Alex Kulev
Alex Kulev is a Bulgarian professional poker player, World Series of Poker bracelet winner, Triton champion and one of the most successful tournament players to emerge from Bulgaria. Based in Dublin, Ireland, he built a strong online career before becoming a regular contender in the world’s most expensive live events.
His major victories include the 2023 EPT Monte Carlo 100.000 € Super High Roller, the 2023 WSOP 50.000 $ High Roller and a 100.000 $ Triton tournament in Montenegro in 2024. In May 2026, he won the 250.000 € EPT Monte Carlo Super High Roller for the largest recorded cash of his career.
The Hendon Mob screenshot supplied for this article shows 23.085.911 $ in live tournament earnings and a best live cash of 3.257.725 $. The latter is the database’s dollar conversion of his 2.786.332 € Monte Carlo prize.
Kulev’s rise was rapid, but it followed years of online development and progressively stronger live results. His career is a prominent example of an online tournament specialist carrying those skills into elite international competition.
Born in Bulgaria and Based in Dublin
Alex Kulev was born in 1995 and comes from Sofia, Bulgaria. Biographical records identify his birth date as February 11, 1995.
His background includes studying economics at the University of London. He later became associated with Dublin, which is listed as his residence in his tournament profile.
The distinction between nationality and residence explains why some online reports identify his location as Ireland while live events record him as representing Bulgaria. Both descriptions belong to his biography, but they refer to different things.
His international career developed from that base. He moved from relatively modest tournaments in Ireland to European festivals, the WSOP in Las Vegas and Triton stops across several countries. The Bulgarian flag remained part of his competitive identity as the schedule expanded.
The Early Live Tournament Record
Kulev’s recorded live tournament career began in Dublin in March 2018. His first stage involved lower- and middle-stakes competition rather than the six-figure entries for which he later became known.
He made his first WSOP cash in 2019 in the 1.000 $ Tag Team event. It was an early appearance in the results of a series that would later supply his first bracelet.
These beginnings matter because the headline prizes can obscure the scale of the original career. Kulev did not first appear in a live results database by winning a super high roller.
The progression involved gaining experience, playing more demanding events and gradually converting online development into live results. By 2021, the size and importance of his tournament finishes were beginning to change noticeably.
The Online Identity: FutureofMe
Kulev became familiar to online poker followers through the screen name FutureofMe. On other platforms, he played under his real name.
His main area of competition was multi-table tournaments. Repeated online sessions provided exposure to different stack depths, tournament stages and opponents, with far more hands available than in a typical live schedule.
This background helped make the later move into high rollers understandable. Online tournament specialists can develop a detailed familiarity with preflop decisions, pressure around payout jumps and short-handed play before they become widely recognised at live tables.
Online experience does not make the transition automatic. A live tournament offers less immediate volume and more time to observe opponents, while travel and long days create additional demands. Kulev’s subsequent results showed that he could adapt to those conditions.
A Major Online Victory in 2022
On November 8, 2022, Kulev won the GGPoker Super MILLION$ for 538.138 $. At the time, it was his largest reported tournament score.
Pedro Garagnani finished second. Kulev entered their heads-up contest with a substantial chip lead and completed the victory quickly.
The win formed part of a successful online period that also included other six-figure results. It brought him greater recognition among players following the most competitive online tournament fields.
The result should be kept separate from his recorded live earnings. An online prize can be an important career achievement without belonging in the same database total as a tournament played in a casino. Kulev’s biography includes both environments, while the statistics require that distinction.
Independent Study and Improvement
Kulev has described an approach to development built around independent study, repeated practice and discussing hands with stronger players. His coaching biography emphasises understanding decisions rather than simply reproducing patterns.
That approach fits the demands of tournament poker. A strategy that works at one stack depth can become unsuitable when the blinds rise or the payout structure makes survival more valuable.
Hand discussion gives a player an opportunity to challenge the reasoning behind an action. The useful question is not only whether a bet won the pot, but whether it was appropriate against the range of hands an opponent could hold.
Kulev’s public record does not allow every stage of his study to be reconstructed. It does, however, show the practical outcome of that development: an increasingly strong online player became competitive against established specialists in expensive live fields.
Runner-Up in the 2021 WSOP Closer
Kulev finished second in the 1.500 $ No-Limit Hold’em Closer at the 2021 WSOP for 232.920 $. Leo Margets won the event.
The result became an important early live breakthrough. It placed him one finishing position away from a bracelet and supplied a substantial prize before his later high-roller victories.
