Two poker players won several tournaments at the Venetian DeepStack Showdown

The Venetian DeepStack Showdown series has concluded in Las Vegas, featuring 79 tournaments and a prize pool of over $2.3 million. David Larson and Alexey Efremov each claimed two victories.

The latest edition of the Venetian DeepStack Showdown tournament series has wrapped up in Las Vegas, once again attracting both local regulars and international guests. The series ran from October 10 to November 23 and featured dozens of No Limit Hold’em tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $200 to $1,600. Over a month and a half, 79 events were held, drawing a total of 7,613 entries and awarding a prize pool of $2,313,868. Double Victories for David Larson and Aleksei Efremov Two of the main stars of the series were Las Vegas players David Larson and Aleksei Efremov, both of whom claimed two victories each at the Venetian DeepStack Showdown. David Larson , a well-known regular with over $2.3 million in winnings according to Hendon Mob, kicked off the series with a win in Event #33: $200 NLH Bounty, earning $2,092. A few days later, he was back on top, winning Event #38: $400 NLH Seniors. In this tournament, Larson outlasted 121 opponents and took home $10,524 for first place. In addition to these successes, Larson finished fifth in another $400 Seniors event and was runner-up in the $550 Seniors tournament, which was part of the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Las Vegas. Aleksei Efremov , originally from Russia, also climbed to the top of the podium twice. First, he won Event #35: $200 NLH Bounty, which brought him $1,887. Near the end of the series, Efremov struck again, winning Event #72: $200 NLH Bounty and adding $1,604 to his bankroll. According to Hendon Mob, Efremov has $144,497 in tournament winnings. He regularly plays daily tournaments at various Las Vegas venues, including the Venetian, Wynn, and Orleans. Final Table Results for Event #38: $400 NLH Seniors Below are the final table results for Event #38: $400 NLH Seniors, where David Larson claimed one of his victories: 1st place — David Larson — $10,524 Main Event of the Series: Joan Crespi Wins the Ante Up Championship The biggest event of the series was Event #62: $1,600 Ante Up Championship with a guaranteed prize pool of $400,000. The tournament attracted 282 players, surpassing the guarantee — the final prize pool reached $400,440. The champion was Joan Crespi from Spain, who took home the top prize of $82,302. In heads-up play, he faced Israel’s Kfir Nahum , and the final table also included: 3rd place — Javier Colomar (Portugal) — $41,530 4th place — Brian Reinert (USA) — $30,333 5th place — Ekrem Bozkurt (USA) — $22,579 Thus, Crespi claimed the largest individual prize of the series, and the tournament itself confirmed the strong interest in high-guarantee events even in Las Vegas’s packed poker schedule. Ante Up Championship Payout Table 1st place — Joan Crespi (Spain) — $82,302 2nd place — Kfir Nahum (Israel) — amount not specified 3rd place — Javier Colomar (Portugal) — $41,530 4th place — Brian Reinert (USA) — $30,333 5th place — Ekrem Bozkurt (USA) — $22,579 Other Notable Wins and Series Highlights The Venetian DeepStack Showdown stood out for its variety of tournaments and the wide geographic spread of its winners. The series opened with Event #1: $300 NLH Monster Stack, where David Gelley won $18,527. It concluded with Event #79: $200 NLH Raceday Stack, where Gary Fernandes took the victory and earned $1,566. Other series champions included: Himmat Singh (India) — Event #56: $250 NLH Monster Stack — $15,497 Antony Baker (Australia) — Event #70: $300 NLH Monster Stack — $12,944 Dontaye Strawder (Texas, USA) — Event #40: $300 NLH Monster Stack — $18,000 Qing Liu (Las Vegas, USA) — Event #22: $400 NLH Seniors — $20,565 Immediately after the DeepStack Showdown ended, a new series kicked off at the Venetian — the 2025 DeepStack Extravaganza IV (November 24 to December 23), with the main event being the $2,200 NLH Poker Atlas Championship featuring a $1 million guarantee. Full List of Venetian DeepStack Showdown Winners (October–November 2025) Below is a list of some of the series winners, according to official data: David Gelley — Event #1: $300 NLH Monster Stack — $18,527 David Larson — Event #33: $200 NLH Bounty — $2,092 David Larson — Event #38: $400 NLH Seniors — $10,524 Aleksei Efremov — Event #35: $200 NLH Bounty — $1,887 Aleksei Efremov — Event #72: $200 NLH Bounty — $1,604 Joan Crespi — Event #62: $1,600 Ante Up Championship — $82,302 Himmat Singh — Event #56: $250 NLH Monster Stack — $15,497 Antony Baker — Event #70: $300 NLH Monster Stack — $12,944 Dontaye Strawder — Event #40: $300 NLH Monster Stack — $18,000 Qing Liu — Event #22: $400 NLH Seniors — $20,565 Gary Fernandes — Event #79: $200 NLH Raceday Stack — $1,566 What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For PPPoker club members, the results of the Venetian DeepStack Showdown offer several practical takeaways. First, the series proves that even in a packed tournament schedule, success is possible if you carefully select events and play to your strengths — just as David Larson and Aleksei Efremov did by focusing on tournaments with optimal buy-ins and structures. Second, the large number of events with affordable buy-ins and a variety of formats (Monster Stack, Bounty, Seniors) shows that regular play and gaining experience in different types of tournaments is key to consistent results. This directly applies to the structure of most club tournaments on PPPoker, where similar formats are often featured. Finally, the success of players from different countries and regions highlights that today’s poker series are open to everyone, and anyone willing to learn and improve their game has a shot at victory. For PPPoker users, this is a reason to participate more actively in club events, experiment with different formats, and build up tournament experience that will be valuable both online and in live series.