Alex Kulev has established himself as a prime participant on the high-stakes stay poker match scene over the previous couple of years. The 29-year-old Bulgarian skilled participant’s ten largest paydays have all come for the reason that begin of 2023, together with his largest rating but: the $2,566,000 he earned because the champion of the 2024 Triton Poker Tremendous Excessive Curler Collection Montenegro $100,000 no-limit maintain’em eight max occasion.
Kulev overcame a subject of 102 entries that turned out to the Maestral Resort & On line casino in Montenegro, securing his first Triton title and the multi-million-dollar prime prize because the champion.
“I’m a bit of bit overwhelmed, to be trustworthy,” Kulev informed Triton reporters after closing out the win in entrance of his mother and father, who traveled six hours to be witness the conclusion of the occasion. “This implies so much to me. To perform this in entrance of my household may be very particular to me. I’ll cherish this for a very long time.”
This was already the second title and ninth final-table end of the yr for Kulev. With 3,575 whole Card Participant Participant of the 12 months factors and greater than $5.4 million in to-date POY earnings, he now sits in ninth place within the 2024 POY standings offered by International Poker.
The $10,200,000 prize pool for this occasion was finally cut up up amongst the highest 17 finishers, with $160,000 as a min-cash and seven-figure payouts for the ultimate three. Loads of Triton crushers ran deep, together with Jose ‘Nacho’ Barbero (14th(, Stephen Chidwick (eleventh), Sean Winter (tenth), and Bryn Kenney (ninth).
The official remaining desk started with five-time Triton champion Danny Tang within the lead and Kulev in the midst of the pack. Two-time bracelet winner Aleksejs Ponakovs (eighth – $342,000) was the primary to fall, along with his A-8 suited working into pocket jacks for bracelet winner and World Poker Tour champion Dylan Linde.
Linde doubled up Maher Nouira throughout seven-handed play, after which misplaced an enormous conflict with Kulev to search out himself on the quick stack. His remaining chips went in with A-5 suited going through A-10 for Liang Xu after each gamers paired their aspect playing cards. Linde was unable to search out one other 5 and was eradicated in seventh place ($454,000).
Monents after Linde’s exit, two-time bracelet winner and two-time Triton champion Daniel Dvoress discovered himself all-in with A-Q trailing the pocket queens of Thomas Santerne. The higher handheld up and Dvoress was knocked out in sixth place ($594,000). The rating pushed Dvoress previous $34.2 million in profession earnings.
That elimination gave Santerne the lead, however he was quickly surpassed by Kulev because of a preflop cooler that noticed his pocket aces maintain going through the pocket jacks of Tang.
The following large showdown pitted Tang’s pocket queens in opposition to Kulev’s A-Ok for a traditional preflop race. Kulev flopped an ace and held from there to eradicate Tang in fifth place ($752,000). He now has greater than $26.1 million in profession match earnings, with greater than $16.5 million of that coming from his 34 in-the-money finishes in Triton occasions.
Maher Nouira was despatched house by way of a brutal cooler, along with his pocket queens working into the pocket aces of Santerne. The cash went in on the flip with Nouira needing a queen on the river. The current European Poker Tour Monte Carlo €25,000 excessive curler winner headed to the payout desk to gather $933,000 when the 7
rolled off the deck as an alternative.
Xu Liang’s case chips went in along with his pocket sevens forward of Ok-Q for Kulev. Liang fell behind within the race shortly, with Kulev flopping journey kings to take an enormous lead. Liang discovered no assistance on the flip or river and was eradicated in third place ($1,127,000).
Heads-up play started in a digital tie, with Kulev holding 10,250,000 to Santerne’s 10,150,000. The early motion largely went Santerne’s method, however Kulelv discovered an enormous double up with pocket queens in opposition to prime pair of jacks for Santerne to shut the hole significantly.
Kulev quickly overtook the lead and put far between himself and his opponent in time for the ultimate hand of the match. Kulev limped in from the button with A
10
and Santerne shoved for 22.5 large blinds with 77. Kulev known as and the board ran out 106210
Q to offer Kulev journey tens for the win.
Santerne earned $1,735,000 because the runner-up. The 25-year-old French participant now has greater than $3.5 million in recorded scores to his identify.
Here’s a take a look at the payouts and POY factors awarded on the remaining desk:
Place
Participant
Earnings
POY Factors
1
Alex Kulev
$2,566,000
1200
2
Thomas Santerne
$1,735,000
1000
3
Liang Xu
$1,127,000
800
4
Maher Nouira
$933,000
600
5
Danny Tang
$752,000
500
6
Daniel Dvoress
$594,000
400
7
Dylan Linde
$454,000
300
8
Aleksejs Ponakovs
$342,000
200
Picture credit: Triton Poker / Joe Giron.
