The money bubble bursting is always one of the most exciting moments of the World Series of Poker Main Event.
It was even more dramatic Thursday.
Former champion Chris Moneymaker busted the $10,000 buy-in No-limit Hold’em World Championship early in Day 4 on the stone bubble, ensuring all the remaining players made the money.
The Main Event continued Thursday. Action resumes Friday at Paris Las Vegas with Day 5 as the chase for the $10 million first prize starts to heat up.
Play was halted late Wednesday with 1,389 players left, meaning seven players needed to be eliminated before all the remaining entrants were guaranteed a minimum cash of $15,000. The top 1,382 places got paid in this year’s Main Event.
On the first hand of Day 4, six players were knocked out, putting the tournament in hand-for-hand play.
Moneymaker, whose victory in the 2003 Main Event after he qualified online for $86 set off the poker boom of the 2000s, started the day with 221,000 chips and was in the middle of the pack in no danger of being eliminated. But he surprisingly got involved in a massive pot against Antonio Vargas two hands later.
Will the Former Champ Be Our Stone Bubble Boy??@CMONEYMAKER is at risk on the stone bubble of the WSOP Main Event.
Will the former Main Event champ survive the reveal, or will he become the 2026 Main Event bubble boy?
Watch the WSOP Main Event stream LIVE today at 12pm PT and… pic.twitter.com/s9dAQIMMXB
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) July 9, 2026
Moneymaker raised to 17,000 chips holding jack-nine and called when Vargas re-raised to 42,000. The flop came eight-seven-seven, and Moneymaker called when Vargas bet 20,000 chips.
The turn card was another seven, and Vargas turned up the pressure with a 45,000-chip bet that Moneymaker called.
An eight on the river put a full house on the board, and Vargas bet enough to put Moneymaker all-in for his tournament life.
With ESPN cameras, tournament reporters and WSOP officials crowded around the table, Moneymaker made the call. Vargas showed pocket aces for a better full house, and the room erupted when Jack Effel, senior vice president of poker operations at Caesars Entertainment, announced that Moneymaker had been eliminated as one of the bubble boys.
Two players at other tables also were eliminated during the hand-for-hand play, and they split two minimum payouts with Moneymaker, giving each $10,000.
Main Event Bubble to Bahamas
Three players busted in the same hand on the 2026 WSOP Main Event bubble, then flipped for a $25,000 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event seat after each receiving $10,000.@CMONEYMAKER @Stoyan_Mad
Watch the WSOP Main Event stream LIVE NOW and at 6pm PT… pic.twitter.com/ntYQ4Dnakc
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) July 9, 2026
The three bubble boys also drew high cards for a $25,000 seat to the Super Main Event at WSOP Paradise, and Zhaken Seitbekov won the consolation prize.
Moneymaker, who was listed on the WSOP app as the 1,382nd-place finisher, hasn’t officially cashed in the Main Event since 2023.
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on X.
