From Mach 6-April 2, Venetian Las Vegas played host to the March DeepStack Showdown, which offered more than $3 million in guaranteed prize pools across 42 events. When all was said and done, the series catered to 4,989 entrants (not including satellites) and awarded $4,119,408in prize money. However, the Venetian did have to eat $153,550 in overlay in their $1,600 NLH Mysrtey Bounty event, which was won by one of the biggest names in poker – more on that below.
Among those to claim titles were David Larson (Event #9: $500 Epic Stack Freezeout for $14,463), Jason Bral (Event #12: $400 PLO for $4,300), and Samy Dighlawi (Event #19: $500 Epic Stack for $10,500). Also, the Czech Republic’s Karel Kratochvil was a two-time winner of the festival. First, he topped a 123-entry field to win Event #13: $400 NLH Epic Stack for $9,296, and two days later navigated an 82-entry field to win Event #17: $400 NLH Epic Stack for $7,885.
Similarly, Giorgii Skhulukhiia claimed two titles first besting a 474-entry field to win Event #28: $1,100 Ultimate Stack for $80,554, and then three days later topping a 308-entry field to win Event #33: $600 Ultimate Stack for $31,097. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, the following day Skhulukhiia won the Wynn’s $200 Daily for $5,083.
All those scores follow Skhulukhiia’s March 9 victory in the Wynn Millions $3,000 NLH Event for $124,300. Check out his winner photo glamor shots:
Here are some other notable winners from the series.
Check out the Venetian Poker Room Review on PokerNews here!
Alex Foxen Ships $1,600 Mystery Bounty Event
On April 2, Event #39: $1,600 Mystery Bounty fell short of its $1,000,000 guarantee, meaning the 594 entrants enjoyed a $153,550 overlay. Of the $1 million in the prize pool, $347,500 was paid out in bounties, while the rest was reserved for the top 75 finishers.
Some familiar names to cash Kenny Huynh (12th - $7,370), Justin Young (13th - $7,370), Jonathan Dimming (19th - $5,102), Eric Baldwin (20th - $5,102), Kfir Nahum (25th - $5,102), Ryan Riess (28th - $4,342), Farah Galfond (34th - $4,342), John Morgan (39th - $3,754), and J.J. Liu (49th - $3,296).
The final table was filled with crushers including Cole Ferraro (8th - $14,289), James Romero (7th - $18,334), and Calvin Anderson (5th - $31,472), but in the end, it was Alex Foxen defeating David Goodman in heads-up play to win the tournament for $109,010 plus any bounties he collected along the way.
Event #39 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Foxen | Las Vegas, NV | $109,010 |
| 2 | David Goodman | Las Vegas, NV | $78,335 |
| 3 | Valentyn Shabelnyk | Ukraine | $57,039 |
| 4 | Timothy Pai | San Jose, CA | $42,086 |
| 5 | Calvin Anderson | Las Vegas, NV | $31,472 |
| 6 | Tommy Tran | Las Vegas, NV | $23,856 |
| 7 | James Romero | Las Vegas, NV | $18,334 |
| 8 | Cole Ferraro | Las Vegas, NV | $14,289 |
| 9 | Wo Zhu | San Francisco, CA | $11,295 |
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Joey Weissman vs. Bryan Piccioli in Event #3
Earlier in the series on March 9, Event #3: $2,500 NLH Ultimate Stack saw 441 entrants battle for a $996,660 prize pool, which was paid out to the top 56 finishers. Among those to cash but fall short of the final table were Dylan Linde (10th - $14,996), Philip Shing (16th - $10,084), Michael Wang (19th - $8,458), Martins Adeniya (23rd - $8,458), and 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event champ Ryan Riess (24th - $8,458).
The final table was filled with some familiar names in MSPT champs Dan Colpoys (8th - $23,650), James Romero (6th - $39,489), and Thomas Boivin (5th - $52,105). However, in the end, it was a pair of top poker pros in Joey Weissman and Bryan Piccioli duking it out heads up with the former ultimately prevailing to win the tournament for $180,774.
Event #3 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joey Weissman | Las Vegas, NV | $180,774 |
| 2 | Bryan Piccioli | Las Vegas, NV | $129,848 |
| 3 | Niko Koop | Germany | $94,502 |
| 4 | Evgenii Fidchuk | Ukraine | $69,699 |
| 5 | Thomas Boivin | Belgium | $52,105 |
| 6 | James Romero | Las Vegas, NV | $39,489 |
| 7 | Cameron Drucker | Las Vegas, NV | $30,345 |
| 8 | Dan Colpoys | Weymouth, MA | $23,650 |
| 9 | Andres Morales | Boca Raton, FL | $18,696 |
Jarvis, Becker & Poe Among 2023 Venetian DeepStack Extravaganza I Winners
Taylor Black Gets Job Done in Event #6
On March 11, Event #6: $800 NLH Ultimate Stack had 301 players generate a $207,690 prize pool that was paid out to the top 39 finishers. Among those to cash but fall short of the final table were Paul Gunness (10th - $3,569), George Heim (13th - $2,989), Vladimir Grechnikov (22nd - $1,991), Brandon Eisen (25th - $1,817), Patrick Truong (36th - $1,695), and Alexander Nachtwey (39th - $1,695).
The tournament ended when poker pro Taylor Black defeated David Yokoyama in heads-up play, a victory with a $41,340 payday.
