In the month of August, Venetian Las Vegas played host to the Showdown Poker Series, which was comprised of 48 different tournaments. The series catered to a combined 5,272 entrants and awarded $1,828,049 in prize money.
Among those to win titles were Steve Foutty (Event #6: $600 NLH Monster Stack for $40,870), Matthew Lui (Event #12: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack for $23,389), Kyle Brinkmann (Event #17: $600 NLH Monster Stack for $36,571), Gary Bolden (Event #29: $400 PLO Bounty for $4,993), and Kao Saechao, who claimed two titles (Event #25: $300 NLH Bounty for $2,516 and Event #31: $400 PLO 8/B for $6,413).
Here’s a look at some of the more notable winners.
Tuan Mai Back to His Winning Ways
The series kicked off back on August 3, which is when Event #1: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack took place. That tournament attracted 375 runners and offered up a $123,750 prize pool to the top 42 finishers.
Among those to earn a cash were Kim Mikkelsen (11th - $1,975), Mary Sturges (16th - $1,450), Tim West (23rd - $1,100), and Luke Vrabel (30th - $900). At the final table, Venetian regular Tuan Mai bested Matthew Lui to win the tournament for $23,920.
Mai would go on to cash five other tournaments during the series and nearly captured a second title finishing runner-up in Event #17: $600 Monster Stack for $27,571.
Event #1: $400 Ultimate Stack Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tuan Mai | San Jose, CA | $23,920 |
| 2 | Matthew Lui | Henderson, NV | $19,881 |
| 3 | Ishak Noyan | Sweden | $12,251 |
| 4 | Cornel Cimpan | Sacramento, CA | $8,663 |
| 5 | Orez Mokedi | Anaheim, CA | $6,497 |
| 6 | Robert Frederick | Las Vegas, NV | $4,900 |
| 7 | Baris Topuz | Turkey | $3,713 |
| 8 | Victor Wan | Alameda, CA | $2,825 |
| 9 | Ross Lantzy | Westminster, CO | $2,300 |
Turkish Star Kaan Kural Nabs Venetian Title
Event #4: $400 NLH Monster Stack attracted 92 runners and created a $30,820 prize pool. That was paid out to the top dozen finishers including Mary Sturges (6th - $1,664), Peter Segal (10th - $771), and Peter Kim (12th - $616), just to name a few.
The final two players worked a deal that saw Veronica Parker finish in second place for $6,333 while Kaan Kural, a famous sports commentator from Turkey, claimed the title and $6,684 in prize money.
It was a new career-high score for Kural and brought his lifetime tournament earnings up to $33,913 according to The Hendon Mob.
Event #4: $400 NLH Monster Stack Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kaan Kural | Turkey | $6,684* |
| 2 | Veronica Parker | Boerne, TX | $6,333* |
| 3 | Peter Elmalis | Hillsborough, NJ | $5,149 |
| 4 | Adam Sanders | Atlantic Highlands, NJ | $3,779 |
| 5 | Mackenzie Kraemer | Henderson, NV | $2,157 |
| 6 | Mary Sturges | Rolla, MO | $1,664 |
| 7 | Jason Reed | Columbus, OH | $1,294 |
| 8 | Samuel Cho | Fisher, IN | $986 |
| 9 | Koji Sakai | San Anselmo, CA | $771 |
Nick Peterson Claims $53,475 in Ultimate Stack
Near the end of the series, Event #26: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack had 1,040 generate a $343,200 prize pool, which was paid out to the top 116 finishers. Among those to cash were Matthew Waldt (10th - $5,450), Cornell Cimpan (12th - $4,250), Kao Saechao (16th - $3,000), Troy Pitts (33rd - $1,625), Jeff Fielder (42nd - $1,375), Haile Kuo (49th - $1,175), and Eric Baldwin (69th - $925).
The final table was filled with a lot of Las Vegas locals, but ultimately coming out on top of the Ultimate Stack was Canada’s Nick Peterson, who took the trophy and $53,475 in prize money.
