Back in early September, Bulgarian player Stoyan Madanzhiev became the WSOP Main Event champion. To him, and the poker world at the time, that meant he was the 51st world champion of the game following in the footsteps of players such as Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth and Johnny Chan, as well as, of course, the 2019 WSOP Main Event winner, Hossain Ensan.

That was until this week, however. The World Series of Poker announced a brand-new ‘Hybrid’ Main Event, costing $10,000 to enter and having no rebuy function, they referred to it as the WSOP Main Event, as in the 51st WSOP Main Event, eradicating Madanzhiev’s win as the crowning of the World Champion.

Upset, Madanzhiev this week discussed his feelings with a fellow WSOP bracelet winner in Daniel Negreanu, who quite literally signed off on Madanzhiev’s bracelet win back in September.

I totally understand why you are upset man. I do.