Last month, the Venetian Resort Las Vegas offered more than $1.1 million in guarantees in its August DeepStack Showdown, which was comprised of 37 numbered events that ran from August 3-31. As a whole, the series catered to a combined 4,731 entries (not including satellites) and awarded $1,184,245 in prize money. They also honored $103,144 in overlays, for what it’s worth.
By far the biggest story was that of Sergei Saakian, who claimed five titles in a two-week span. It started on August 6 with a win in Event #7: $200 NLH Bounty for $2,100, and then three days later a win in Event #10: $300 NLH for $4,079. That was followed by back-to-back victories in Event #15: $400 NLH for $19,371 and Event #16: $200 NLH Bounty for $1,823, and then a week later, he claimed his fifth and final title in Event #21: $200 NLH Bounty for $1,663
“It felt great. I came into the series feeling confident and knew I was playing well, but I still didn’t expect to win that many tournaments, especially so many in such a short period of time,” Saakian told PokerNews. “It was a really enjoyable series for me, and winning the big multi-day event was definitely the highlight. I’m very happy with the results and how everything came together.”
Event #15 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sergei Saakian | $ 19,371 |
| 2 | David Chau | $ 18,000 |
| 3 | Jeffery Kirby | $ 10,833 |
| 4 | Yan Yan | $ 7,843 |
| 5 | Derek Bethea | $ 5,807 |
| 6 | Orez Mokedi | $ 4,400 |
| 7 | Liran Betito | $ 3,414 |
| 8 | Hunter Payne | $ 2,714 |
| 9 | Ludovic Mordwa | $ 2,211 |
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2026 Venetian DeepStack Championship Winners
| Date | Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Overlay | Winner | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/3/26 | Event #1: $300 NLH | 108 | $26,136 | $0 | John Shilling | Isle of Palms, SC | $7,037 |
| 8/3/26 | Event #2: $200 NLH Bounty | 47 | $10,000 | $2,480 | Hinata Oshima | Japan | $2,224 |
| 8/4/26 | Event #3: $300 NLH | 97 | $23,474 | $0 | Robert Hayward | Altamonte Springs, FL | $5,000 |
| 8/4/26 | Event #4: $200 NLH Bounty | 49 | $10,000 | $2,160 | Jihoon Lee | Las Vegas, NV | $2,489 |
| 8/9/26 | Event #5: $600 NLH | 325 | $164,125 | $0 | Daniel Sprung | Las Vegas, NV | $28,654 |
| 8/5/26 | Event #6: $200 NLH Bounty | 80 | $12,800 | $0 | Nir Azriel | Los Gatos, CA | $2,613 |
| 8/6/26 | Event #7: $200 NLH Bounty | 53 | $10,000 | $1,520 | Sergei Saakian | Las Vegas, NV | $2,100 |
| 8/7/26 | Event #8: $200 NLH Bounty | 64 | $10,240 | $0 | Ron Arbel | Portugal | $1,839 |
| 8/8/26 | Event #9: $200 NLH PokerAtlas Valuetown Bounty | 107 | $20,000 | $2,880 | Wuji Tiger Yuan | Austin, TX | $3,943 |
| 8/9/26 | Event #10: $300 NLH | 67 | $20,000 | $3,786 | Sergei Saakian | Las Vegas, NV | $4,079 |
| 8/9/26 | Event #11: $200 NLH Bounty | 53 | $10,000 | $1,520 | John Manchon | Las Vegas, NV | $2,424 |
| 8/13/26 | Event #12: $300 NLH | 589 | $150,000 | $8,640 | Robert Brajovic | Las Vegas, NV | $22,639 |
