button in SafariNikita Kalinin Helps Himself to a WSOP Online Bracelet and $276,239
Table Of Contents
Another bracelet has been awarded in the 2026 WSOP Online at GGPoker, and it is Nikita Kalinin who has captured it. Kalinin will forever be known as the champion of Event #3: $2,500 Bounty NLH Championship, an accolade that came with $276,239 in prize money and a $30,000 Super Pass to the 2026 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event.
The tournament saw 781 entries create a $1,854,875 prize pool. Day 1 concluded with only 20 players remaining, and Kalinin headed for some well-deserved rest, having bagged the second-largest stack.
#3: $2,500 Bounty NLH Championship Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Bounties | Prize | Total Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikita Kalinin | Mexico | $148,351 | $127,888 | $276,239 |
| 2 | Audrius Stakelis | Cyprus | $8,187 | $127,887 | $136,074 |
| 3 | Leandro Bianchini | Argentina | $19,125 | $101,619 | $120,744 |
| 4 | Pedro Neves | Luxembourg | $16,812 | $80,746 | $97,558 |
| 5 | Arsenii Karmatckii | Slovenia | $23,203 | $64,160 | $87,363 |
| 6 | firfir | Serbia | $24,757 | $50,982 | $75,739 |
| 7 | Ivan Ilichev | Russia | $9,546 | $40,510 | $50,056 |
| 8 | Luigi Soncin | Brazil | $12,500 | $32,189 | $44,689 |
| 9 | Rinat M | Belarus | $16,094 | $25,577 | $41,670 |
Countries as shown in the GGPoker lobby
Belarusian "Rinat M" saw his tournament end in a ninth-place finish worth $41,670 before Luigi Soncin crashed out in eighth for $44,689.
Ivan Ilichev turned his $2,500 investment into $50,056 with a seventh-place finish before the elimination of Serbia's "firfir" ($75,739) left only five players in contention for the title and a bumper top prize.
Those five became four when start-of-the-day chip leader Arsenii Karmatckii fell by the wayside and took home $87,363. The elimination of the dangerous Pedro Neves ($97,558) further reduced the field and locked in a six-figure score, with bounties included, for the trio of surviving players.
Argentina's Leandro Bianchini came unstuck in third, a finish good for $120,744, leaving Kalinin heads-up against Audrius Stakelis. Both heads-up players secured at least $127,887 but the final two bounties were worth even more than that, so everything was still to play for.
Kalinin eventually came out on top and added $148,351 to his regular prize pool, bringing his total to $276,239. Kalinin also captured his first WSOP bracelet and a $30,000 Super Pass for the upcoming 2026 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event. Stakelis headed into the night having padded his bankroll with a $136,074 consolation prize.
Pot-Limit Omaha is Next on the Agenda
The next bracelet will be awarded in a couple of days. Event #4: $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha shuffles up and deals at 7:00 p.m. BST on August 20. Day 1 concluded after Level 30 or when the final table is reached, whichever comes first.
Such luminaries as Lex "LexVeldhuis" Veldhuis, Rainer Kempe, Jessica Teusl, and Nick Maimone are already registered in advance of the start, so this event should be yet another star-studded affair.
