rezaei	0	-790,000
Yao Yin	0	-385,000

In a bloated pot with over 1,200,000 in the middle on a       completed board, Timur Margolin had bet 420,000 on the button. Taylor von Kriegenbergh thought for some time in the middle position before the clock was called, and he ultimately put in the chips.

Margolin turned over   , causing Von Kriegenbergh to toss his cards up in the air and into the muck as he took a hit to his big stack. Margolin was up to approximately 2,800,000 at the conclusion of the hand, but lost a sizable pot shortly after to move to just under 2,000,000.

Taylor von Kriegenbergh	3,600,000	-1,080,000
Timur Margolin	1,900,000	200,000