Dimitar Danchev received one of many largest stay heads-up poker tournaments of all time, taking down the 2026 World Series of Poker $25,000 heads-up championship for $800,000 for his second profession gold bracelet.
Danchev navigated by way of an expanded 128-player subject, defeating Nikita Kuznetsov within the finals to seal his victory. The Bulgarian’s first bracelet win got here in a WSOP Online $10,000 heads-up occasion on GGPoker in August 2022, during which he received a $327,668 first-place prize.
Along the best way, Danchev received seven heads-up matches over three days. This $800,000 result’s the fourth-largest of Danchev’s profession, behind his second-place end within the European Poker Tour San Remo in October 2011, a career-best $1,859,000 for his 2013 victory within the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure essential occasion, and a 2024 Triton title in Jeju, South Korea. His whole recorded earnings now sit at practically $13.1 million.
Danchev’s newest win additionally got here with 924 Card Player Player of the Year factors, within the yearlong race introduced by CoinPoker. That places Danchev simply exterior the highest 100 thus far in 2026. As one in all 31 certified occasions on the 2026 WSOP schedule, Danchev additionally earns 480 PokerGO Tour factors, in his best-ever PGT outcome. He sits in sixteenth place on the season-long PGT leaderboard.
For his run into the semifinals, Alex Foxen earned 180 PGT factors, which places him one spot behind Danchev on that leaderboard, in seventeenth.
A New Format
On Friday, May 29, Danchev was one in all 64 hopefuls who put up their $25,000 buy-in with an preliminary goal of profitable three matches. That assured a spot within the remaining 16 and a break day earlier than resuming the event.
That’s as a result of, for the primary time, there have been two flights within the heads-up championship. Those eradicated on day 1A may take a second shot at a run on day 1B, with the overall subject doubled from 64 gamers to 128 below the brand new guidelines. The remaining eight from every flight would then battle it out to scale back 16 gamers to 4 on day 2, and the ultimate 4 performed out the bracket on day 3.
It was the newest tweak to an occasion that’s been part of the WSOP for twenty years now. In 2007, a first-of-its-kind $5,000 heads-up WSOP bracelet occasion drew 392 gamers. 21-year-old Dan Schreiber received that inaugural event. The subsequent yr, 256 gamers entered a $10,000 heads-up championship, and Kenny Tran defeated Alec Torelli within the finals.
For one yr, in 2011, the buy-in bumped as much as $25,000 and drew a 128-player subject. In that event, Jake Cody beat Yevginiy Timoshenko within the finals, taking dwelling a report heads-up payday of $851,192, which stands to at the present time. For the following 10 years, the first heads-up championship occasion on the WSOP dropped again right down to $10,000. Adrian Mateos (2017) and Justin Bonomo (2018) every received the occasion throughout this period.
The buy-in remained $10,000 till 2021, when it as soon as once more hit $25,000. The occasion has remained at that value level to at the present time.
Three Days Of Intensity
Danchev opened the event by beating Ian Bromfield on day 1A, and added wins over latest Triton champion Christopher Nguyen and Killian Desnos to achieve the highest 16 and a assured payday. He joined Foxen, Daniel Negreanu, Michael Mizrachi, and Cary Katz among the many day 1A survivors.
After a break day, Danchev performed his well past Florian Pesce within the spherical of 16. Danchev then defeated three-time Triton champion Ding Biao within the quarterfinals. That put Danchev two wins away from the bracelet, and arrange a semifinal showdown towards Japan’s Ryuta Nakai on day 3.
While Kuznetsov took on Foxen on the other aspect of the bracket, Danchev stared down Nakai for a spot within the finals. Both semifinals had been comparatively temporary in comparison with the whole lot that led as much as these matches and the finale that adopted.
Foxen Stunned by This All-In@WAFoxen raises the river with journey eights, however Nikita Kuznetsov is sitting on a full home and responds with an all-in.
Can Foxen discover the fold, or is he destined to pay it off? pic.twitter.com/c53RxgWHc9
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 2, 2026
It took lower than an hour for Kuznetsov to topple Foxen. It appeared as if Foxen was locked in and prepared for a protracted combat, as he acquired away from a large cooler within the first main showdown of his match with Kuznetsov.
Alex Foxen Coolered in WSOP Final Four
A brutal cooler with a spot within the championship match on the road.@WAFoxen flops two pair, however Nikita Kuznetsov turns a much bigger two pair and the chips go flying into the center.
