From 64 Players to 16 Semifinalists
Day 4 of the WPT World Championship kicked off with 64 survivors, but it wrapped up with just 16 players remaining. Leading the charge is Jeremy Becker with 24.3 million (97bb), having secured crucial pots in the final phase and eliminating Vincent Lam in 17th place.
The biggest storyline of the day revolved around the changing fortunes of the former chipleader. Konstantin Held started with a hefty 10-million stack from the previous day but had to fight for every major showdown in Day 4. He made it to the semifinals, albeit with a stack of 6.9 million, placing him 11th.
Chip Count of WPT World Championship Semifinalists:
| Rank | Player | Stack | BB |
| 1 | Jeremy Becker | 24,300,000 | 97 |
| 2 | Jeremy Brown | 21,350,000 | 85 |
| 3 | Soheb Porbandarwala | 18,975,000 | 76 |
| 4 | Hassan El Hakim | 17,675,000 | 71 |
| 5 | Graeme Newman | 14,650,000 | 59 |
| 6 | Chad Lipton | 14,475,000 | 58 |
| 7 | Schuyler Thornton | 14,175,000 | 57 |
| 8 | David Pelosi | 13,000,000 | 52 |
| 9 | Maxx Coleman | 12,500,000 | 50 |
| 10 | Linglin Zeng | 7,500,000 | 30 |
| 11 | Konstantin Held | 6,900,000 | 28 |
| 12 | Jared Jaffee | 6,250,000 | 25 |
| 13 | Jim Gilbert | 5,000,000 | 20 |
| 14 | Brian Battistone | 4,600,000 | 18 |
| 15 | Stanislav Barshak | 3,175,000 | 13 |
| 16 | Adrian Troya | 1,900,000 | 8 |
Day 5 kicks off today at 12:00 PST, and the plan is straightforward—play until the official 6-handed WPT final table is set. The chosen finalists will then have a day off, with the champion crowned in Sunday's TV final.
Each of the top 16 is guaranteed at least $145,000, but this amount is dwarfed by the $2,528,200 awaiting the winner.
Complete Payout Structure:
| Position | Payout |
| 1 | $2,528,200* |
| 2 | $1,700,000 |
| 3 | $1,250,000 |
| 4 | $940,000 |
| 5 | $710,000 |
| 6 | $540,000 |
| 7 | $415,000 |
| 8 | $325,000 |
| 9–10 | $255,000 |
| 11–12 | $210,000 |
| 13–15 | $174,000 |
| 16 | $145,000 |
Darren Elias Claims First Wynn Trophy
Alongside the intense action of the Main Event, the prestigious $25,800 NLH High Roller also concluded at Wynn Las Vegas yesterday. Drawing 89 entries and generating a $2,225,000 prize pool, the event exuded a competitive edge beyond just the money. The first day left 28 players, who aimed for 13 paying spots and the $631,800 first-place prize.
As the event neared the 13 ITM mark, a hand unfolded that made waves. Joseph Cheong went all-in against Dinesh Alt on a board of A c 9 s 7 d 7 s holding A d T c, but Alt turned over a full house with 9 d 9 c. The river brought no help for Cheong, making him the bubble boy and securing a payout for the remaining 13 players.
Connor Rash entered the final table as the chipleader, but the tournament ultimately focused on different names. It climaxed in a heads-up between Darren Elias and Neil Warren, decided by a classic preflop flip. Warren went all-in with Ah9s, which Elias called with pocket 7s. Though Warren hit an ace on the flop, the dealer revealed Ac7c4s9d, compelling the decision to the river. The river card, 5c, confirmed Elias's victory, earning him $631,800 and the coveted Wynn trophy. Warren secured a career-best finish with $398,275 for second place.
Final Table Results:
| Rank | Player | Country | Amount |
| 1 | Darren Elias | USA | $631,800 |
| 2 | Neil Warren | USA | $398,275 |
| 3 | Punnat Punsri | Thailand | $277,125 |
| 4 | Connor Rash | USA | $203,000 |
| 5 | David Chen | USA | $153,000 |
| 6 | Ben Tollerene | USA | $116,800 |
| 7 | Dinesh Alt | USA | $92,800 |
| 8 | Jason Koon | USA | $75,650 |
| 9 | Brock Wilson | USA | $63,400 |
Sources – WorldPokerTour, Flickr, X
