During the 2021 World Series of Poker (WSOP), several other series played out around Las Vegas such as The Grand Poker Series at the Golden Nugget downtown and the 2021 Wynn Fall Classic on the Strip.
Another series that just wrapped was the Venetian DeepStack Poker Series, which ran from September 27-November 28 and guaranteed more than $10 million in prize pools. During the course of the 76-event series, a combined 27,873 entrants competed and $22,546,322 in prize money was awarded.
PokerNews was on-site to provide live updates from a pair of Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) tournaments, which included Ethan “Rampage Poker” Yau’s victory in the $1,100 Main Event for $230,379 and Lithuania’s Gediminas Uselis taking down the $1,600 Main Event for $325,428.
Others to capture titles during the series were Ray Henson (Event #7: $800 PLO 8 or Better for $23,994), Angela Jordison (Event #22: $600 Monster Stack for $39,570), Mark Darner (Event #36: $1,100 Monster Stack for $87,744), Ravi Raghavan (Event #44: $600 NLH Monster Stack for $45,000), Tomas Soderstrom (Event #66: $900 Pot-Limit Omaha for $22,633), and Mohamed Serry (Event #71: $400 Monster Stack for $13,689).
Matas Cimbolas Wins DeepStack Championship
In early November, the $1,600 DeepStack Championship attracted 1,283 runners and offered up a $1,821,860 prize pool. That was paid out to the top 136 finishers, and some of those to make relatively deep runs but fall short of the final table were Daniel Illingworth (10th - $25,506), Gloria Jackson (11th - $25,506), David Eldridge (16th - $17,672), Kenny Hallaert (18th - $17,672), Justin Zaki (26th - $10,020), Phil Mader (32nd - $7,652), and Mukul Pahuja (36th - $7,652).
In heads-up play, Lithuania’s Matas Cimbolas bested Brady Osterman to claim the title and $310,265 first-place prize. It was the fifth-largest cash for the poker pro, who sits second on his country’s all-time money list with more than $5.3 million in lifetime earnings according to The Hendon Mob.
DeepStack Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown/Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matas Cimbolas | Lithuania | $310,265 |
| 2 | Brady Osterman | Mesa, AZ | $200,405 |
| 3 | Jim Agate | Las Vegas, NV | $145,749 |
| 4 | Nikita Kutukov | Worcester, MA | $111,316 |
| 5 | Daniela Rodriguez | Colombia | $83,806 |
| 6 | Damian Salas | Argentina | $63,765 |
| 7 | Mark Egbert | Windsor, CA | $49,190 |
| 8 | Charles Phillips | Huntersville, NC | $38,259 |
| 9 | Keyavash Hemyari | Houston, TX | $30,972 |
Ezeqiel “EZ” Waigel Wins Card Player Poker Tour for $417K
In mid-November, Venetian played host to the $2,500 Card Player Poker Tour, which more than doubled its $1 million guarantee as 975 runners created a prize pool of $2,218,125, which was paid out to the top 99 finishers.
Among those to cash were Ryan Dodd (11th - $27,727), Justin Saliba (13th - $20,850), Sergio Aido (19th - $13,974), Thomas Eychenne (27th - $10,647), Joe Serock (41st - $7,985), Martin Jacobson (46th - $7,098), and Adrian Mateos (49th - $7,098).
The title came down to Argentina’s Ezeqiel “EZ” Waigel and Kevin O’Donnell, and the former ultimately prevailed after starting with a 7:1 chip lead to claim the title and $417,004 top prize. It was relatively smooth sailing for Waigel, who bagged one of the biggest stacks on Day 1a, the third-biggest on Day 2, and began the final table as chip leader.
