Ramon Colillas Leads 2021 World Series of Poker Main Event After Day 4

Day 4 of the 2021 World Series of Poker $10,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em main event began with 1,000 players remaining from the field of 6,650 entries. After just shy of five two-hour levels of action, there are now just 292 players remaining with a shot at the championship bracelet and the first-place prize of $8,000,000.

The chip leader at the end of the day was Ramon Colillas with 5,000,000. The Spanish player (pictured above) already has one historic tournament win under his belt, having taken down the largest-field $25,000 buy-in poker tournament ever: the 2019 $25,000 buy-in PokerStars NL Hold’em Players Championship. Colillas earned $5,100,000 for defeating a field of 1,039 entries in that event. Now he has a great opportunity to try to take down another massive tournament for live-changing money.

Hot on Colillas’ heels are a number of top tournament contenders, including WSOP bracelet winner Stephen Song (4,417,000), bracelet winner and 2019 Card Player Player of the Year award winner Stephen Chidwick (4,328,000). Chidwick was voted by his peers on the high-stakes tournament circuit as the best player in the world in 2019. The 32-year-old poker pro from the UK has more than $37.3 million in prior tournament earnings to his name coming into this event but had not yet made day five of the WSOP main event before this year.

Other notables with big stacks include 2021 POY race contender Fernando Rodriguez-Vazquez (3,442,000), nine-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Jeffrey Trudeau (2,972,000), two-time bracelet winner Keith Lehr (2,914,000), 2018 Aussie Millions main event winner Toby Lewis (2,637,000), three-time bracelet winner Chance Kornuth (2,327,000), 2021 WSOP $25,000 high roller winner Tyler Cornell (1,860,000), nine-time WSOPC ring winner Daniel Lowery (1,727,000), and WPT champion Asher Conniff (1,681,000).

Canadian investment advisor Jonathan Dwek bagged up a top-ten stack of 3,955,000. The 40-year-old finished 38th in the 2017 main event for $176,399 after showing up on multiple days wearing a Superman costume during his deep run that year. Dwek didn’t show up in a costume this time around, but apparently, that had a lot to do with the WSOP being moved to the fall this year.

“My little brother played [the main event] and he really wanted to go as Batman, with me as Superman, but apparently, the costumes were sold out everywhere because of Halloween,” Dwek told Card Player on day 4. Despite not being decked out as a superhero this time around, Dwek is still in it for enjoyment. “I’m just an amateur player. I do study poker a little bit. I enjoy the game and the competition and just have fun with it.”

Dwek started the day just outside the top 100 stacks, but really surged u the standings late on day 3 thanks to a few big hands won with pocket kings.

“When you’re hitting cards and playing well, it’s one of the best feelings. I think overall I’m pretty happy with the way I played [so far]. That’s the best feeling in poker, to me, when you’re winning and playing well and you’re making good decisions. I just love playing the game.”

Other accomplished pros including Matt Berkey (1,535,000), Eric Blair (1,193,000), Jason Koon (765,000), Dan Heimiller (988,000), and Nick Petrangelo (966,000) also survived, but are further down on the leaderboard.

Qui Nguyen (1,146,000) and Chris Moneymaker (621,000) are the only previous champions of this tournament still in with a shot at becoming two-time main event winners. Moneymaker was well over 2 million in chips at one point before losing a big pot with A-K against the pocket aces of Keith Lehr to start a downward slide.

Eliminations came fast and furious, especially in the first few hours of the day after action slowed down around the bubble late on day 3. Plenty of notables were eliminated during day 4 action, including 2014 main event champion Martin Jacobson (844th – $15,000), WPT champion and day 1D chip leader Adedapo Ajayi (824th – $17,500), bracelet winner Randy Ohel (789th – $17,500), seven-time bracelet winner Billy Baxter (733rd – $17,500), four-time bracelet winner (718th – $17,500), WPT and WSOP champion Craig Varnell (639th – $20,000), four-time bracelet winner Kevin Gerhart (627th – $20,000), Super High Roller Bowl winner Cristoph Vogelsang (604th – $20,000), four-time bracelet winner Brian Yoon (549th – $21,600), four-time bracelet winner Mike Matusow (503rd – $23,900), bracelet winner and WPT champion Chris Moorman (432nd – $26,700), four-time bracelet winner Josh Arieh (411th – $30,000), three-time bracelet winner Barry Greenstein (388th – $30,000), and four-time bracelet winner Ben Yu (327th – $33,900).

Jessica Cai, who started the day as the chip leader, ultimately finished in 437th place ($26,700). Cai had already slid from her starting stack before running AK into the AA of Casey Coughlan. Cai was unable to come from behind and hit the rail late on day 4.

Cards will be back in the air at noon on Saturday, Nov. 13 for Day 5 action, with blinds resuming at 12,000-24,000 with a 24,000 big blind ante. Play is expected to continue for five two-hour levels tomorrow.

Here is a look at the top ten chip counts after day 4:

For a full list of chip counts for players heading into Day 5 CLICK HERE.

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