WSOP 2026: Danchev Wins Heads-Up, Clements Takes #4

WSOP 2026 delivers two championship finishes in one day

Monday at the 2026 World Series of Poker packed a lot into a single session. Two World Championship events reached their conclusions, and both finals carried the kind of stakes that define the series: major prize money, a coveted gold bracelet, and career-defining bragging rights.

One title came from the $25,000 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em event, where the bracket was reduced to the final four before the last man standing emerged. The other belonged to the $10,000 Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better World Championship, where a veteran high-stakes pro survived a field that included two Poker Hall of Famers.

For players, these are the days that explain why WSOP remains the benchmark. There is no room to coast, no stack to hide behind, and no long runway to recover. In heads-up and split-pot poker, every decision is magnified.

Dimitar Danchev wins the WSOP Heads-Up title

Event #7 drew 128 entries, and by Monday only four players were still alive. Alex Foxen was set to battle Nikita Kuznetsov for a spot in the final, while Dimitar Danchev — who had only arrived in Las Vegas from Russia on Saturday and was dealing with jet lag — prepared to face Japan’s Ryuta Nakai.

That’s a rough setup even for a seasoned pro. Heads-up poker is already a pressure cooker, and walking into it tired only makes the challenge harder. But Danchev handled the spot with the kind of patience that often decides these matches.

Against Nakai, he had to grind through a tough opponent who was more than willing to slow the pace and make every pot expensive. Danchev found a major turning point when he flopped a set of fours against Nakai’s turned two pair. After the river brought the board to 5-4-Q-J-9, Nakai shoved with Q-J, but Danchev was ahead from the start with pocket fours and held on to seize control.

A few hands later, Danchev locked up the match when his pocket queens held against A-J. That sent him into the championship round.

Kuznetsov beats Foxen, then Danchev completes the comeback

On the other side of the bracket, Kuznetsov did an excellent job keeping Foxen from building any momentum. He won the first hand and never really let Foxen settle in, eventually opening a 3:1 lead.

The match turned on a major cooler. After a Q-2-5-6 runout, the chips started flying. Kuznetsov checked to Foxen, who bet 250K. Kuznetsov raised to 730K, Foxen moved all-in with the rest of his stack, and Kuznetsov snap-called.

The hands told the story:

• Foxen: Q-5
• Kuznetsov: Q-6

The turn gave Kuznetsov the dominant hand, and the river changed nothing.

In the final match, Kuznetsov was in control early. He won several small but important pots, including one where kicker strength made the difference. Danchev also made a disciplined fold with 7-4 on a 4-10-6-4-6 board when Kuznetsov showed J-6. That kind of laydown matters in heads-up poker; saving chips is often the first step to winning them back.

Then came the swing. Danchev flopped a full house against Kuznetsov’s flopped trips tens on a 5-10-10 board. From that point on, Kuznetsov never regained the lead.

The final hand was a clean finish to a long, tense match. Danchev limped with Q-7, Kuznetsov checked Q-8, and the Q-J-7 flop lit the fuse. When another queen arrived on the river, Kuznetsov believed he had set the trap and check-called Danchev’s all-in. Instead, Danchev tabled a full house, sevens full of queens, and the bracelet was his.

Scott Clements wins bracelet No. 4 in Omaha Hi/Lo

If Danchev’s win was about endurance and timing, Scott Clements delivered a reminder that experience still matters enormously in mixed and split-pot formats. He captured his fourth WSOP bracelet in Event #9: $10,000 Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better World Championship.

Clements had to navigate a dangerous path, and two Poker Hall of Famers were part of the roadblock. Phil Hellmuth exited earlier than expected after a well-timed flush beat the aces in his four-card selection. The 17-time bracelet winner finished seventh.

Todd Brunson made a deeper run and reached the final three, but Clements chipped him down before ultimately sending him out in third place. That set up the heads-up match with Dylan Weisman.

Weisman came into the final table with momentum, and this was already his second final table of the 2026 WSOP, but Clements never let him fully settle into the match. In Omaha Hi/Lo, that matters: the best players are constantly weighing high and low possibilities, redraws, and the value of playing for half the pot.

How Clements closed out the title

The final hand began with Weisman limping in. The flop came 4-3-3, and Clements showed interest before Weisman raised. Clements called, and on the seven turn he kept pressing. Weisman responded by moving all-in, and Clements made the call.

The showdown was decisive:

• Weisman: J-6-3-2 — trips threes
• Clements: 10-6-5-2 — made straight and low

A king on the river changed nothing. Clements locked up the pot and the bracelet, adding another major title to a career that already had serious WSOP credibility.

The result also underlined a simple truth about Omaha Hi/Lo: a hand that looks strong in one direction can still be second-best overall. Clements won because he understood the structure, stayed patient, and applied pressure at the right time.

What these WSOP results mean for players

Danchev and Clements gave WSOP 2026 two very different but equally meaningful championship stories.

Danchev’s run showed how quickly a heads-up specialist can take over once momentum shifts. Even with travel fatigue and a tough draw, he stayed composed, made the key value decisions, and never let the match get away from him.

Clements’ win was a masterclass in mixed-game execution. Beating Hall of Famers and then closing the door in the final match is exactly what separates elite Omaha Hi/Lo players from the field.

For the poker world, these finishes are a reminder that WSOP bracelets still reward complete poker: discipline, adaptation, and the ability to survive when the pressure is at its highest.

Omaha Hi/Lo final table results

• 1. Scott Clements — $450,176
• 2. Dylan Weisman — $299,228
• 3. Todd Brunson — $203,242
• 4. James Obst — $141,126
• 5. Nam Le — $100,231
• 6. Ryan Bambrick — $72,849
• 7. Phil Hellmuth — $54,214

Two champions, two styles, one memorable Monday at the WSOP. Dimitar Danchev and Scott Clements both proved that in championship poker, the right adjustments at the right time can make all the difference.

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