Card Player Poker Tour Venetian Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown/Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ezeqiel “EZ” Waigel | Argentina | $417,004 |
| 2 | Kevin O’Donnell | Penny Grove, CA | $287,247 |
| 3 | Fabian Gumz | Germany | $210,722 |
| 4 | Tibor Nagygyoergy | Hungary | $157,487 |
| 5 | Donovan Dean | Rainsville, AL | $117,561 |
| 6 | Keven Stammen | Dayton, KY | $88,725 |
| 7 | Alexander Villa | Canada | $66,544 |
| 8 | Michael Rossitto | Italy | $48,799 |
| 9 | Marco Bognanni | Italy | $36,821 |
2021 Venetian DeepStack Poker Series Winners
| Date | Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep | Event #1: $400 NLH | 92 | $30,820 | Matthew Zazaian | Henderson, NV | $9,248 |
| 27-Sep | Event #2: $400 NLH Survivor | 42 | $15,000 | 5 Winners | N/A | $2,900 |
| 30-Sep | Event #3: $800 Ultimate Stack | 737 | $508,530 | Antonio Torpoco | Memphis, TN | $101,700 |
| 30-Sep | Event #4: $600 Limit Omaha 8B | 161 | $82,593 | Kelly Vandemheen | Omaha, NE | $15,047 |
| 1-Oct | Event #5: $600 Monster Stack | 202 | $103,020 | Sean Davidson | Plymouth, MA | $20,646 |
| 2-Oct | Event #6: $600 Monster Stack | 205 | $104,550 | Florian Ribouchon | France | $28,656 |
| 2-Oct | Event #7: $800 PLO 8/B | 181 | $127,605 | Ray Henson | Houston, TX | $23,994 |
| 5-Oct | Event #78: $600 Monster Stack | 1,321 | $667,105 | Bassel Asi | Houston, TX | $113,609 |
| 3-Oct | Event #9: $400 NLH Survivor | 190 | $64,980 | 19 Winners | N/A | $3,400 |
| 4-Oct | Event #10: $400 NLH Survivor | 162 | $55,404 | 15 Winners | N/A | $3,400 |
| 6-Oct | Event #11: $800 Monster Stack | 413 | $289,100 | Frederic Normand | Canada | $54,126 |
| 7-Oct | Event #12: $600 Monster Stack | 301 | $153,510 | Gloria Jackson | Jacksonville, FL | $35,306 |
| 8-Oct | Event #13: $800 Big O | 333 | $233,100 | Josh Thatcher | Gwinn, MI | $53,383 |
| 8-Oct | Event #14: $600 Monster Stack | 316 | $161,160 | Phillip Gioia | Wheat Ridge, CO | $23,367 |
| Event #15: Mega Satellite | ||||||
| 10-Oct | Event #16: $1,100 Ultimate Stack | 895 | $859,200 | Matthias Auer | Austria | $169,256 |
| 11-Oct | Event #17: $1,100 Monster Stack | 458 | $444,260 | Joseph Crowley | Arlington, VA | $78,263 |
| Event #18: Mega Satellite | ||||||
| 14-Oct | Event #19: $1,100 MSPT | 1,741 | $1,680,065 | Ethan "RampagePoker" Yau | Quincy, MA | $230,379 |
| 12-Oct | Event #20: $600 Pot Limit Omaha | 164 | $84,460 | Shaun Conroy | Ireland | $19,724 |
| 15-Oct | Event #21: $1,100 Double Stack | 317 | $309,075 | Howard Mash | Coconut Creek, FL | $61,082 |
| 16-Oct | Event #22: $600 Monster Stack | 359 | $183,090 | Angela Jordison | Crooked River Ranch, OR | $39,570 |
| 16-Oct | Event #23: $1,100 PLO | 267 | $260,325 | James Minghini | Stateline, NV | $63,907 |
| Event #24: Mega Satellite | ||||||
| 17-Oct | Event #25: $800 Ultimate Stack | 256 | $176,640 | Forrest Kollar | Talent, OR | $43,367 |
| Event #26: Mega Satellite | ||||||
| 20-Oct | Event #27: $1,600 MSPT | 1,341 | $1,910,925 | Gediminas Uselis | Lithuania | $325,428 |
| Event #28: Mega Satellite | ||||||
| 21-Oct | Event #29: $1,100 Double Stack | 205 | $199,875 | Jorge Gomez | Miami, FL | $50,000 |
| 24-Oct | Event #30: $600 Monster Stack | 602 | $305,214 | Robin Guillaumot | France | $54,961 |
| 22-Oct | Event #31: $400 Survivor | 161 | $55,062 | 16 Winners | N/A | $3,400 |
| 25-Oct | Event #32: $800 PLO 8/B | 227 | $158,900 | Michael Howell | Las Vegas, NV | $36,437 |
| 25-Oct | Event #33: $1,100 MonsterStack | 422 | $409,340 | Carlos Villamarin | Alexandria, VA | $74,289 |
| Event #34: Mega Satellite | ||||||
| 28-Oct | Event #35: $1,100 Ultimate Stack | 1,408 | $1,351,680 | Jordan Meltzer | Everett, WA | $193,781 |
| 28-Oct | Event #36: $1,100 Monster Stack | 411 | $398,670 | Mark Darner | Denver, CO | $87,744 |
| 31-Oct | Event #37: $300 Seniors 50+ | 969 | $670,548 | Robert Wein | Costa Mesa, CA | $93,191 |
| 29-Oct | Event #38: $600 PLO/PLO8 | 215 | $110,725 | Sterling Lopez | Anchorage, AK | $19,273 |
| Event #39: Mega Satellite | ||||||
| 31-Oct | Event #40: $1,100 Monster Stack | 358 | $347,260 | Joakim Beaupre | Canada | $79,867 |
