Boris Kolev adds another poker tournament title to his collection in Cyprus.

Bulgarian player Boris Kolev won the Onyx High Stakes Series Cyprus $10,400 Mystery Bounty event, earning $127,400 in prize money, defeating Aleksandr Kirichenko in heads-up play.

After adding another title to his already impressive resume, Boris Kolev displayed his characteristic ease following his victory at the 2026 Onyx High Stakes Series Cyprus. A year after winning a million-dollar prize on the island, he achieved another success at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa – a venue he has grown to love.

"I just love this place. It's my favorite place to play poker. Everything here is great, the accommodations, the beach, but I don't know why, I just feel relaxed here, bro. It's like a vacation, not like working."

Whether it was a relaxed mindset, years of experience at the poker table, or just a stroke of luck at a crucial moment, Kolev appeared completely composed when he won the $10,400 Mystery Bounty, taking home the $129,000 champion prize from the total prize pool of $1,094,400.

"I don't think I did anything special or played anything particularly brilliant. I mean, I probably played pretty well, but it was mostly just luck." Kolev won his first Onyx title at the Merit Royal Diamond Casino & Spa, defeating Aleksandr Kirichenko heads-up from a field of 114 entries.

Onyx HRS $10,400 Mystery Bounty Tournament Final Table Results

 

Ranking	player	country	bonus
1	Boris Kolev	Bulgaria	$127,400
2	Aleksandr Kirichenko	Russia	$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 to final day as chip leader (1,700,000, 57 big blinds) on day one and is in the best position among the 17 remaining players.

Kolev broke the King to win his first bounty, and then in a crucial pot against Fabian Schmidt, his J-10 beat KQ—after saying “let’s take a gamble,” the flop of a Jack gave Kolev the lead, and his pair held on to eliminate Schmidt.

As the tournament shrank, Kolev continued to accumulate chips. Geoffrey Mooney went all-in with AJ against Kolev's QJ, but the turn card, a 9, completed Kolev's straight, ending Mooney's tournament run.

Felipe Ketzer was another player to fall to Kolev. Ketzer went all-in from the button with K-5, and Kolev called from the big blind with 8-4. The flop of an 8 gave Kolev the lead, and he survived the turn and river to secure another elimination. These eliminations also added to Kolev's bounty, with the Bulgarian player collecting seven mystery prizes throughout the process.

Kolev vs. Kirichenko

As the tournament drew to a close, Kolev and Aleksandr Kirichenko faced off in a series of pots.

Kirichenko doubled up against Kolev more than once, first hitting a 9 on the river with K-9 against pocket 4s, and then hitting a J on the river with QJ against Kolev's K-6.

Kolev responded by winning his own pot. In one hand, his Ace-high proved valuable at showdown; he then bet three streets in a row on a 10-high board, forcing Kirichenko to fold with a river bet of 1,800,000.

After the match, Kolev mentioned a significant decision that impressed him. He explained that he hadn't originally planned to fold, but changed his mind after observing Kirichenko.

“I never thought I would fold the pocket queens, no matter what,” Kolev said, “but he seemed very comfortable.” Kolev’s heads-up experience, combined with his familiarity with Kirichenko, convinced him to change his original plan. “I’ve always trusted my reading,” he said.

The heads-up match continued to swing back and forth between the two players, with Kolev feeling that both had their share of luck. "He won two coin flips, I think. Then I won one coin flip," Kolev said. "Then I got lucky with the last hand, so it was fair, but the match probably ended much earlier."

Ultimately, Kolev found the hand to end the tournament. He went all-in from the small blind with K-4, and Kirichenko called with KJ for 2,000,000. The flop came K-4-2, giving Kolev two pair, which he held to eliminate Kirichenko and win the $10,400 Mystery Bounty Tournament.

Kolev described Cyprus as the "best place" to play cards, saying the schedule "is improving every time" and he believes the series is "moving in the right direction."

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