2021 WSOP Day 4: Cornell In Pole Position For First Bracelet

The 2021 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is only four days old yet it is producing some incredible action in Las Vegas, Nevada. October 3 saw three bracelets awarded, the $25,000 High Roller whittle its field down to only five hopefuls, and the star-studded $1,500 Dealers Choice progress to Day 2.

Connor Drinan was the first of the three bracelet winners on Day 4. Drinan was the last man standing in Event #5: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, which earned him his second WSOP gold bracelet.

Martin Zamani won his second bracelet when he triumphed in the WSOP.com (NV/NJ) Online Bracelet $5,300 NL Hold’em Freezeout, while "NJ_AcesmarkA" took down the WSOP.com (NV/NJ) Online Bracelet $500 NL Hold’em BIG 500.

Keep reading to discover what went down in the events that are currently in-play.

Tyler Cornell leads Final Five in the $25,000 High Roller

This is Tyler Cornell's best chance of becoming a WSOP champion. The Californian has WSOP cashes dating back to 2010, but a victory eludes him.

Cornell has not only reached the final table of the $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em event, but finds himself leading the way with only five players remaining. Cornell has 7,455,000 chips when play resumes, with Michael Liang second in chips on 5,140,000.

While Cornell has one hand on the bracelet, none of the chasing pack are going to give up without a fight. The aforementioned Liang is closest to Cornell, while the likes of Jonathan Jaffe (3,650,000), Mustapha Kanit (2,630,000), and three-time WSOP champion Adrian Mateos (2,180,000) are still in the hunt.

Event#6: $25,500 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em Final Day Chip Counts

Each of the players is guaranteed $216,842 for their efforts so far, which pushed Cornell's lifetime winnings through the $1 million barrier. However, $833,289 and a bracelet await the eventual champion, so nobody will want to take home the lesser amount.

Mike Takayama Tops The Reunion Day 1c Chip Counts

Mike Takayama became the first player from the Philippines to become a WSOP champion when he won the $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em Super Turbo Bounty in 2019. Takayama bested a field of 2,065 that day, and was crowned a champion in the Rio's Brasilia room.

Now Takayama has topped the chip counts on Day 1c of The Reunion, doing so in, you guessed it, the Brasilia room!

Another 5,871 players bought in on Day 1c, taking the total attendance to 12,975, which means the $5 million guarantee was surpassed by $449,500. Only 286 of those Day 1c starters made it through to Day 2, including Javier Fernandez, Adrian Buckley, Joseph Cheong, and Will Givens.

Event #4: $500 The Reunion Day 1c Top 10 Chip Counts

Day 2 of The Reunion shuffles up and deals at 10:00 a.m. local time, and sees 619 players return to their seats. Seventeen 40-minute levels are planned although the tournament will pause if the field is reduced to only five players. PokerNews will be with you every step of the way in this monster-sized tournament.

Gamble leads Host of Star in the Dealers Choice Event

Nathan Gamble won the $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo event in 2017 and secured his second bracelet in 2020 when he won a $600 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo event online at WSOP.com. Now Gamble has a legitimate chance of becoming a three-time WSOP champion thanks to finished top of the chip counts in the $1,500 Dealers Choice event.

Some 307 players bought in on Day 1, a number reduced to only 88 by the time the 15th level concluded. Gamble soared to the top of the chip counts courtesy of his 234,500 stack. Scores of elite poker stars will join Gamble on Day 2.

They include but are not limited to, fellow bracelet winner Andrew Donabedian (224,000), GGPoker Ambassador Daniel Negreanu (115,500), Matt Glantz (115,000), John Racener (100,500), Ryan Hughes (100,500), Eli Elezra (90,000), Phil Hellmuth (88,500), and Brian Rast (81,500)

Event #7: $1,500 Dealers Choice Top 10 Chip Counts

Play resumes on October 4 at 3:00 p.m. local time and sees another ten 60-minute levels play out. The top 47 finishers win a share of the $409,845 prize pool.

What’s In Store For Day 5 of the 2021 WSOP?

Day 5 of the 2021 WSOP is brimming with action. It not only has The Reunion, $25,00 High Roller, and $1,500 Dealers Choice events marching towards crowning their champion, but two new events kick-off.

11:00 a.m. sees Event #8: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack begin. Jeremy Pekarek won this event in 2019 and walked away with $398,281 and a shiny gold bracelet.

Later on, at 3:00 p.m. local time, Event #9: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship commences. Frankie O'Dell is the reigning champion, having helped himself to a $443,641 payday when the event last run in 2019.

As always, PokerNews is where you will find all of the updates from each 2021 WSOP event.