The Closer also presented a different challenge from a small super high roller. A lower buy-in draws a broader field, requiring players to adjust to unfamiliar opponents and a wider range of playing habits.
Kulev did not leave Las Vegas with the title, but the deep run demonstrated his ability to reach the final stages of a major WSOP tournament. Two years later, he would return to the same series and complete a championship at much higher stakes.
Moving into European High Rollers
By 2022, Kulev was increasingly entering higher-stakes live tournaments. Two runner-up finishes in 25.000 € events at EPT Prague earned a combined 244.418 €.
The repeated results suggested a meaningful transition rather than one isolated appearance. High rollers offered smaller fields, but many opponents were professionals with extensive experience in that precise setting.
Kulev’s online background supplied familiarity with technical tournament decisions. The live events required him to apply that knowledge while accounting for table dynamics and the behaviour of individual opponents.
The Prague results helped establish the direction of his next season. In 2023, he moved from substantial runner-up finishes to winning a flagship European super high roller and then producing two major results at the WSOP.
Winning the 2023 EPT Monte Carlo Super High Roller
Kulev won the 100.000 € EPT Monte Carlo Super High Roller in May 2023. The tournament attracted 37 entries, and his prize was 1.036.287 €.
Mikita Badziakouski finished second after the two agreed a heads-up deal. The final table also included Ben Heath, Artur Martirosian, Adrian Mateos and Orpen Kisacikoglu.
The title was a major step in Kulev’s live career. It was his first seven-figure live payout and a victory against opponents already established in the highest tournament stakes.
This was an EPT Super High Roller championship, distinct from winning the festival’s Main Event. The achievement belongs to the history of the tour’s most expensive competitions and became the first of several important Kulev victories in Monte Carlo.
Why the Monte Carlo Breakthrough Mattered
The significance of the 2023 win came from the combination of the entry price, the opposition and the title. A 100.000 € tournament leaves little room for an inexperienced player to avoid difficult confrontations.
Many participants had played numerous final tables against one another. They could draw on previous encounters, technical preparation and detailed knowledge of how stack sizes affect decisions.
For Kulev, completing the victory demonstrated that his recent progress could translate into a championship in that environment. It also gave his live record a defining result before the WSOP summer began.
The heads-up deal adjusted the financial outcome but did not remove the competitive finish. Kulev still won the tournament, with the trophy and remaining prize at stake after the agreement.
Selected Major Live Results
| Year | Tournament | Result | Prize |
| 2021 | WSOP 1.500 $ The Closer | 2nd | 232.920 $ |
| 2023 | EPT Monte Carlo 100.000 € Super High Roller | 1st | 1.036.287 € |
| 2023 | WSOP 250.000 $ Super High Roller | 4th | 1.632.005 $ |
| 2023 | WSOP 50.000 $ High Roller | 1st | 2.087.073 $ |
| 2024 | EPT Monte Carlo 30.000 € Warm-Up | 1st | 633.385 € |
| 2024 | Triton Montenegro 100.000 $ NLH 8-Handed | 1st | 2.566.000 $ |
| 2025 | WSOP Paradise 25.000 $ Super Main Event | 36th | 270.000 $ |
| 2026 | EPT Monte Carlo 250.000 € Super High Roller | 1st | 2.786.332 € |
| 2026 | Triton Montenegro 100.000 $ Main Event | 8th | 431.000 $ |
| 2026 | WSOP 100.000 $ High Roller | 3rd | 1.326.537 $ |
A Seven-Figure Finish in the 2023 WSOP Super High Roller
At the 2023 WSOP, Kulev finished fourth in the 250.000 $ Super High Roller for 1.632.005 $. The event attracted 69 entries.
The tournament was among the most expensive events on the series schedule. Its field brought together many of the professionals who specialised in high buy-in No-Limit Hold’em.
The fourth-place finish extended the momentum from Monte Carlo. Kulev had now produced major results in two different tournament settings within a short period.
It was also a reminder that an important achievement does not always end with a title. The prize and the late-stage finish were significant in their own right, even though the first bracelet was still to come. That next milestone arrived later in the same summer.
First WSOP Bracelet in the 50.000 $ High Roller
Kulev won Event #84 at the 2023 WSOP, the 50.000 $ High Roller No-Limit Hold’em tournament. He defeated 176 entries and earned 2.087.073 $.
Gergely Kulcsár finished second. Kulev’s victory added his first gold bracelet to the EPT Super High Roller title won earlier that year.
The prize was his largest live cash at that point. More importantly for the career narrative, it completed a progression from the 2021 Closer runner-up finish to winning a bracelet against an elite high-stakes field.
