The Venetian Las Vegas, which recently debuted its new 50-table, 14,000 square foot poker room (the largest on the Las Vegas Strip), just wrapped up its latest Showdown Series, which ran from August 2 through September 15.
Through 66 events, the festival catered to a combined 7,427 entries and awarded $2,736,360 in prize money (not including satellites). They also forked over $65,460 in overlays.
Among those to win titles were Kfir Nahum (Event #11: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack for $29,650), Roy Bogart (Event #16: $250 NLH Ultimate Stack for $19,671), Ivan Ruban (Event #42: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack for $19,084), and Kimberly Durham (Event #65: $300 Big O for $3,723).
There was also a two-time winner in Baurzhan Akimov, who first won Event #10: $200 NLH Bounty for $2,267 and then less than two weeks later took down Event #23: $200 NLH Bounty for $1,870.
Here’s a look at some winners from the Venetian Showdown Series.
WSOP Bracelet Winner Adds Venetian Title to Resumé
In late August, Event #30: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack attracted 321 runners and offered up a $105,930 prize pool. That was paid out to the top 42 finishers including Judith Bielan (7th – $3,388), Dylan Wilkerson (11th – $1,708), Daniel Sprung (16th – $1,181), and Krisha Augerot (23rd – $1,010).
In the end, Cole Ferraro defeated Sandy Tran in heads-up play to win the tournament for $20,848. In 2021, Ferraro made a name for himself after topping a field of 3,916 entrants to win the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event #61: $600 Deepstack Championship for $252,491 and a gold bracelet.
Event #30 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cole Ferraro | Las Vegas, NV | $20,848 |
| 2 | Sandy Tran | Las Vegas, NV | $14,799 |
| 3 | Yasuyuki Nakamura | Japan | $10,673 |
| 4 | Tsung Lu | Las Vegas, NV | $7,819 |
| 5 | Rourke Jackson | Las Vegas, NV | $5,821 |
| 6 | Robert Van Hoose | Las Vegas, NV | $4,405 |
| 7 | Judith Bielan | Las Vegas, NV | $3,388 |
| 8 | Jerson Backmann Caballero | Mexico | $2,651 |
| 9 | Robert Fulford | Canada | $2,109 |
Check out the Venetian Poker Room review here on PokerNews!
Arizona Superstar Finds Success in Las Vegas
On September 10, Ryan Stiner of Scottsdale, Arizona came out on top of a 90-entry field to win Event #58: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack for $8,487. Stiner is a bit of a legend in the “Grand Canyon State” poker community thanks to winning their most prestigious event in back-to-back years.
In 2022, he bested a field of 1,580 entries to win the 16th Annual Arizona State Poker Championship for $221,200. The following year, he successfully defended his title in a field of 2,066 entrants for $262,392.
In the Venetian tournament, the $30,150 prize pool was paid out to the top 12 finishers including Stephen Sola (3rd – $3,901), Samy Dighlawi (5th – $2,059), Gary Moon (10th – $821), Sebastian Crema (11th – $821), and Tolga Karakaya (12th – $821).
Event #58 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Stiner | Scottsdale, AZ | $8,487 |
| 2 | Brandon Zuidema | Las Vegas, NV | $5,658 |
| 3 | Stephen Sola | Las Vegas, NV | $3,901 |
| 4 | Albennes Armstrong | Las Vegas, NV | $2,784 |
| 5 | Samy Dighlawi | Temecula, CA | $2,059 |
| 6 | Magdy Abdelfattah | San Pedro, CA | $1,581 |
| 7 | Ronnie Lamb | Humble, TX | $1,261 |
| 8 | Ricky Ropka | Kansas City, MO | $1,048 |
| 9 | Henry Jensen | Harriman, TN | $908 |
Venetian Showdown Series Winners
