After adding yet another title to his already decorated resume, Boris Kolev was in typically relaxed form following his victory at the 2026 Onyx High Roller Series in Cyprus. A year on from a million-dollar score on the island, he once again found success at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, a venue he’s grown fond of.
“I just like the place. It’s my favourite place to play poker. Everything is great here, accommodation, beach, but I don’t know, I just relax here, bro. It’s like a holiday, not like I’m working.”
Whether it was his relaxed nature, the experience built up over years at the tables or simply running well when it mattered, Kolev looked completely at ease as he closed out the victory in the $10,400 Mystery Bounty, taking home the $129,000 first-place prize from the $1,094,400 prize pool.
“I don’t feel like I did something special, or did some good play. I mean, probably playing good, but the most was just being lucky.” Kolev captured the title at the Merit Royal Diamond Casino & Spa after outlasting a 114-entry field, defeating Aleksandr Kirichenko heads-up to secure his first Onyx title.
Onyx HRS $10,400 Mystery Bounty Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boris Kolev | Bulgaria | $127,400 |
| 2 | Aleksandr Kirichenko | Russian Federation | $92,000 |
| 3 | Felipe Ketzer | Brazil | $62,000 |
| 4 | Geoffrey Mooney | Australia | $44,000 |
| 5 | Fabian Schmidt | Germany | $34,000 |
| 6 | Mr Teddy | San Marino | $27,000 |
| 7 | Show77 | United Arab Emirates | $22,000 |
Kolev Starts From the Top
Kolev returned for the final day in the best position of the 17 remaining players after bagging the Day 1 chip lead with 1,700,000 (57 big blinds).
Kolev cracked kings to grab one bounty then picked up another important pot against Fabian Schmidt, with his jack-ten overcoming king-queen after saying, “Let’s gamble.” A jack on the flop moved Kolev ahead, and his pair held to send Schmidt to the rail.
Kolev continued to add to his stack as the field became shorter. Geoffrey Mooney was all in with ace-jack against Kolev’s queen-jack, but a nine on the turn completed Kolev’s straight and ended Mooney’s tournament.
Felipe Ketzer was another player to fall at Kolev’s hands. Ketzer shoved from the button with king-five and Kolev called from the big blind with eight-four. An eight on the flop gave Kolev the lead, and he held through the turn and river to score another elimination. The eliminations also added to Kolev’s bounty haul, with the Bulgarian collecting seven mystery bounties during his run.
Kolev and Kirichenko Battle
As the tournament moved into its closing stages, Kolev found himself involved in a series of pots with Aleksandr Kirichenko.
Kirichenko doubled through Kolev more than once, first finding a nine on the river with king-nine against pocket fours before later rivering a jack with queen-jack against Kolev’s king-six.
Kolev responded by winning pots of his own. In one hand, his ace-high proved good at showdown, while he later fired three streets on a ten-high board, with a 1,800,000 river bet forcing Kirichenko to fold.
There was also one big decision that stood out to Kolev after the tournament. He explained that he entered the hand with no intention of folding, but changed his mind after studying Kirichenko.
“I never thought of folding pocket queens, whatever happens,” Kolev said, “but then he looked very comfortable.” Kolev’s experience playing heads-up, along with his familiarity with Kirichenko, convinced him to change his original plan, “I trust my read always,” he said.
The heads-up contest continued to swing in both directions, and Kolev felt both players had their share of fortune. “He won two flips, I think. Then I won one flip,” said Kolev. “And then I was lucky at the last hand, so it’s kind of fair, but it could have finished way earlier.”
Eventually, Kolev found the hand to finish the job. He shoved from the small blind with king-four, and Kirichenko called for 2,000,000 with king-jack. A king-four-deuce flop gave Kolev two pair, which held to eliminate Kirichenko and secure the $10,400 Mystery Bounty title.
Kolev described Cyprus as “the best place” to play, said the schedule is “improving every time,” and believes the series is “going in the good direction.”