| 8/13/26 | Event #13: $300 NLH | 61 | $20,000 | $5,238 | Zakariya Mouhib | Las Vegas, NV | $6,341 |
| 8/13/26 | Event #14: $200 NLH Bounty | 41 | $10,000 | $3,440 | Anthony Always | Marlton, NJ | $2,747 |
| 8/17/26 | Event #15: $400 NLH | 212 | $100,000 | $30,040 | Sergei Saakian | Las Vegas, NV | $19,371 |
| 8/14/26 | Event #16: $200 NLH Bounty | 63 | $10,080 | $0 | Sergei Saakian | Las Vegas, NV | $1,823 |
| 8/15/26 | Event #17: $200 NLH Bounty | 46 | $10,000 | $2,640 | Juan Nelson-Sanchez | Austin, TX | $2,660 |
| 8/16/26 | Event #18: $200 NLH Bounty | 51 | $10,000 | $1,840 | Lucas Tae | Wesley Chapel, FL | $1,959 |
| 8/20/26 | Event #19: $250 NLH | 597 | $125,000 | $5,600 | Furkan Beg | Turkey | $14,616 |
| 8/20/26 | Event #20: $300 NLH | 74 | $20,000 | $2,092 | Romain Nattaf | France | $5,300 |
| 8/20/26 | Event #21: $200 NLH Bounty | 64 | $10,240 | $0 | Sergei Saakian | Las Vegas, NV | $1,663 |
| 8/25/26 | Event #22: $300 NLH | 371 | $100,000 | $10,960 | Raj Singh | Henderson, NV | $14,004 |
| 8/21/26 | Event #23: $200 NLH Bounty | 56 | $10,000 | $1,040 | Jason Blaine | Las Vegas, NV | $2,375 |
| 8/22/26 | Event #24: $200 NLH Bounty | 83 | $13,280 | $0 | Donald Stewart | Chandler, AZ | $1,712 |
| 8/23/26 | Event #25: $200 NLH Bounty | 64 | $10,240 | $0 | Miguel Morfin | Grand Junction, CO | $1,359 |
| 8/24/26 | Event #26: $200 NLH Bounty | 105 | $16,800 | $0 | George Ribeiro | Las Vegas, NV | $3,107 |
| 8/25/26 | Event #27: $300 NLH | 53 | $20,000 | $7,174 | Alexander Tafesh | Las Vegas, NV | $6,597 |
| 8/25/26 | Event #28: $200 NLH Bounty | 70 | $11,200 | $0 | Jonathan Carver | Kaysville, UT | $1,953 |
| 8/26/26 | Event #29: $300 NLH Seniors | 155 | $37,510 | $0 | David Berger | Las Vegas, NV | $6,065 |
| 8/26/26 | Event #30: $200 NLH Bounty | 58 | $10,000 | $720 | Robert Yamaguchi | San Diego, CA | $1,817 |
| 8/31/26 | Event #31: $250 NLH | 472 | $100,000 | $5,600 | Gregory Crysel | Las Vegas, NV | $16,236 |
| 8/27/26 | Event #32: $200 NLH Bounty | 63 | $10,080 | $0 | Michael Lee | Knoxville, TN | $1,542 |
| 8/28/26 | Event #33: $200 NLH Bounty | 61 | $10,000 | $240 | David Patlan | Henderson, NV | $1,645 |
| 8/29/26 | Event #34: $200 NLH Bounty | 76 | $12,160 | $0 | Kevin Pujirenggo | San Francisco, CA | $1,762 |
| 8/30/26 | Event #35: $200 NLH Bounty | 68 | $10,880 | $0 | Kyrylo Hardashnikov | Hollywood, FL | $2,291 |
| 8/31/26 | Event #36: $300 NLH | 73 | $20,000 | $2,334 | Ed Grossman | Long Grove, IL | $4,187 |
| 8/31/26 | Event #37: $200 NLH Bounty | 55 | $10,000 | $1,200 | Todd Meadows | Las Vegas, NV | $1,385 |
What’s Coming Up?
The next festival is already underway at the Venetian. The August DeepStack Showdown kicked off on August 3 and will run through the end of the month. During that time, there is more than $1.1 million in guaranteed prize pools over 37 numbered events. Click here to see the full schedule.
*Images courtesy of Venetian Poker.
Chad Holloway
PR & Media Manager