From the start of December through January 8, 2023, Venetian Las Vegas played host to the DeepStack Extravaganza NYE, which was a 58-event series that offered more than $2.2 million in guaranteed prize pools.
All told, the series catered to 10,624 entrants (not including satellite entries) and awarded $4,682,241 in prize money. Among those to capture titles were Gerald David (Event #9: $600 NLH Seniors for $17,744), Susan Soto (Event #13: $500 NLH Epic Stack for $20,297), Alon Messica (Event #21: $600 NLH Ultimate Stack for $84,790), Nick Pupillo (Event #46: $600 NLH Monster Stack for $20,641), and Kao Saechao (Event #48: $800 NLH Ultimate Stack for $54,749).
Another player to have some luck was Alan Mastic, who was the only two-time winner of the series having won Event #47: $400 NLH Monster Stack for $9,546 and a week later topping 560 runners to win Event #53: $1,600 CardPlayer Poker Tour (CPPT) for $131,746.
Here are some other notable winners from the series.
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Rex Clinkscales Wins First Title of Series
The DeepStack Extravaganza NYE began way back on December 1, which is when Event #1: $400 NLH Epic Stack saw 79 runners generate a $26,307 prize pool.
That was paid out to the final table of eight players, and in the end, the final two players worked a deal that saw Gladys Landegger finish in second place for $6,502 while Rex Clinkscales claimed the trophy and $6,960 in prize money.
Clinkscales now has in excess of $1.8 million in lifetime tournament earnings according to the Hendon Mob.
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rex Clinkscales | Las Vegas, NV | $6,960* |
| 2 | Gladys Landegger | Las Vegas, NV | $6,502* |
| 3 | Roland Israelashvili | Forest Hills, NY | $4,664 |
| 4 | Bobby Sanoubane | Aurora, CO | $2,552 |
| 5 | William Derrick | Tucson, AZ | $1,894 |
| 6 | Alexander Klupchak | Las Vegas, NV | $1,473 |
| 7 | Bastien Ravalet | Canada | $1,210 |
| 8 | Stephen Capanna | Washington D.C. | $1,052 |
*Denotes heads-up deal.
SHRPO Stud Raminder Singh Victorious at Venetian
On December 17, Event #25: $400 NLH Epic Stack drew 304 entrants and offered up a $101,232 prize pool to the top 36 finishers. Among those to cash but fall short of the final table was Stephen Seffense (10th – $1,944), Kimberly Neff (17th – $1,276), and David Larson (35th – $810).
After Sarah Stefan bowed out in third place for $10,427, the title came down to Johann Zeitoun and Seminole Hard Rock superstar Raminder Singh, who was in town after having competed in the RGPS All-Stars ProAM the day before. While he didn’t defend his title in that tournament, he got back to his winning ways by besting Zeitoun in heads-up play earning $22,270 for his Venetian victory.
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raminder Singh | Delray Beach, FL | $22,270 |
| 2 | Johann Zeitoun | France | $14,679 |
| 3 | Sarah Stefan | Chicago, IL | $10,427 |
| 4 | Alipasha Ardakani | Los Gatos, CA | $7,187 |
| 5 | Tammy Wing | Canada | $5,365 |
| 6 | Teri Lewis | Calabasas, CA | $4,049 |
| 7 | Daniel Samson | United Kingdom | $3,138 |
| 8 | Arpit Bhardwaj | Santa Clara, CA | $2,349 |
| 9 | Dayanna Ciabaton | Naples, FL | $1,944 |
Eric Salazar Bests Kevin Garosshen to Win Event #51
Toward the end of the series on January 4, Event #51: $600 NLH Monster Stack had 121 entries and offered up a $61,710 prize pool to the top 15 finishers. Some of those to earn a payday were Lee Rzentkowski (13th – $1,055), Mike Holm (10th – $1,358), Eric Baldwin (6th – $2,962), and Bryan McKenna (3rd – $8,084).
In the end, it was a battle of two well-established poker pros with Eric Salazar ultimately defeating Kevin Garosshen in heads-up play to win the tournament for $17,587. The win brought Salazar’s career earnings up to $1,191,148 according to the Hendon Mob.
