WSOP: Four Titles Won in Vegas as Dimitar Danchev Claims Epic Heads-Up Championship

Four bracelet events concluded over the past 24 hours as Las Vegas provided the most exciting day of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) yet. Among the winners to lift a gold bracelet aloft were the Bulgarian Dimitar Danchev, who dashed the hopes of potential first-time winner Nikita Kuznetsov in the finale of the $25,000 Heads-Up Championship, where Alex Foxen bowed out in the semifinals.

Danchev Destroys Kuznetsov Dream in Thrilling Heads-Up Clash

The Bulgarian professional Dimitar Danchev bagged his second-ever WSOP bracelet last night after conquering the $25,000 Heads-Up Championship, Event #7 of 100 on this year’s WSOP schedule. Winning $800,000 up top, the Bulgarian, who won his first bracelet four years ago in the 2022 WSOP Online Heads-Up Championship for $327,668, turned his talents to the live stage in the Paris Ballroom beating the Russian Nikita Kuznetsov heads-up for the title.

This year’s $25,000 Heads-Up Championship saw a total of 128 players take part but while legends like Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu all played, none reached the final day where four had to become one. Of that illustrious trio, only Kid Poker cashed, winning $60,000 to please his many backers this series on the staking site PokerStake. Others to win $60,000 by making the top 16 but going no further included Brandon Wilson, Justin Saliba, and the reigning WSOP Main Event and Poker Players Championship bracelet holder, Michael Mizrachi.

On the final day, Nikita Kuznetsov was Alex Foxen’s conqueror, as the American lost a huge pot with two-pair against his Russian rival’s superior two-pair. Needing a two-outer to survive, the river only spelled pain for Foxen, who at least cashed for $300,000 as a losing semifinalist. Japanese outsider Ryuta Nakai was the other one of those, losing in even more unfortunate circumstances as his top two lost to Danchev’s set of fours before the Bulgarian’s pocket queens held against Nakai’s ace-jack to progress.

The final was an epic affair, as Danchev initially fell behind to Kuznetsov, who was aiming to win his first WSOP bracelet. Facing a 2:1 chip deficit, Danchev’s chances improved sizeably when his pocket fives linked up perfectly with the flop of T-T-5. All the chips went into the middle courtesy of Kuznetsov holding a ten and soon, they went in against with the Russian at risk. With two queens on the board, Kuznetsov committed his chips with queen-eight, but Danchev’s queen-seven had rivered a full house and the bracelet and $800,000 belonged to the Bulgarian, as Kuznetsov made do with$528,000 as runner-up.

Clements the King in Omaha Hi-Lo

In the $10,000-entry Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship, Scott Clements proved too good for some of the best in the game as he conquered the first mixed game bracelet of this year’s WSOP. Winning over $450,000 as champion, Clements’ fourth bracelet came at the expense of Phil Hellmuth, who finished seventh at a stacked final table that was a record 76^th for the Poker Brat.

Ryan Bambrick was hoping to go back-to-back when the final day began after winning the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship event in 2025, but this time round, the reigning champion could only make it to sixth place for $72,849. The seven-time bracelet winner Josh Arieh gave his best but admitted afterwards on X that he was his own worst enemy at the felt, crashing out in ninth for $41,334 where he would have hoped to make it heads-up and win his eighth WSOP bracelet.

The son of Doyle Brunson, Todd Brunson, busted in third place for $203,242, meaning there’s still no bracelet since he won his first back in 2005. Thereafter, it was the Scott Clements show, as he used a lead of 7:1 in chips to end the challenge of Dylan Weisman, whose trips and low were no good against Clements’ straight and better low to seal the deal.

Chun Takes Cheers in Mystery Millions Finale

The American player Philip Chun won the $550-entry Mystery Millions event as he topped a mammoth field of 20,488 entries to win the $400,000 top prize. With the field the seventh-largest of all time in Las Vegas, the biggest prize was won by Andrew Shelton after the Sacramento recreational player won the top bounty prize of $1,000,000 yesterday to a superb reaction.

At the final table of the event, David Prociak was the man who many thought had the best chance with his blend of experience and chips looking most likely. His departure in fourth place for $155,000 and Kartik Ved’s exit in third for $200,000 paved the way for an amateur-on-amateur heads-up, where the Palestinian player Jalil Houssain eventually finished as runner-up for $265,000.

In the final hand, Houssain was forced all-in from the big blind with king-seven of hearts, and while Philip Chun’s queen-three was in the same suit, he had two live cards and a three on the flop paired one of them. No king or seven followed it, meaning Chun was the champion, and the latest WSOP bracelet winner credited a very famous poker coach.

“I texted Kristen (Foxen) at 3am last night once we finished and arranged to speak to her before play got underway,” Chun said. “We talked for about an hour, and everything that she told me put things into perspective. It didn’t overwhelm me, it just allowed me to tackle today the way I wanted. Honestly, I would not be here holding the bracelet if it wasn’t for [having] Kristen as my coach.”

Galstyan Gets the Gold

Finally, in Event #10, the $600-entry No Limit Hold’em Deepstack event, American Karapet Galstyan took home the $259,829 top prize after he beat his countryman Joshua Lusby-Angvick heads-up for the bracelet. At a final table where only Galstyan had won a WSOP previously, his experience told.

The former WSOP Online bracelet winner, who originally hails from Armenia, identified the only Venezuelan at the table as his toughest opponent.

“Luis Yepez Carmona was my biggest threat,” he said. “[I had to] watch my opponents carefully and pick up on their tendencies. Players who play GTO strategy can be too predictable, so I change my strategy depending on my opponents.”

When asked what it was like to win in the live arena in his hometown of Las Vegas compared to playing online poker to win a bracelet, Galstyan was unequivocal.

“It’s awesome. What a difference it is to win a live event and get both the prize money and the bracelet!”