A prize pool of nearly $1.9 million and a field of 781 entries set the stage for Event #3 of the 2026 WSOP Online at GGPoker — and when the cards were finally on their backs at the end of heads-up play, it was Nikita Kalinin claiming his first World Series of Poker bracelet alongside a $276,239 payday, according to PokerNews.
Kalinin’s run to the title was built on a strong Day 1 showing. PokerNews reported that he bagged the second-largest stack when the field was trimmed to 20 players, positioning him as one of the clear favorites heading into the final stretch. The $2,500 Bounty NLH Championship format generated a total prize pool of $1,854,875 across those 781 entries, with the top finishers sharing a significant portion of that sum. Audrius Stakelis, listed as representing Cyprus in the GGPoker lobby per PokerNews, pushed Kalinin all the way to a heads-up battle before ultimately finishing second for $136,074.
The final table payouts reflected the weight of the field. PokerNews reported that Leandro Bianchini, listed as representing Argentina, took $120,744 for third, while Pedro Neves, listed as representing Luxembourg, collected $97,558 in fourth. Arsenii Karmatckii finished fifth for $87,363, and the player known as firfir received $75,739 for sixth. Ivan Ilichev ($50,056), Luigi Soncin ($44,689), and Rinat M ($41,670) rounded out the final table results, per PokerNews.
Beyond the bracelet and the prize money, Kalinin also received a $30,000 Super Pass to the 2026 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event as part of his victory package, according to PokerNews. With Event #4 — a $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha event scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. BST on August 20 — already drawing registered entries from players including Lex Veldhuis, Rainer Kempe, Jessica Teusl, and Nick Maimone, per PokerNews, the series shows no sign of slowing down.