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Salazar | Greensboro, NC | $17,587 |
| 2 | Kevin Garosshen | Las Vegas, NV | $11,416 |
| 3 | Bryan McKenna | Haines City, FL | $8,084 |
| 4 | Justin Anderson | Salt Lake City, UT | $5,708 |
| 5 | Scott Ruegsegger | Monmouth, OR | $4,073 |
| 6 | Eric Baldwin | Las Vegas, NV | $2,962 |
| 7 | Jason Newburger | Vernon Hills, FL | $2,129 |
| 8 | Zhengcheng Shi | Berkeley, CA | $1,574 |
| 9 | Alexander Maas | Robbinsdale, MN | $1,358 |
December DeepStacks Poker Series Winners
| *Date | Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Hometown | Prize* | ||||||
| 12/1/22 | Event #1: $400 NLH Epic Stack | 79 | $26,307 | Rex Clinkscales | Las Vegas, NV | $6,960 | ||||||
| 12/1/22 | Event #2: $300 NLH Bounty | 33 | $10,000 | Richard Ochs | Seattle, WA | $3,149 | ||||||
| 12/2/22 | Event #3: $400 NLH Epic Stack | 109 | $36,297 | Ron Assa | Israel | $10,890 | ||||||
| 12/2/22 | Event #4: $300 NLH Bounty | 49 | $12,250 | Chris Kim | Bellflower, CA | $3,123 | ||||||
| 12/3/22 | Event #5: $500 NLH Epic Stack | 96 | $40,512 | Yen-Han Chen | Taiwan | $10,697 | ||||||
| 12/3/22 | Event #6: $300 NLH Bounty | 36 | $10,000 | Anatoly Zharnitsky | Saratosa, FL | $3,008 | ||||||
| 12/4/22 | Event #7: $400 NLH Epic Stack | 121 | $40,293 | Kevin O’Connor | Grand Rapids, MI | $11,487 | ||||||
| 12/4/22 | Event #8: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 60 | $15,000 | 8 winners | N/A | $1,500 | ||||||
| 12/5/22 | Event #9: $600 NLH Seniors | 138 | $70,380 | Gerald David | United Kingdom | $17,744 | ||||||
| 12/5/22 | Event #10: $300 NLH Bounty | 108 | $27,000 | Gregory Wood | St. Charles, MO | $4,861 | ||||||
| 12/6/22 | Event #11: $400 NLH Epic Stack | 158 | $52,614 | Douglas Lee | Canada | $11,182 | ||||||
| 12/6/22 | Event #12: $300 NLH Bounty | 87 | $21,750 | Furkan Beg | Turkey | $3,230 | ||||||
| 12/7/22 | Event #13: $500 NLH Epic Stack | 207 | $87,354 | Susan Soto | Las Vegas, NV | $20,297 | ||||||
| 12/7/22 | Event #14: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 95 | $23,750 | 10 winners | N/A | $1,500 | ||||||
| 12/11/22 | Event #15: $360 NLH Ultimate Stack | 578 | $173,400 | Darrell Shock | Las Vegas, NV | $19,254 | ||||||
| 12/8/22 | Event #16: $300 NLH Bounty | 107 | $26,750 | Alejandro Madrigal | Umatilla, OR | $4,814 | ||||||
| 12/9/22 | Event #17: $300 NLH Bounty | 87 | $21,750 | Kam Khai | Concord, CA | $4,175 | ||||||
| 12/11/22 | Event #18: $300 NLH Bounty | 181 | $45,250 | Anonymous | N/A | $7,149 | ||||||
| 12/12/22 | Event #19: $400 NLH Epic Stack | 358 | $119,214 | Ankit Ahuja | India | $23,511 | ||||||
| 12/12/22 | Event #20: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 147 | $36,750 | 15 winners | N/A | $1,960 | ||||||
| 12/16/22 | Event #21: $600 NLH Ultimate Stack | 1,011 | $510,555 | Alon Messica | Canada | $84,790 | ||||||
| 12/13/22 | Event #22: $300 NLH Bounty | 120 | $30,000 | Seth Young | Arvada, CO | $5,400 | ||||||
| 12/14/22 | Event #23: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 134 | $33,500 | 13 winners | N/A | $2,000 | ||||||
| 12/16/22 | Event #24: $500 NLH Epic Stack | 326 | $137,572 | Alexander Nachtwey | Berkeley, CA | $17,245 | ||||||
| 12/17/22 | Event #25: $400 NLH Epic Stack | 304 | $101,232 | Raminder Singh | Delray Beach, FL | $22,270 | ||||||
| 12/17/22 | Event #26: $300 NLH Bounty | 89 | $22,250 | Mike Hilaire | Sherman Oaks, CA | $4,173 | ||||||
| 12/18/22 | Event #27: $400 NLH Epic Stack | 287 | $95,571 | Samy Dighlawi | Temecula, CA | $21,023 | ||||||