The tournament created a prize pool of 8.404.000 $. Kulev’s championship belonged to a series in which he had already collected more than 1,6 million dollars from the 250.000 $ event, making the summer a decisive chapter in his emergence.
Closing Out the Championship
The final stages of the 2023 bracelet event included several established champions. Jake Schindler finished third, Daniel Smiljkovic fourth and Koray Aldemir fifth.
Kulev began the final day with the chip lead. He subsequently reached heads-up play against Kulcsár in a strong position.
In the last hand, Kulev’s ace-nine defeated Kulcsár’s ace-five. A nine appeared on the flop, and the remaining cards did not reverse the result.
The conclusion showed the value of converting a late-stage advantage into a title. Reaching a final table produces recognition and a prize, but completing the event adds an achievement that remains a central part of the player’s record long after the chips are counted.
The 2023 WSOP High Roller Final Table
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1st | Alex Kulev | Bulgaria | 2.087.073 $ |
| 2nd | Gergely Kulcsár | Hungary | 1.289.909 $ |
| 3rd | Jake Schindler | United States | 957.491 $ |
| 4th | Daniel Smiljkovic | Germany | 713.413 $ |
| 5th | Koray Aldemir | Germany | 533.561 $ |
| 6th | Johannes Straver | Netherlands | 400.562 $ |
| 7th | Brandon Wittmeyer | United States | 301.859 $ |
| 8th | Moshe Refaelowitz | Israel | 228.347 $ |
Another Monte Carlo Title in 2024
Kulev returned to Monte Carlo in April 2024 and won the 30.000 € No-Limit Hold’em Warm-Up for 633.385 €. The event attracted 77 entries.
Daniel Dvoress finished second, with Nacho Barbero third. Other finalists included Artur Martirosian and Christoph Vogelsang.
The result extended Kulev’s success at the festival without repeating exactly the same achievement. The previous year’s title came in the 100.000 € Super High Roller; this victory came in a separate warm-up event.
His growing record in Monaco demonstrated that the 2023 breakthrough had not been the endpoint. He remained competitive when returning to a familiar destination and facing another demanding international field.
First Triton Title in Montenegro
In May 2024, Kulev won the 100.000 $ No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed event at Triton Montenegro for 2.566.000 $. The tournament attracted 102 entries.
He defeated French professional Thomas Santerne heads-up. The victory was Kulev’s first Triton title and became his largest recorded tournament cash at the time.
Triton offered another important stage for his rise. Its schedule repeatedly gathers high-stakes specialists and gives players opportunities to compete in expensive events across a concentrated festival.
For Kulev, the win added a major series title to the EPT and WSOP achievements already on his record. Those championships were earned in distinct environments, making his success broader than a single favourable tournament or venue.
Family Support at the Final Table
Kulev’s parents travelled to Montenegro to watch the closing stages of the 2024 Triton event. Their arrival became a memorable part of the tournament’s story.
He credited that support with helping the momentum turn during the heads-up contest. The championship celebration included his parents and girlfriend.
This personal detail adds context to a career usually described through buy-ins and payouts. The final table was also an opportunity to share a major achievement with people close to him.
Their presence does not explain the strategy of every hand, but it explains why the victory carried a meaning beyond the prize. The tournament became both a professional milestone and a family memory.
Maintaining an International Schedule
After the first Triton victory, Kulev continued appearing across major festival schedules. His results included thirty-sixth place in the 2025 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event for 270.000 $.
That finish came in a 25.000 $ tournament, a different structure from the small high-roller fields behind his best-known victories.
An international career involves switching between these environments. A player might face familiar elite opponents in one event and a larger, more varied field in the next.
Kulev’s record reflects that breadth while retaining a clear emphasis on No-Limit Hold’em tournaments. His defining titles remain high-stakes achievements, but the schedule includes more than the most expensive event at each destination.
A Career-Best Monte Carlo Victory in 2026
On May 5, 2026, Kulev won the 250.000 € EPT Monte Carlo Super High Roller. The tournament drew 38 entries and created a prize pool of 9.310.000 €.
He defeated Bryn Kenney after a heads-up deal and received 2.786.332 €. The Hendon Mob conversion of 3.257.725 $ became his best recorded live cash.
The event had the highest buy-in yet hosted at a PokerStars-branded tournament. For Kulev, the title supplied a second flagship EPT Super High Roller victory in Monte Carlo, three years after the first.
The original scheduled first prize was altered by the deal. The amount shown in his results is the agreed payout he actually received, rather than the unrevised top prize.
