Stoyan Madanzhiev vs. Damian Salas: Who's the True WSOP 2020 Main Event Champion?

In 2020, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event took an unusual turn, with two champions emerging from the online format. Stoyan Madanzhiev won the first Main Event, earning a gold bracelet and $3,904,000. Damian Salas secured victory in the additional Main Event held in December, taking home $2,500,000 and his own gold bracelet.

Stoyan Madanzhiev criticized the organizers of the additional Main Event before it took place. He argued that his victory was more significant due to the structure and number of entries in his event, which had a buy-in of $5,000 and attracted 6,000 entries. In contrast, the additional Main Event had a buy-in of $10,000 and attracted 1,400 entries.

Norman Chad, a WSOP commentator, weighed in on the debate, stating that comparing the two Main Events is not feasible. "I don't dispute that you had a very difficult victory in the online version of the Main Event, which is indeed impressive. But you are trying to compare things that cannot be compared," Chad said. The poker community remains divided on who the true champion is, with some suggesting a head-to-head match between Madanzhiev and Salas to settle the debate.