| 12/18/22 | Event #28: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 1224 | $31,000 | 12 winners | N/A | $2,000 | ||||||
| 12/19/22 | Event #29: $400 NLH Seniors | 138 | $46,230 | Cindy Spier | Newton, MA | $11,660 | ||||||
| 12/19/22 | Event #30: $500 NLH Epic Stack | 203 | $85,666 | Julian Bonorris | Carnelian Bay, CA | $18,846 | ||||||
| 12/23/22 | Event #31: $600 NLH Ultimate Bounty | 554 | $279,770 | Teddy Conner | Chalmette, LA | $20,077 | ||||||
| 12/20/22 | Event #32: $300 NLH Bounty | 89 | $22,250 | Bradley Wainscott | Prosper, TX | $4,273 | ||||||
| 12/21/22 | Event #33: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 105 | $26,250 | 10 winners | N/A | $2,000 | ||||||
| 12/23/22 | Event #34: $500 NLH Epic Stack | 142 | $59,924 | Robert Lauria | Las Vegas, NV | $10,893 | ||||||
| 12/24/22 | Event #35: $600 NLH Monster Bounty | 92 | $46,920 | Rafael Rodriguez | Colombia | $4,900 | ||||||
| 12/24/22 | Event #36: $300 NLH Bounty | 78 | $19,500 | Payam Enayati | Beverly Hills, CA | $3,978 | ||||||
| 12/25/22 | Event #37: $300 NLH Monster Stack | 70 | $17,360 | Long Lui | Rosemead, CA | $5,476 | ||||||
| 12/25/22 | Event #38: $300 NLH Bounty | 61 | $15,250 | Yanni Raz | Studio City, CA | $3,204 | ||||||
| 12/26/22 | Event #39: $600 NLH Monster Stack | 141 | $71,910 | Mohamed Serry | Las Vegas, NV | $20,492 | ||||||
| 12/26/22 | Event #40: $300 NLH Survivor | 82 | $20,500 | 8 winners | N/A | $2,500 | ||||||
| 12/27/22 | Event #41: $600 NLH Monster Bounty | 136 | $69,360 | Rellie Sigua | Daly City, CA | $6,960 | ||||||
| Event #42: Mega Satellite | ||||||||||||
| Event #43: Mega Satellite | ||||||||||||
| 12/30/22 | Event #44: $1,100 MSPT | 643 | $620,495 | Jacob Perry | Branchville, NJ | $99,084 | ||||||
| Event #45: Mega Satellite | ||||||||||||
| 12/30/22 | Event #46: $600 NLH Monster Stack | 142 | $72,420 | Nick Pupillo | Gilbert, AZ | $20,641 | ||||||
| 12/31/22 | Event #47: $400 NLH Monster Stack | 95 | $31,825 | Alan Mastic | Reno, NV | $9,546 | ||||||
| 1/4/23 | Event #48: $800 NLH Ultimate Stack | 477 | $329,130 | Kao Saechao | Seattle, WA | $54,749 | ||||||
| 1/1/23 | Event #49: $300 NLH Survivor | 61 | $15,520 | 8 winners | N/A | $2,000 | ||||||
| 1/2/23 | Event #50: $300 NLH Survivor | 101 | $25,250 | 10 winners | N/A | $2,500 | ||||||
| 1/4/23 | Event #51: $600 NLH Monster Stack | 121 | $61,710 | Eric Salazar | Greensboro, NC | $17,587 | ||||||
| Event #52: Mega Satellite | ||||||||||||
| 1/8/23 | Event #53: $1,600 CardPlayer Poker Tour | 560 | $798,000 | Alan Mastic | Reno, NV | $131,746 | ||||||
| Event #54: Mega Satellite | ||||||||||||
| Event #55: Mega Satellite | ||||||||||||
| Event #56: Mega Satellite | ||||||||||||
| 1/8/23 | Event #57: $600 NLH Monster Bounty | 145 | $73,950 | James Pilpa | Irvine, CA | $9,675 | ||||||
| 1/8/23 | Event #58: $300 NLH Bounty | 59 | $14,750 | Joel Baker | Las Vegas, NV | $3,000 |
What’s Coming Up Next?
The Venetian is already hosting their DeepStack Poker Series, which kicked off on January 9 and will run through February 12. That series will offer more than $2.3 million in guaranteed prize pools across 57 events including the $1,100 NLH MSPT Poker Bowl $250K GTD from Feb. 7-9 and the $1,600 NLH MSPT Poker Bowl from $500K GTD Feb. 9-11.
Click here for a look at the full DeepStack Poker Series schedule.
*Images courtesy of Venetian.
Executive Editor U.S.
Executive Editor US, PokerNews Podcast co-host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.