Surviving the Bubble Before Winning
Kulev’s 2026 Monte Carlo victory included a critical escape near the money bubble. With a short stack, he moved all-in with ace-eight and was called by Biao Ding’s ace-king.
An eight appeared on the flop, keeping Kulev in the tournament. He subsequently rebuilt and continued into the paid places.
The hand gives useful context to the championship. Even a player who ultimately wins an elite tournament can pass through a point where elimination is the most likely immediate outcome.
Tournament success combines strong decisions with uncertain card outcomes. Kulev’s recovery did not erase the role of that favourable flop; it showed what he achieved after receiving another opportunity to compete.
The 2026 EPT Super High Roller Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1st | Alex Kulev | Bulgaria | 2.786.332 € |
| 2nd | Bryn Kenney | United States | 2.520.268 € |
| 3rd | Christopher Nguyen | Germany | 1.443.100 € |
| 4th | Aleksejs Ponakovs | Latvia | 1.070.700 € |
| 5th | Orpen Kisacikoglu | Turkey | 837.900 € |
| 6th | Artur Martirosian | Russia | 651.700 € |
Another WSOP Podium in 2026
Kulev added a further seven-figure result at the 2026 WSOP, finishing third in the 100.000 $ High Roller for 1.326.537 $. The event attracted 115 entries.
Yuri Dzivielevski won, while Teun Mulder finished second. Kulev’s podium continued his run of substantial performances in the series’ expensive Hold’em tournaments.
The result also separates ongoing success from a career defined only by one outstanding season. His 2023 summer was exceptional, but major finishes continued several years later.
By this point, Kulev’s record contained championships and podiums across multiple series. The combination of repeat high-roller performance and title victories is more informative than any one finishing position taken alone.
Playing Style and Tournament Adaptability
Kulev’s background is rooted in the technical demands of multi-table tournament poker. His results point to an ability to adjust as stack depths, opponents and payout pressures change.
At deeper stacks, decisions can extend across several betting rounds. As stacks shorten, preflop ranges, position and the willingness to move all-in become increasingly important.
His public record does not justify describing every hand through a fixed label such as aggressive or conservative. Strong tournament play requires both pressure and restraint, depending on the circumstances.
The clearest evidence is the variety of his achievements. He reached a large-field WSOP final, won concentrated super high rollers and continued producing late-stage results against opponents familiar with the same technical tools.
Studying Against Elite Opposition
As the standard of opposition rises, preparation must become more precise. Decisions that are profitable against an inexperienced field may lose value when opponents recognise the pattern and respond effectively.
Kulev’s coaching profile places emphasis on solver work, discussion and honest assessment of decisions. It also highlights the adjustments required when moving from middle stakes to high rollers.
Those themes describe the central challenge of his professional rise: knowledge must remain useful when the opponent is capable of challenging it.
His success has come in fields where technical preparation is common. That makes adaptability and the ability to understand the reasons behind a strategy especially relevant to the way his career is assessed.
Tournament Earnings and Bulgaria’s Money List
The supplied Hendon Mob profile lists Kulev first on Bulgaria’s all-time live tournament money list, with 23.085.911 $ in recorded cashes.
The total represents gross tournament prizes, not net profit or a verified statement of personal wealth. Buy-ins, unsuccessful entries, travel expenses, taxes and any staking arrangements affect the money ultimately retained.
Online results must also be kept separate when discussing this live total. The Super MILLION$ victory belongs to his career, but it should not simply be added again to a database figure presented as live earnings.
His largest prizes are concentrated in a handful of high-stakes events. The meaningful assessment therefore combines the monetary scale with the titles, repeated deep runs and strength of the opposition.
Alex Kulev’s Place in Modern Poker
Kulev belongs to the generation whose route into elite live tournaments began with sustained online competition and detailed study. His rise became visible through progressively stronger results rather than through a single appearance.
The 2021 WSOP runner-up finish, the 2023 Monte Carlo title and bracelet, the 2024 Triton victory and the 2026 career-best score form a clear sequence of professional milestones.
He has also become a prominent figure in Bulgarian poker, joining a national tradition that includes established champions such as Dimitar Danchev and Ognyan Dimov.
The lasting significance of his career is the breadth of its major victories. Alex Kulev has won on the EPT, at the WSOP and on Triton, demonstrating that his tournament skills can produce titles across the leading stages of modern high-stakes poker.
Prepared in October 2026. The live earnings total and best cash follow the Hendon Mob screenshot supplied for this article. Tournament prizes represent gross cashes, not net profit. Image markers identify AI-generated illustrations of fictional poker scenes, supplied separately