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PokerStars New Year Series 2026 — $22.97M Prize Pool, Ognyan “cocojamb0” Dimov Tops Sunday Million

By Peter Tolan

Published

PokerStars New Year Series 2026 delivers blockbuster prize pool and multiple champions

PokerStars’ New Year Series 2026 finished with a bang — awarding $22,966,447 across 316 tournaments and attracting 699,937 total entries. The 20-day online poker festival exceeded its $18 million guarantee and produced standout winners, massive fields, and headline-grabbing scores. At the top of the leaderboard, Bulgaria’s Ognyan “cocojamb0” Dimov turned a $109 Sunday Million entry into a series-high payout of $138,495.

Fast facts: New Year Series 2026

  • Total prize pool: $22,966,447
  • Total entries: 699,937
  • Events: 316 (low to high buy-ins)
  • Biggest single score: $138,495 — Ognyan “cocojamb0” Dimov (Sunday Million $109)
  • Country leaderboard winner: Brazil (80 event wins)

Standout winners and headline results

The series mixed affordable, mass-field action with high-stakes drama. Key results included:

  • Gabriel “gtavares10” Tavares (Brazil) captured the $5,200 Main Event and $122,131 after outlasting a 106-entry high-stakes field — the series’ second-largest payday.
  • Patrick “JaegsPL” Lauber (UK) won the $1,050 PKO Main Event for a total of $113,307 (including $63,492 in bounties).
  • ‘nickiou7kos’ (Greece) topped the $109 Mystery Bounty Main Event for $58,237 (including $497 in bounties).
  • Ognyan “cocojamb0” Dimov (Bulgaria) reinforced his reputation as a crusher with multiple titles and the biggest cash of the series after his $109 Sunday Million triumph.
  • Triple champions in the series included players under the aliases KAgoulAKboul (Cambodia), King153246 (Albania), Leonard “Grozzorg” Maue, Pavel “silentm0de” Plesuv, and Sintoras.
  • Low buy-in grinders shone too: Brazil’s “miioon” dominated two massive fields, winning both a $5.50 PKO and an $11 PKO for a combined $9,470.

Country performance and leaderboard insights

Brazil dominated the New Year Series, leading the country leaderboard with 80 wins, followed by the United Kingdom (38) and Canada (16). The results reflect a continued strength from Brazilian grinders across both micro and mid-stakes events, while European pros and seasoned high-roller specialists also made deep runs and collected headline paydays.

Notable pros who won titles

The series featured wins from established pros and past major-event champions:

  • Fintan “easywithaces” Hand — $530 Bounty Builder High Roller.
  • Felipe “lipe piv” Boianovsky — 2023 SCOOP Main Event winner (collected a New Year Series title).
  • Narcis “Narcisus90” Nedelcu — won the $530 Copacobana Mystery Bounty.
  • Adrian “Amadi_017” Mateos — captured the $1K 7-Max PKO for $20,481 (including bounties), his first title in the series.

Why this New Year Series mattered

The 2026 edition showcased the breadth of modern online poker: huge guarantees, accessible low-stakes offerings that reward volume grinders, and high-stakes events that attract pros and build big narratives. The combination of PKO, Mystery Bounty, and traditional freezeout formats means players of all bankrolls found events that fit their strategy — and the results show a healthy ecosystem of recreational and professional participation.

What’s next: SCOOP returns

PokerStars is keeping momentum heading into the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP), returning March 1–25, 2026. SCOOP’s multi-tiered schedule and high-stakes events have made it a marquee series for players aiming for major titles and career-defining scores. After the standout performances in the New Year Series, many players will see SCOOP as the next opportunity to chase huge guarantees and prestige.

Bottom line: The PokerStars New Year Series 2026 over-delivered on excitement and prize money. With nearly 700K entries and almost $23 million paid out, the series set a strong tone for 2026 — spotlighting rising stars, veteran champions, and a clear resurgence of Brazil as an online poker powerhouse.