| Date | Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Overlay | Winner | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/2/24 | Event #1: $400 NLH Ultimate Bounty | 84 | $38,400 | $0 | Jeffery Laynes | Oakland, CA | $4,248 |
| 8/2/24 | Event #2: $200 NLH Bounty | 69 | $11,040 | $0 | David Skillin | Henderson, NV | $2,324 |
| 8/3/24 | Event #3: $600 NLH Ultimate Stack | 120 | $61,200 | $0 | Neil Warren | Las Vegas, NV | $13,643 |
| 8/3/24 | Event #4: $400 PLO Bounty | 32 | $15,000 | $4,120 | Wayne Palitz | Vista, CA | $4,619 |
| 8/4/24 | Event #5: $400 NLH Ultimate Bounty | 71 | $30,000 | $6,215 | Josh Smith | Stanwood, WA | $4,125 |
| 8/4/24 | Event #6: $200 NLH Bounty | 75 | $12,000 | $0 | Koen Roelofsen | Ireland | $2,448 |
| 8/5/24 | Event #7: $400 NLH Seniors | 77 | $30,000 | $4,205 | Kenneth Dorsney | Wilmington, DE | $5,300 |
| 8/5/24 | Event #8: $200 NLH Bounty | 78 | $12,480 | $0 | Dion Hunt | Portland, OR | $1,935 |
| 8/6/24 | Event #9: $400 NLH Ultimate Bounty | 98 | $132,830 | $0 | Ryan Hunsinger | Boulder City, NV | $5,042 |
| 8/6/24 | Event #10: $200 NLH Bounty | 57 | $10,000 | $880 | Baurzhan Akimov | Las Vegas, NV | $2,267 |
| 8/11/24 | Event #11: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack | 783 | $258,390 | $0 | Kfir Nahum | Henderson, NV | $29,650 |
| 8/7/24 | Event #12: $200 NLH Bounty | 73 | $11,680 | $0 | Jose Ortiz | Flat Rock, NC | $1,977 |
| 8/8/24 | Event #13: $200 NLH Bounty | 57 | $10,000 | $880 | Kyle Seltmann | West Linn, OR | $2,067 |
| 8/9/24 | Event #14: $300 Big O | 59 | $15,000 | $545 | Andrew Blum | Las Vegas, NV | $4,116 |
| 8/11/24 | Event #15: $400 NLH Ultimate Bounty | 90 | $30,150 | $0 | Gloria Molina Vallejo | Colombia | $4,743 |
| 8/16/24 | Event #16: $250 NLH Ultimate Stack | 589 | $117,800 | $0 | Roy Bogart | Las Vegas, NV | $19,671 |
| 8/12/24 | Event #17: $200 NLH Bounty | 62 | $10,000 | $80 | Sergei Saakian | Las Vegas, NV | $2,000 |
| 8/13/24 | Event #18: $200 NLH Bounty | 57 | $10,000 | $880 | Kurt Chang | Las Vegas, NV | $2,267 |
| 8/14/24 | Event #19: $200 NLH Bounty | 55 | $10,000 | $1,200 | Benjamin Porter | Fresno, CA | $2,391 |
| 8/15/24 | Event #20: $200 NLH Bounty | 60 | $10,000 | $400 | Cory Marazita | Las Vegas, NV | $1,794 |
| 8/16/24 | Event #21: $400 Grand Opening Bounty | 182 | $60,970 | $0 | Darryl Wettlaufer | Cincinnati, OH | $9,986 |
| 8/17/24 | Event #22: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack | 69 | $25,000 | $1,885 | Anonymous | N/A | $7,656 |
| 8/17/24 | Event #23: $200 NLH Bounty | 67 | $10,720 | $0 | Baurzhan Akimov | Las Vegas, NV | $1,870 |
| 8/18/24 | Event #24: $400 NLH Ultimate Bounty | 63 | $25,000 | $3,895 | Alan Horsburgh | United Kingdom | $5,073 |
| 8/18/24 | Event #25: $200 NLH Bounty | 68 | $10,880 | $0 | Mehrdad Ghiasvand | Las Vegas, NV | $1,822 |
| 8/19/24 | Event #26: $400 NLH Seniors | 123 | $41,205 | $0 | JJ Volpe | Pahrump, NV | $8,148 |
| 8/19/24 | Event #27: $200 NLH Bounty | 92 | $14,720 | $0 | Lejohn Pai | La Palma, CA | $2,313 |
| 8/20/24 | Event #28: $400 NLH Ultimate Bounty | 71 | $25,000 | $1,215 | Samy Dighlawi | Temecula, CA | $4,475 |
| 8/20/24 | Event #29: $200 NLH Bounty | 69 | $11,040 | $0 | Kenneth Fantano | North Las Vegas, NV | $1,633 |
| 8/24/24 | Event #30: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack | 321 | $105,930 | $0 | Cole Ferraro | Las Vegas, NV | $20,848 |
| 8/21/24 | Event #31: $200 NLH Bounty | 69 | $11,040 | $0 | Timo Eckert | Germany | $2,324 |
| 8/22/24 | Event #32: $200 NLH Bounty | 83 | $13,280 | $0 | Aaron Cummings | Bigfork, MT | $2,154 |
