Dimitar Danchev added a live WSOP bracelet to his résumé after winning the 2026 WSOP $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship.
The Bulgarian pro defeated Nikita Kuznetsov in the final, earning $800,000 and his second career WSOP bracelet. His first bracelet came online in 2022, when he won the WSOP Online $10,000 Heads-Up event on GGPoker.
This year’s Heads-Up Championship used a revised format and drew a 128-player field. Players who busted on Day 1A were allowed to take another shot on Day 1B, with eight players from each starting group advancing to the final 16.
Danchev’s run required seven straight heads-up wins across three days. He beat Ian Bromfield, Christopher Nguyen, Killian Desnos, Florian Pesce, Biao Ding, Ryuta Nakai, and finally Kuznetsov to close out the bracket.
The final four featured Danchev, Ryuta Nakai, Nikita Kuznetsov, and Alex Foxen. Danchev beat Japan’s Ryuta Nakai in the semifinal, while Kuznetsov advanced from the other side after eliminating Alex Foxen.
Kuznetsov took the first clear lead in the final, but Danchev later reversed the match in a major cooler. On a 10♦10♠5♣ flop, Danchev held pocket fives against Kuznetsov’s 10♣9♦. The pot gave Danchev a double-up and moved him into the lead.
The match ended with Danchev holding Q♦7♥ against Kuznetsov’s Q♥8♣. The board ran Q♠J♥7♠3♣Q♣, giving Kuznetsov trip queens but Danchev a full house. That hand gave Danchev the pot, the match, and the bracelet.
Kuznetsov finished runner-up for $528,000. Nakai and Foxen each earned $300,000 for reaching the semifinals.
The $800,000 score is one of the biggest results of Danchev’s career. His largest recorded live tournament cash remains his 2013 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event win for about $1.86 million, and he also earned $804,000 at Triton Jeju in 2024.
With this result, Danchev now owns two WSOP bracelets, including his first from a live WSOP event.