Event #26: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Peterson | Canada | $53,475 |
| 2 | George Long | Las Vegas, NV | $46,000 |
| 3 | Leon Simmons | Las Vegas, NV | $30,000 |
| 4 | Raul Esquivel Jurado | Las Vegas, NV | $21,500 |
| 5 | Ross Lantzy | Westminster, CO | $16,000 |
| 6 | Desmond Haynes | Las Vegas, NV | $12,000 |
| 7 | Vadim Shlez | Las Vegas, NV | $9,000 |
| 8 | Einay Shalom | Porter Ranch, CA | $7,000 |
| 9 | Stephen Lichtenberger | Henderson, NV | $5,450 |
Venetian Showdown Poker Series Winners
| Date | Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Aug | Event #1: $400 Ultimate Stack | 375 | $123,750 | Tuan Mai | San Jose, CA | $23,920 |
| 1-Aug | Event #2:: $300 NLH Bounty | 47 | $11,750 | Gary Messick | Ocala, FL | $2,074 |
| 2-Aug | Event #3: $300 NLH Bounty | 37 | $10,000 | Bryce Love | Bonny Lake, WA | $1,967 |
| 3-Aug | Event #4: $400 NLH Monster Stack | 92 | $30,820 | Kaan Kural | Turkey | $6,684 |
| 3-Aug | Event #5: $300 NLH Bounty | 43 | $10,750 | Baris Topuz | Turkey | $2,146 |
| 7-Aug | Event #6: $600 NLH Monster Stack | 459 | $232,713 | Steve Foutty | Las Vegas, NV | $40,870 |
| 4-Aug | Event #7: $300 NLH Survivor | 52 | $13,000 | 5 winners | N/A | $2,500 |
| 5-Aug | Event #8: $300 NLH Bounty | 44 | $11,000 | Apolinar Borja | Pittsburg, CA | $1,627 |
| 6-Aug | Event #9: $300 Bounty Survivor | 38 | $10,000 | 3 winners | N/A | $2,000 |
| 7-Aug | Event #10: $400 NLH Monster Stack | 68 | $22,780 | Andrew Joros | Reno, NV | $7,972 |
| 7-Aug | Event #11: $300 NLH Bounty | 38 | $10,000 | Siriwan Sukmekerd | Las Vegas, NV | $2,106 |
| 10-Aug | Event #12: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack | 330 | $108,900 | Matthew Lui | Henderson, NV | $23,389 |
| 8-Aug | Event #13: $300 NLH Bounty | 38 | $10,000 | Michael Macedo | Las Vegas, NV | $1,550 |
| 9-Aug | Event #14: $300 NLH Bounty | 39 | $10,000 | William Aramil | Chicago, IL | $2,500 |
| 10-Aug | Event #15: $400 NLH Monster Stack | 83 | $27,805 | Ross Fernandez | Las Vegas, NV | $7,903 |
| 10-Aug | Event #16: $300 NLH Bounty | 35 | $10,000 | Yunke Zhang | Canada | $3,005 |
| 14-Aug | Event #17: $600 NLH Monster Stack | 423 | $214,461 | Kyle Brinkmann | Las Vegas, NV | $36,571 |
| 11-Aug | Event #18: $300 NLH Survivor | 44 | $11,000 | 6 winners | N/A | $2,200 |
| 12-Aug | Event #19: $300 NLH Bounty | 45 | $11,250 | Brendan Buckner | Salt Lake City, UT | $1,490 |
| 13-Aug | Event #20: $300 NLH Bounty/Survivor | 42 | $10,500 | 4 winners | N/A | $2,000 |
| 14-Aug | Event #21: $400 NLH Monster Stack | 84 | $28,140 | Jared Kingery | Lakewood, WA | $9,006 |
| 14-Aug | Event #22: $300 NLH Bounty | 37 | $10,000 | Kirk Wilson | Henderson, NV | $2,861 |
| 15-Aug | Event #23: $300 NLH Monster Stack Throwback | 66 | $22,110 | Graham Wheldon | United Kingdom | $6,103 |
