Headhunter Danail Zhelev Captures WSOPC PLO Ring
If standard Pot Limit Omaha is about controlled aggression, a Bounty Hunter tournament is pure, unadulterated chaos.
With €150 on every player’s head, the dynamic shifts instantly. The “correct” fold often becomes a snap-call, and variance ramps up to maximum levels.
Surviving this minefield requires a special mix of fearlessness and math. This week at King’s Resort, that mix belonged to Bulgaria’s Danail Lyubomirov Zhelev.
Zhelev outlasted a field of 102 entries in WSOP Circuit Event #6: €400+€150 PLO Bounty Hunter to claim his first WSOP Circuit Ring and the top prize of €10,550.
He defeated Italy’s Vincenzo Dagostino heads-up, capping off a tournament that, once again, proved to be a goldmine for value hunters.
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The “Overlay” Streak Continues
We sound like a broken record, but the value at this WSOP Circuit stop is becoming impossible to ignore.
Just like Quirin Zech’s events earlier in the week, Event #6 failed to hit its guarantee. The €50,000 Guarantee promised a big prize pool, but the 102 entries (60 unique, 42 re-entries) didn’t quite get there.
Let’s do the quick math:
- 102 Entries x €400 (Prize Contribution) = €40,800.
- Guarantee = €50,000.
That leaves a gap of roughly €9,200.
Essentially, King’s Resort added nearly €10,000 of “dead money” into the pot. For the grinders who showed up, this was effectively a rake-free tournament with a bonus on top. If you are a PLO player in Europe and you aren’t playing these overlays, you are torching EV.
PLO Bounty Strategy: Adjusting for the €150 KO
Why is the Bounty format so different? It’s all about the immediate odds.
In this event, the buy-in was €400 (prize pool) + €150 (bounty). That means a single knockout is worth roughly 37.5% of a starting stack in cash value.
The Strategic Adjustment:
When you cover an opponent who is all-in, you simply cannot fold as often as you would in a normal MTT. The €150 cash rebate subsidizes your call.
- In a normal MTT: You might fold a marginal wrap or weak aces against a jam to preserve your stack.
- In a Bounty Hunter: That same hand becomes a mathematically mandatory call because the “price” you are getting is so much better.
Zhelev navigated this perfectly. He knew when to gamble for bounties and when to preserve his stack for the final-table pay jumps.
Final Table Recap: Zhelev vs. Dagostino
The final table was a truly international affair, featuring players from Bulgaria, Italy, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.
While the “German Home Game” vibe of the previous events was less pronounced here, the regulars still made their presence felt. Notably, Bjorn Verbakel, the winner of Event #3, made another deep run, finishing in 19th place.
However, the day belonged to Zhelev. He entered the heads-up battle against Vincenzo Dagostino and refused to let the ring slip away. Dagostino put up a fight but eventually settled for the runner-up spot and €7,100.
Event #6: €550 PLO Bounty Hunter Top Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Danail Zhelev | Bulgaria | €10,550 |
| 2nd | Vincenzo Dagostino | Italy | €7,100 |
| 3rd | Carl Dit Soudril | France | €4,050 |
| 4th | Siegfried Hochstaffl | Austria | €3,100 |
| 5th | Patrick Schuhl | Germany | €2,815 |
| 6th | “KAZERO” | Germany | €1,910 |
| 7th | Thomas Pohnke | Germany | €1,850 |
| 8th | Marek Rous | Czech Rep | €1,760 |
| 9th | “dozka” | Germany | €1,620 |
Conclusion
The WSOP Circuit at King’s Resort continues to deliver massive action and even bigger value.
Danail Zhelev is the latest champion, proving that aggression pays, especially when there is a price on everyone’s head. With the Main Event looming, the question remains: will the overlays continue, or will the crowds finally flood in?
If you want to stop guessing and start crushing these fields yourself, check out our PLO Tournament Strategy Guide or read our review of the Best PLO Training Sites and PLO Solvers to sharpen your bounty game.
Key Takeaways
- Danail Zhelev wins his first WSOPC Ring and €10,550.
- Another Overlay: Event #6 missed the guarantee by ~€9,200.
- Bounty Math: In these formats, calling ranges must be wider due to the cash value of KOs.
- Bjorn Verbakel continues his hot streak with another cash (19th).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
In a Bounty Hunter (or Knockout) tournament, a portion of your buy-in goes into a prize pool, and another portion goes on your head. If you knock a player out, you instantly win their bounty amount in cash.
Yes. The tournament had a €50,000 guarantee but only collected roughly €40,800 from the 102 entries. This created an overlay of about €9,200 for the players.
The buy-in was €400 + €150 + €50 fee. The bounty was €150. This means for every player you eliminated, you received €150 cash immediately.
Danail Lyubomirov Zhelev from Bulgaria won the event, defeating Vincenzo Dagostino heads-up.
You generally need to play looser and more aggressively when you cover your opponents. The added value of the bounty means you should call all-ins with slightly weaker hands than usual, as the math justifies the risk.
With over 12 years of Omaha Poker experience, Lebi is the Head of Content at PLO365. A dedicated PLO specialist, he bridges the gap between complex GTO theory and practical street poker. He leads our review team, stress-testing PLO solvers, HUDs, and training courses to ensure they meet the demands of the modern grinder. When he isn’t auditing poker room RNGs or writing strategy guides, you can find him grinding mid-stakes PLO cash games and Turbo MTTs.