Just like that, Foxen’s WSOP run is in critical hazard. pic.twitter.com/Tp88BV6bix
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) June 2, 2026
After surviving that probably devastating hand, although, Foxen bumped into one other brutal spot, one he couldn’t get away from. Foxen flopped high two pair with Q♥5♠ on a [invalid notations] board, solely to run into Kuznetsov’s turned higher two pair following a 6♦ flip. When Kuznetsov turned over Q♣6♥, Foxen may solely shake his head. There was no two-out miracle for Foxen, who went out within the semifinal spherical ($300,000). Foxen now sits in twelfth place within the POY standings. He has 4 POY-qualified titles throughout seven final-table finishes to date in 2026.
Danchev’s Road To The Final
Danchev wasn’t far behind Kuznetsov in sealing his spot within the finals. Nakai opened an early lead over Danchev, however an eerily parallel hand to what occurred within the Kuznetsov-Foxen match performed out once more and flipped the script. Like Kuznetsov, Danchev flopped a set of fours and had his opponent make a giant hand, in Nakai’s case, high two pair, queens and jacks. Nakai jammed the river, Danchev referred to as, and he discovered an enormous double-up.
The final of Nakai’s chips went in on a five-bet shove with A♠J♥, which Danchev referred to as with Q♥Q♠. Danchev flopped high set on a Q♣10♥7♥ board, and Nakai went from 4 outs to a few outs on the 4♥ flip. The 8♥ on the river gave each gamers flushes, and Danchev’s queen earned him the pot and a spot within the finals. Like Foxen, Nakai earned $300,000 for his run to the penultimate spherical. This was the fourth-largest rating of his burgeoning profession.
After a brief recess, Danchev and Kuznetsov settled in for what can be a protracted, sluggish battle. Kuznetsov opened the primary vital lead with a full home towards a full home on a double-paired board. Kuznetsov’s lead eclipsed a 2:1 ratio earlier than one other cooler spot turned the match on its head.
On a 10♦10♠5♣ flop, Danchev’s pocket fives and Kuznetsov’s 10♣9♦ had been destined to crash into each other. When Kuznetsov shoved the river, Danchev was joyful to snap name and double up, taking a 2:1 lead of his personal.
Securing The Bracelet
Kuznetsov battled on for hours, however by no means regained the lead from that time on. One remaining powerful spot spelled the top of the road for Kuznetsov. With blinds at 200,000-400,000, Danchev limped the button with Q♦7♥, and Kuznetsov checked with Q♥8♣. The flop was a blockbuster, particularly for Danchev, because it got here down Q♠J♥7♠. Kuznetsov checked, Danchev guess 400,000, and Kuznetsov referred to as. The 3♣ flip prompted a much bigger guess from Danchev, at 1.6 million, and Kuznetsov as soon as once more referred to as.
The Q♣ doomed Kuznetsov to an exit. Kuznetsov checked, Danchev shoved to place Kutznetsov in danger, and the Russian gladly obliged, saying “one time,” in hopes that his journey queens had been good. But Danchev’s full home took the pot, the match, and the bracelet.
Kuznetsov earned $528,000 because the runner-up, the second-largest event results of his profession. It sits behind his third-place end within the 2021 GGPoker WSOP Online essential occasion, during which Kuznetsov took dwelling $1,430,073.
Danchev grew to become the third participant to return to the WSOP winner’s circle in early Vegas motion in 2026. In latest days, Scott Clements received his fourth bracelet within the $10,000 Omaha eight-or-better championship, and Jason Daly took dwelling his third gold bracelet within the $1,500 Omaha eight-or-better occasion.
Final Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points | PGT Points |
| Champion | Dimitar Danchev | $800,000 | 924 | 480 |
| Runner-Up | Nikita Kuznetsov | $528,000 | 770 | 317 |
| Semi-Finalist | Ryuta Nakai | $300,000 | 539 | 180 |
| Semi-Finalist | Alex Foxen | $300,000 | 539 | 180 |
| Quarter-Finalist | Cary Katz | $150,000 | 270 | 90 |
| Quarter-Finalist | Thomas Boivin | $150,000 | 270 | 90 |
| Quarter-Finalist | Biao Ding | $150,000 | 270 | 90 |
| Quarter-Finalist | Henri Puustinen | $150,000 | 270 | 90 |
Photo credit: WSOP/Alicia Skillman.