| Event #41: Mega Satellite | ||||||
| 1-Nov | Event #42: $800 Super Seniors 60+ | 237 | $164,004 | Moussa Haddad | Glendale, AZ | $20,000 |
| 3-Nov | Event #43: $1,100 Mini Deepstack Championship | 1,950 | $1,872,000 | Bhavesh Patel | Richardson, TX | $238,233 |
| 4-Nov | Event #44: $600 NLH Monster Stack | 592 | $301,920 | Ravi Raghavan | Northbrook, IL | $45,000 |
| 5-Nov | Event #45: $600 NLH Monster Stack | 538 | $274,380 | Chris Furbert | Bermuda | $44,890 |
| 6-Nov | Event #46: $800 Pot-Limit Omaha | 322 | $225,400 | Peter Walsworth | Lakewood Ranch, FL | $51,839 |
| 6-Nov | Event #47: $600 NLH Monster Stack | 631 | $321,810 | Bryan Obregon | San Antonio, TX | $67,230 |
| Event #48: Mega Satellite | ||||||
| 9-Nov | Event #49: $1,600 Deepstack Championship | 1,283 | $1,821,860 | Matas Cimbolas | Lithuania | $310,265 |
| Event #50: Mega Satellite | ||||||
| Event #51: Mega Satellite | ||||||
| 10-Nov | Event #52: $600 PLO Bounty | 186 | $95,790 | Zachary Peay | Evansville, IN | $16,060 |
| Event #53: Mega Satellite | ||||||
| Event #54: Mega Satellite | ||||||
| 12-Nov | Event #55: $2,500 CardPlayer Poker Tour | 975 | $2,218,125 | Ezeqiel Waigel | Argentina | $417,004 |
| 11-Nov | Event #56: $400 NLH Survivor | 206 | $70,452 | 20 winners | N/A | $3,400 |
| Event #57: Mega Satellite | ||||||
| 13-Nov | Event #58: $1,100 NLH Monster Stack | 341 | $330,770 | Joseph Cook | Gilbert, AZ | $67,894 |
| 14-Nov | Event #59: $1,100 NLH Monster Stack | 204 | $197,880 | Jason Wong | United Kingdom | $48,866 |
| 14-Nov | Event #60: $400 NLH Survivor | 112 | $38,304 | 11 winners | N/A | $3,400 |
| 17-Nov | Event #61: $800 Ultimate Stack | 502 | $346,380 | Michael Ung | Long Beach, CA | $60,857 |
| 15-Nov | Event #62: $600 Limit Omaha 8B | 127 | $65,405 | Itsuko Yoroi | Japan | $13,197 |
| 17-Nov | Event #63: $600 NLH Monster Stack | 395 | $201,450 | Stephane Tayar | France | $37,738 |
| 17-Nov | Event #64: NLH Survivor | 156 | $53,352 | 11 winners | N/A | $3,400 |
| 21-Nov | Event #65: $600 Epic Stack | 1,278 | $639,000 | Brandon Zuidema | Fontana, CA | $82,337 |
| 18-Nov | Event #66: $900 Pot-Limit Omaha | 107 | $75,435 | Tomas Soderstrom | Austria | $22,633 |
| 21-Nov | Event #67: $400 Monster Stack | 181 | $60,635 | Maksym Lavrov | Ukraine | $14,183 |
| 24-Nov | Event #68: $400 Monster Stack | 608 | $202,464 | Julien Weymouth | Guam | $33,289 |
| 22-Nov | Event #69: $300 NLH Bounty | 162 | $40,500 | Junghyun Cheon | San Francisco, CA | $4,975 |
| 23-Nov | Event #70: $300 NLH Bounty | 122 | $30,500 | Antoine Goutard | France | $5,174 |
| 24-Nov | Event #71: $400 Monster Stack | 175 | $58,625 | Mohamed Serry | New York, NY | $13,689 |
| 24-Nov | Event #72: $300 NLH Bounty | 80 | $20,000 | Jan Jansma | Netherlands | $4,080 |
| 25-Nov | Event #73: $300 NLH Turbo | 63 | $15,750 | Liang Lim | Chicopee, MA | $5,512 |
| 25-Nov | Event #74: $300 NLH Bounty | 98 | $24,500 | Jason Cevasco | Fairbanks, AK | $3,023 |
| 28-Nov | Event #75: $400 Ultimate Stack | 702 | $231,660 | Dan Sepiol | Michigan City, IN | $42,454 |
| 28-Nov | Event #76: $400 Monster Stack | 108 | $36,180 | Robert Tony | Las Vegas, NV | $10,852 |
DeepStack Extravaganza Runs November 29-January 9
Poker players don’t have to wait long for the next series at Venetian; in fact, it’s happening now!
The Venetian DeepStack Extravaganza (NYE) began on November 29 and will run through January 9, 2022. More than $2.3 million in guaranteed prize pools will be offered throughout 56 events.
That includes an $1,100 buy-in, $500K GTD Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) from December 28-30. That tournament will start players with 25,000 in chips and play 40-minute levels. There will be two starting flights with Day 1a at 11:10 a.m. PT on Tuesday, December 28 with Day 1b taking place at the same time on Wednesday, December 29.
The surviving players from each flight with then return as 11 a.m. PT on Thursday, December 30 to play down to a winner on Day 2. PokerNews will be on-site to offer live updates for the duration of that tournament.
Click here for a look at the full Venetian DeepStack Extravaganza (NYE) schedule.
