WSOP 2026 Main Event: Mattern Climbs to 15th in Chips

WSOP 2026 Main Event pressure is reaching a new level

The 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event is now in the kind of phase that defines summers in Las Vegas. Out of 9,208 total entries, 1,389 players have advanced to Day 4, and the field is rapidly collapsing toward the money bubble.

Only 1,382 places will get paid, so the gap between surviving and cashing is almost nonexistent. That makes every pot, every river decision, and every marginal preflop spot more valuable than usual. In a tournament this large, the bubble is not just a financial milestone — it is a psychological battlefield.

A total of 3,294 players returned for Day 3, but only a fraction made it through to the next stage. At this point, discipline matters as much as chip accumulation, because one reckless all-in can undo hours of careful work.

Sasha Liu leads, Martin Zamani stays in striking distance

At the top of the leaderboard, American Sasha Liu is the clear chip leader with 2,364,000 chips. That kind of stack gives him room to pressure medium stacks, widen opening ranges, and apply constant leverage without forcing the action.

Right behind him is fellow American and two-time world champion Martin Zamani, who will return with 1,963,000 chips. Zamani’s résumé makes him one of the most dangerous players left in the event, especially as the field starts to compress and decisions become more ICM-sensitive.

Big stacks in a Main Event don’t just mean comfort. They create practical table power: more 3-bets, more fold equity, and more opportunities to force opponents into uncomfortable spots before the bubble even bursts.

Strong French showing with Mattern in 15th place

The best French stack belongs to Iris Liu, who bagged 1,316,000 chips. Just behind her is Arnaud Mattern, sitting 15th overall with 1,280,000 chips — a very strong position as the tournament moves closer to the payout line.

Also inside the top 20 is Maxime Chilaud with 1,264,000 chips, while Kalidou Sow remains well positioned with 1,050,000. For the French contingent, having several players above the million-chip mark is a major advantage: it increases the odds of a deep run and keeps the country visible deep into one of poker’s most prestigious events.

• Bruno Lopes — 694,000
• Sacha Cohen — 505,000
• Florian Guimond — 498,000
• Romain Lewis — 445,000
• Samy Dubonnet — 395,000
• Cedric Schwaerderle — 349,500
• Benoit Grobocopatel — 269,000
• Virgile Turchi — 240,000
• Safwane Bahri — 228,000
• Leo Soma — 208,000
• Loic Debregeas — 204,000
• Malo Latinois — 196,000
• Axel Bayout — 190,000
• Benjamin Chalot — 161,000
• Adrien Delmas — 146,000
• Nicolas Tytgat — 142,000
• Antoine Goutard — 132,500
• Julien Mariani — 130,000
• Jeremy Saderne — 108,000
• Johan “Yoh Viral” Guilbert — 94,000
• Gaetan Balleur — 48,000
• Nicolas Vayssières — 37,000

For many of them, the next stretch is about finding the right balance between pressure and preservation. A stack can disappear quickly on a fast-moving structure if a player gets trapped in the wrong spot.

What the structure means for Day 4 strategy

The average stack is 397,000 chips, and play will resume at 3,000 / 6,000 with a 6,000 ante. That means some players still have room to maneuver, but shorter stacks are already under serious pressure.

• solid preflop ranges,
• disciplined blind defense,
• smart late-position aggression,
• precise shove spots,
• and a clear understanding of when to avoid high-variance confrontations.

If you follow major poker events and want to understand how long formats reward patience and structure awareness, it also helps to study poker rooms, poker clubs, and poker school, where tournament fundamentals are often explained in a practical way.

Expert analysis: why Day 4 changes everything

Day 4 in the Main Event is a crucial inflection point. The field is no longer huge enough to hide behind volume, but it is not yet small enough for pure final-table-style play.

• overplaying marginal spots to climb too fast,
• becoming too passive in hope of surviving the bubble,
• and misreading stack pressure as a license to gamble.

Big stacks, meanwhile, gain the freedom to attack. Sasha Liu and Martin Zamani are in a position to keep applying pressure without needing to take unnecessary risks. That is a major edge in a tournament where every chip becomes more valuable as the payout line approaches.

For the French side, the setup is encouraging. With Mattern, Chilaud, and Sow all well stacked, France has real depth in the event. In a field this large, that kind of distribution matters: one deep run can transform the narrative of an entire summer.

Ultra Stack NLH: Henry Benamram leads the final 16

Alongside the Main Event, the $600 Ultra Stack NLH is nearing its finish. After Day 2, only 16 players remain from a massive field of 8,007 entries, and the headline story is a French one.

Henry Benamram finished the day as chip leader with 72,000,000 chips. That is a huge cushion for a late-stage event, giving him room to pressure the table and control the pace of play.

• Mikko Torkki — 66,500,000
• Michael Moncek — 44,500,000

At this point, the next elimination earns $19,300, while the eventual champion will collect the world champion bracelet and the $400,000 top prize. Day 3 resumes with blinds at 1,000,000 / 1,500,000, so every orbit will carry major strategic weight.

Final takeaways from a massive WSOP day

The WSOP 2026 Main Event is now in the zone where every decision can shape a player’s entire summer. The bubble is close, stacks are polarizing, and the pressure is rising across the room.

Arnaud Mattern’s 15th-place chip position is an excellent platform. Sasha Liu’s lead gives him table control. And for the French lineup as a whole, this is a very promising snapshot with real deep-run potential.

The next few levels will tell us who can stay composed under bubble pressure and who will fall just short of the money. In a tournament like this, survival and aggression have to be balanced perfectly — and that is exactly what makes the Main Event the most compelling stage in poker.

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