And it contributed to him making aggressive moves, all of which helped him reach the final table and the winner’s circle. Valentino KonakchievĮntering a large tournament field can cause anxious moment, but Konakchiev was relaxed. “I’ve been dreaming about it since I’ve been watching poker when I was 15 on TV and I can’t believe it actually happened,” Konakchiev told PokerNews after winning the event. Now, the 31-year-old Konakchiev can cross off one item off his bucket list after winning his first WSOP bracelet.

Konakchiev, who hails from Sofia, Bulgaria, has visualized sitting alone at the table as a winner while soaking in a cheering rail for 16 years. Those attributes on Day 3 played a large role in carving his path to victory. He displayed tenacity and aggression, such as a willingness to either check-raise with a gut-shot straight draw or outright bluff with air. Konakchiev, however, stared down adversity and rose to the challenge throughout the three-day grind.

Other notable bracelet winners to participate in the tournament were a trio of Poker Hall of Famers in Phil Hellmuth, Erik Seidel, and Kathy Liebert, anlong with Justin Bonomo, Jared Jaffee, Adrian Mateos, Mike Matusow, David Pham and Humberto Brenes, among others. He outlasted a trio of WSOP bracelet winners at the final table, which boasted Korn, Alexandre Reard, who finished in third place for $192,723, and Niall Farrell, who finished in seventh place for $57,260. Getting through Korn proved impressive enough, but it’s further highlighted by Konakchiev journey to the win.

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