Alex Kulev is on fireplace on the high-stakes stay match circuit in latest months. The Bulgarian poker participant’s prime three scores, every for seven figures, have all come for the reason that begin of May.
Kulev’s most up-to-date, and largest, match success noticed him defeat a discipline of 176 entries within the 2023 World Series of Poker $50,000 no-limit maintain’em excessive curler occasion to earn his first bracelet and $2,087,073.
“I’m just very grateful and very excited to be here. It has always been a dream of mine to win a bracelet, and doing it in this event against this type of field is the best that it can be,” Kulev advised PokerInformation stay reporters after popping out on prime.
This streak started on May 1, when he emerged victorious within the €100,000 buy-in tremendous excessive curler on the European Poker Tour Monte Carlo competition for $1,108,827. Just shy of seven weeks after that, he positioned fourth within the $250,000 buy-in occasion on the WSOP for one more $1,632,005. Kulev now has greater than $6.9 million in lifetime match earnings, with greater than $5.5 million of that coming from cashes made on the stay circuit in 2023.
In addition to the {hardware} and the cash, Kulev was additionally awarded 1,326 Card Player Player of the Year factors for this newest victory. With two titles, 9 remaining tables, and three,247 factors, he’s now the Twenty sixth-ranked participant within the 2023 POY standings offered by Global Poker.
He additionally took residence 800 PokerGO Tour factors for the win, climbing to fifth place on that high-stakes-centric leaderboard.
The third and remaining day of this occasion started with Kulev within the chip lead among the many 5 remaining contenders. 2021 WSOP important occasion champion Koray Aldemir acquired all-in with jacks up and the nut flush draw going through the flopped journey nines of Gergely Kulcsar. Aldemir bricked out and was eradicated in fifth place ($533,561). The German professional now has greater than $22.5 million in lifetime earnings after this newest deep run.
Kulcsar then busted Daniel Smiljkovic (4th – $713,413) to take a strong lead into three-handed play. Kulev managed to battle his approach again out in entrance in time to play an all-in pot in opposition to bracelet winner Jake Schindler. Kulev raised the button and known as off with A-9 when Schindler three-bet shoved from the massive blind with A-8 suited. Kulev flopped a 9 and held from there to knock Schindler out in third place ($957,491).
Heads-up play started with Kulev holding roughly a 2:1 lead, however he quickly prolonged that to greater than 4:1. In the ultimate hand, Kulev raised on the button with A9 and Kulcsar shoved for almost 16 large blinds with A5. Kulev known as and the board ran out 92237 to safe the pot and the title for Kulev.
Kulcsar earned $1,289,909 because the second-place finisher. This was his second runner-up exhibiting of the summer time, having additionally made it right down to heads-up play within the on-line and stay hybrid $5,300 buy-in no-limit maintain’em occasion that was half of the WSOP Online schedule.
Here is a have a look at the payouts and rating factors awarded on the remaining desk:
Place | Player | Earnings | POY Points | PGT Points |
1 | Alex Kulev | $2,087,073 | 1326 | 800 |
2 | Gergely Kulcsar | $1,289,909 | 1105 | 700 |
3 | Jake Schindler | $957,491 | 884 | 574 |
4 | Daniel Smiljkovic | $713,413 | 663 | 428 |
5 | Koray Aldemir | $533,561 | 553 | 320 |
6 | Johannes Straver | $400,562 | 442 | 240 |
7 | Brandon Wittmeyer | $301,859 | 332 | 181 |
8 | Moshe Refaelowitz | $228,347 | 221 | 137 |
Visit the Card Player 2023 World Series of Poker web page for schedules, information, interviews, and the newest occasion outcomes. WSOP protection sponsored by Global Poker.
Photo credit score: WSOP / Matthew Berglund.