Event #6 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taylor Black | Las Vegas, NV | $41,340 |
| 2 | David Yokoyama | Wailuku, HI | $29,210 |
| 3 | Jacob Ferro | Crystal River, FL | $20,974 |
| 4 | Elvis Toomas | Sunland, CA | $15,545 |
| 5 | Ivan Ruban | Russia | $11,664 |
| 6 | Jean Ortega | Henderson, NV | $8,858 |
| 7 | Gerald Morrell | Castle Rock, CO | $6,855 |
| 8 | Austin Wilson | American Fork, UT | $5,407 |
| 9 | Cheang Yoo | Seattle, WA | $4,349 |
Venetian March DeepStack Showdown Winners
| Date | Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Overlay | Winner | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6-Mar | Event #1: $1,600 NLH Epic Stack | 180 | $257,400 | $0 | Chris Hundley | Kirkland, WA | $26,242 |
| Event #2: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| 9-Mar | Event #3: $2,500 NLH Ultimate Stack | 441 | $996,660 | $0 | Joey Weissman | Las Vegas, NV | $180,774 |
| Event #4: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| Event #5: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| 11-Mar | Event #6: $800 NLH Ultimate Stack | 301 | $207,690 | $0 | Taylor Black | Las Vegas, NV | $41,340 |
| 9-Mar | Event #7: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 51 | $12,750 | $0 | 6 winners | N/A | $1,500 |
| 10-Mar | Event #8: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 68 | $17,000 | $0 | 6 winners | N/A | $2,000 |
| 11-Mar | Event #9: $500 NLH Epic Stack Freezeout | 137 | $57,814 | $0 | David Larson | Las Vegas, NV | $14,463 |
| 11-Mar | Event #10: $300 NLH Bounty | 40 | $10,000 | $0 | Yani Benitez | France | $2,121 |
| 12-Mar | Event #11: $500 NLH Epic Stack | 124 | $52,328 | $0 | Andrew Rodgers | Henderson, NV | $13,554 |
| 12-Mar | Event #12: $400 PLO | 41 | $13,940 | $0 | Jason Bral | Beverly Hills, CA | $4,300 |
| 13-Mar | Event #13: $400 NLH Epic Stack | 123 | $40,959 | $0 | Karel Kratochvil | Czech Republic | $9,296 |
| 13-Mar | Event #14: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 48 | $12,000 | $0 | 5 winners | N/A | $1,920 |
| 14-Mar | Event #15: $400 NLH Epic Stack | 72 | $23,976 | $0 | Howard Schuman | Brightswaters, NY | $7,341 |
| 14-Mar | Event #16: $300 NLH Bounty | 35 | $10,000 | $1,250 | Rocco Amorosso | Stony Brook, NY | $2,463 |
| 15-Mar | Event #17: $400 NLH Epic Stack | 82 | $27,306 | $0 | Karel Kratochvil | Czech Republic | $7,885 |
| 15-Mar | Event #18: $300 NLH Bounty | 62 | $15,500 | $0 | Salvatore Genovese | Marina, CA | $1,894 |
| 16-Mar | Event #19: $500 NLH Epic Stack | 110 | $46,420 | $0 | Samy Dighlawi | Temecula, CA | $10,500 |
| 16-Mar | Event #20: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 63 | $15,750 | $0 | 6 winners | N/A | $2,000 |
| 20-Mar | Event #21: $600 NLH Ultimate Stack | 372 | $187,860 | $0 | David Yokoyama | Wailuku, HI | $30,825 |
| 17-Mar | Event #22: $400 Big O | 61 | $20,740 | $0 | Randy Gonzales Jr. | Chino, CA | $5,745 |
| 20-Mar | Event #23: $400 NLH Seniors | 131 | $43,885 | $0 | William Golden | Fort Myers, FL | $11,228 |
| 20-Mar | Event #24: $300 NLH Bounty | 86 | $21,500 | $0 | Cornelius Vervloet | Canada | $2,597 |
| 23-Mar | Event #25: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack | 468 | $154,440 | $0 | Joseph Loebach | Surprise, AZ | $27,456 |
| 21-Mar | Event #26: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 79 | $19,750 | $0 | 12 winners | N/A | $1,254 |
| Event #27: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| 26-Mar | Event #28: $1,100 NLH Ultimate Stack | 474 | $455,040 | $0 | Giorgii Skhulukhiia | Russia | $80,554 |
| Event #29: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| Event #30: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| 26-Mar | Event #31: $500 NLH Epic Stack | 120 | $50,640 | $0 | Sejo Kasic | Las Vegas, NV | $13,162 |
| 26-Mar | Event #32: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 57 | $14,250 | $0 | 5 winners | N/A | $2,000 |
| 29-Mar | Event #33: $600 NLH Ultimate Stack | 308 | $155,540 | $0 | Giorgii Skhulukhiia | Georgia | $31,097 |
| 27-Mar | Event #34: $400 PLO Bounty | 39 | $13,260 | $0 | Alex Gil | New York, NY | $3,309 |
| Event #35: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| 29-Mar | Event #36: $1,100 NLH Epic Stack | 115 | $110,975 | $0 | CJ Peake | Trotwood, OH | $26,000 |
| Event #37: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| Event #38: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| 2-Apr | Event #39: $1,600 NLH Mystery Bounty | 594 | $1,000,000 | $153,550 | Alex Foxen | Las Vegas, NV | $109,010 |
| Event #40: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| Event #41: Mega Satellie | |||||||
| 2-Apr | Event #42: $600 NLH Epic Stack Freezeout | 107 | $54,035 | $0 | Carlos Chadha-Villamarin | Alexandria, VA | $14,679 |
What’s Coming Up Next?
The Venetian is already hosting their 2023 DeepStack Extravaganza II, which kicked off on April 2 and will run through May 21. That series will offer more than $2.2 million in guaranteed prize pools across 70 events.
Click here for a look at the full DeepStack Extravaganza II schedule.
*Images courtesy of Venetian.
Executive Editor U.S.
Executive Editor US, PokerNews Podcast co-host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.