| 15-Aug | Event #24: $300 NLH Super Stack | 34 | $10,000 | Jymmi Briggs | Australia | $3,700 |
| 15-Aug | Event #25: $300 NLH Bounty | 32 | $10,000 | Kao Saechao | Renton, WA | $2,516 |
| 21-Aug | Event #26: $400 Ultimate Stack | 1,040 | $343,200 | Nick Peterson | Canada | $53,475 |
| 16-Aug | Event #27: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha | 43 | $14,620 | James Busoul | Fort Worth, TX | $5,214 |
| 16-Aug | Event #28: $300 NLH Bounty | 47 | $11,750 | Hoilin Luo | Metairie, LA | $2,328 |
| 17-Aug | Event #29: $400 PLO Bounty | 63 | $21,420 | Gary Bolden | Las Vegas, NV | $4,993 |
| 17-Aug | Event #30: $300 NLH Bounty | 45 | $11,250 | Christopher Bromen | St. Paul, MN | $2,768 |
| 18-Aug | Event #31: $400 PLO 8/B | 57 | $19,380 | Kao Saechao | Renton, WA | $6,413 |
| 18-Aug | Event #32: $300 NLH Survivor | 48 | $12,000 | 6 Winners | N/A | $2,000 |
| 19-Aug | Event #33: $300 NLH Bounty | 32 | $10,000 | Han Park | Torrance, CA | $2,342 |
| 20-Aug | Event #34: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 43 | $10,750 | 6 winners | N/A | $1,500 |
| 21-Aug | Event #35: $400 NLH Monster Stack | 85 | $28,475 | Winston Liu | Vallejo, CA | $9,111 |
| 21-Aug | Event #36: $300 NLH Bounty | 51 | $12,750 | Angel Reyes | Casper, WY | $1,937 |
| 22-Aug | Event #37: $600 NLH Seniors | 109 | $55,590 | Michael Hack | Las Vegas, NV | $11,948 |
| 22-Aug | Event #38: $300 Super Stack | 68 | $16,660 | James Jape | Las Vegas, NV | $4,032 |
| 22-Aug | Event #39: $300 NLH Bounty | 44 | $11,000 | Damien Judd | Sparks, NV | $2,805 |
| 23-Aug | Event #40: $400 NLH Monster Stack | 43 | $15,000 | Marquis Waters | Dearborn, MI | $6,000 |
| 23-Aug | Event #41: $300 NLH Bounty | 46 | $11,500 | Samuel Curlee | Collegeville, PA | $2,932 |
| 24-Aug | Event #42: $400 NLH Monster Stack | 85 | $28,475 | Arsh Grover | India | $5,314 |
| 24-Aug | Event #43: $300 NLH Bounty | 42 | $10,500 | Ibrahim Naim | Simi Valley, CA | $2,126 |
| 28-Aug | Event #44: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack | 452 | $150,000 | Riley Stahley | Woodbury, MN | $26,931 |
| 25-Aug | Event #45: $300 NLH Survivor | 66 | $16,500 | 6 Winners | N/A | $2,500 |
| 26-Aug | Event #46: $300 NLH Bounty | 48 | $12,000 | George Ignat | Glendale, AZ | $2,660 |
| 27-Aug | Event #47: $300 NLH Bounty/Survivor | 58 | $14,500 | 5 winners | N/A | $2,000 |
| 28-Aug | Event #48: $300 NLH Bounty | 32 | $10,000 | Andres Gutierrez | Monterey Park, CA | $3,196 |
What’s Coming Up Next?
Venetian is already hosting its next series as the DeepStack Extravaganza III kicked off back on August 29 and is slated to run through October 2. Highlights on the schedule include the $1,100 buy-in, $500K GTD MSPT from September 3-5 and the Stairway to Millions from September 8-20. All told, there will be 60 events with more than $3.8 million in guaranteed prize pools.
Click here for a look at the full schedule.
