Alex Kulev Turns First 2026 Cash Into Onyx High Roller Series Title
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Alex Kulev has claimed the title in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Opener at the 2026 Onyx High Roller Series inside the Merit Royal Diamond Casino & Spa, after an ICM deal with Damir Gabdullin before the pair played on for the trophy and an extra $70,000. Kulev ultimately closed it out to secure the win and a first-place prize of $384,150 from the $1,945,800 prize pool.
“I’m delighted to be here and delighted to have been able to win this tournament,” Kulev said after topping the 207-entry field, with his parents in attendance at the final table. While not the biggest victory of his career, the win still carried plenty of meaning. “Any tournament win is great for me,” he added. “It’s another indication that I’m going in the right direction as a poker player. Whenever I play, I play to win, so I’m very glad I was able to pull it off today.”
Kulev started the final table as the chip leader, and despite going into heads-up with a 3:2 chip disadvantage, he was able to turn it around and make his first-ever Onyx High Roller Series cash, one to remember.
$10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Opener Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Kulev | Bulgaria | $384,150* |
| 2 | Damir Gabdullin | Russian Federation | $315,850* |
| 3 | Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | $200,000 |
| 4 | Klemens Roiter | Austria | $150,000 |
| 5 | Maksim Shornikau | Belarus | $107,000 |
| 6 | Alexey Borovkov | Russian Federation | $80,000 |
| 7 | Gha Iakobishvili | Israel | $63,000 |
| 8 | Ran Azor | Israel | $53,000 |
| 9 | Maximilian Wieser | Austria | $46,800 |
*Denotes heads-up deal
Final Table Action
From the 207 players who entered across the three opening flights, only 31 returned for Day 2, all already in the money and now with a chance to play for some serious pay jumps. It did not take long to thin the field, with Kirill Shcherbakov, Daniel Rezaei, and Dimitri Steinfeuer all busting during the first level. Gabdullin found a huge early boost to his stack when Roman Stoika shoved directly into his pocket aces.
It was a more challenging start for Kulev, who was in a dicey river spot after Raoul Kanme raised Kulev's river bet. Kulev had a straight and eventually made the right call, which surely boosted his confidence. By the time the field was down to the final two tables, Gabdullin and Kulev sat at the top of the chip counts.
Kulev took over the chip lead for the first time after winning a big flip to eliminate Istvan Birizdo, and a few orbits later he spiked a gutshot to send Thomas Muehloecker to the rail in 13th place. Soon after, he came from behind with ace-jack against “Kenar’s” ace-queen to push the tournament onto the final table bubble.
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya was the unfortunate final table bubble boy after losing the bulk of his stack holding top pair against the pair and flush draw of Klemens Roiter. Roiter backed into an unlikely straight, and Skhulukhiya was eliminated shortly after when his king-ten failed to improve against Gha Iakobishvili’s king-jack.
Once play moved over to the Onyx Club for the final table, it was no surprise to see Kulev sitting at the top the chip counts, with Gabdullin close behind. However, Kulev suffered an early setback after squeezing all in with ace-seven and running straight into Alexey Borovkov’s pocket aces.
It was fellow Bulgarian Fahredin Mustafov who picked up the first two eliminations at the final table, sending Maximilian Wieser and Ran Azor to the rail in quick succession. The Day 2 chip leader, Iakobishvili, struggled at the final table and eventually became another victim of Kulev after getting it all in with a weak ace against Kulev’s pocket fives.
Kulev continued to stay aggressive, winning all-ins while also navigating several difficult postflop spots. He forced Maksim Shornikau to fold the river when a straight was on board, after jamming. This loss left Shornikau very short-stacked, and he was unable to recover, eventually exiting in fifth place, with Kulev scooping up the remaining chips.
With Roiter, Gabdullin, and Mustafov happy to let Kulev dictate the action as the pay jumps increased, the dynamic shifted once four-handed play began and all remaining players had locked up more than six figures. Roiter and Gabdullin then tangled in a massive pot, with both players making straights on the river. Gabdullin held the nuts, and Roiter paid off a bet for over three-quarters of his stack.
Although Roiter managed a brief recovery, Gabdullin claimed the rest of his chips shortly after when he called off with jack-high on an ace-high flop after saying “ahh gamble.” Roiter held bottom pair, but a jack on the turn sealed his fate, eliminating him just shy of the podium. Gabdullin then knocked out Mustafov after hitting a backdoor straight, setting up the heads-up match.
Cool, Calm & Collected Kulev
Gabdullin started heads-up with a 3:2 chip lead, but that quickly disappeared in one of the first hands. In a three-bet pot, Gabdullin double-barreled a gutshot straight draw in position, while Kulev held on with just a pair of fives. Gabdullin gave up on the river and, after seeing Kulev’s cards, likely wished he had pulled the trigger.
Despite that knock, Gabdullin recovered well and slowly worked his way back to even. He first picked off a few bluffs from Kulev before winning a string of pots with aggression and thin value bets. Gabdullin also took down a couple of three-bet pots where he continuation-bet and forced Kulev to fold. Shortly after, the pair struck an ICM deal that saw them lock up nearly identical payouts, with $70,000 and the trophy still left to play for.
Momentum then swung firmly in Gabdullin’s direction, and he began to take control. By the start of the final level, he held more than a 2:1 chip lead. That quickly changed in a significant hand in which Kulev showed why he has enjoyed so much success at the highest levels. Gabdullin bet nearly the pot on the turn and Kulev called with bottom pair. When a deuce completed the board, Gabdullin jammed for Kulev’s remaining chips. After several minutes in the tank, Kulev made the call with just a pair of fours, picking off Gabdullin’s airball bluff.
Gabdullin was unable to recover, and it took only a few more hands before the tournament reached the last shuffle. Kulev limp-called on the button before Gabdullin check-jammed a nine-high flop with second pair. Kulev snapped with top two, leaving Gabdullin drawing dead after a blank turn. Gabdullin exited as the runner-up, locking up a career-high cash, while Kulev was crowned champion of the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Opener.