| 8/24/24 | Event #33: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack | 124 | $41,540 | $0 | Herman Washington | Las Vegas, NV | $9,367 |
| 8/25/24 | Event #34: $400 NLH Ultimate Bounty | 70 | $25,000 | $1,550 | John Nalbone | Las Vegas, NV | $3,338 |
| 8/25/24 | Event #35: $300 Big O | 30 | $15,000 | $7,650 | Lyscott Durant | Las Vegas, NV | $4,297 |
| 8/30/24 | Event #36: $250 NLH Ultimate Stack | 664 | $132,800 | $0 | Liran Betito | Las Vegas, NV | $18,026 |
| 8/26/24 | Event #37: $200 NLH Bounty | 98 | $15,680 | $0 | Andrei Krauchuk | Lake Oswego, OR | $2,967 |
| 8/27/24 | Event #38: $200 NLH Bounty | 84 | $13,440 | $0 | Michael Christiansen | Henderson, NV | $2,045 |
| 8/28/24 | Event #39: $200 NLH Bounty | 84 | $13,440 | $0 | Emerson Dantas | Brazil | $2,218 |
| 8/29/24 | Event #40: $200 NLH Bounty | 75 | $12,000 | $0 | Sergio Ribiero Dantas | Portugal | $2,428 |
| 8/30/24 | Event #41: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack | 87 | $29,145 | $0 | Olukayode Banjoko | United Kingdom | $7,735 |
| 9/3/24 | Event #42: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack | 278 | $100,000 | $8,260 | Ivan Ruban | Las Vegas, NV | $19,084 |
| 8/31/24 | Event #43: $200 NLH Bounty | 85 | $13,600 | $0 | Nestor Corcino | Henderson, NV | $2,698 |
| 9/1/24 | Event #44: $300 PLO 5-Card | 16 | $3,920 | $0 | Jack Maleeh | Burbank, CA | $1,520 |
| 9/2/24 | Event #45: $200 NLH Bounty | 69 | $11,040 | $0 | Sergi Saakian | Las Vegas, NV | $2,124 |
| 9/3/24 | Event #46: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack | 83 | $27,805 | $0 | David O’Donovan | Cornelius, NC | $5,840 |
| 9/4/24 | Event #47: $600 NLH Ultimate Bounty | 73 | $50,000 | $12,770 | Hyun Jun Cho | Dobbs Ferry, NY | $8,115 |
| Event #48: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| Event #49: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| 9/8/24 | Event #50: $1,100 MSPT | 612 | $590,580 | $0 | Carl Oman | Vancouver, WA | $90,000 |
| Event #51: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| Event #52: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| Event #53: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| Event #54: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| 9/8/24 | Event #55: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack | 78 | $26,130 | $0 | Ronnie Lamb | Humble, TX | $7,758 |
| 9/9/24 | Event #56: $400 NLH Ultimate Bounty | 64 | $25,000 | $3,560 | Konstantin Polin | Las Vegas, NV | $5,041 |
| 9/9/24 | Event #57: $200 NLH Bounty | 59 | $10,000 | $560 | Lloyd Dutcher | Canada | $1,807 |
| 9/10/24 | Event #58: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack | 90 | $30,150 | $0 | Ryan Stiner | Scottsdale, AZ | $8,487 |
| 9/10/24 | Event #59: $200 NLH Bounty | 65 | $10,400 | $0 | Sheila Raines | Fremont, CA | $1,330 |
| 9/11/24 | Event #60: $400 NLH Ultimate Bounty | 100 | $33,500 | $0 | Olukayode Banjoko | United Kingdom | $4,309 |
| Event #61: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| 9/15/24 | Event #62: $800 NLH Ultimate Stack | 399 | $275,310 | $0 | John Nalbone | Las Vegas, NV | $51,004 |
| Event #63: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| Event #64: Mega Satellite | |||||||
| 9/14/24 | Event #65: $300 Big O | 42 | $15,000 | $4,710 | Kimbery Durham | Missoula, MT | $3,723 |
| 9/15/24 | Event #66: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack | 75 | $25,125 | $0 | Nicolas Splawn | Dallas, TX | $6,000 |
*Images courtesy of Venetian Poker.
PR & Media Manager