ACR Poker wrapped up another edition of the Venom series this week, and if you weren't watching, here's what you missed.
The numbers from ACR Poker's latest Venom series are in, and they're worth paying attention to. Both the No-Limit Hold'em and Pot-Limit Omaha editions beat their guarantees, the fields were bigger than ever, and a handful of players are sitting on scores that'll be hard to top for a while. Combined, the two events generated just over $10.2 million in prize money! Not bad for what's become a twice-yearly fixture on the online poker calendar.
NLH Venom: 3,233 Entries, $8M+ in the Pot
The $8 Million GTD Venom Mystery Bounty NLH pulled in 3,233 entries, pushing the final prize pool to $8,082,500. A field that size means navigating a lot of tough spots, and by the time the final table was set, the players left standing had clearly earned their seats.
KYOBLUK took it down after a deal was struck at the final table, leaving with $532,918. Whether the deal was the right call is the kind of thing poker players will debate endlessly, but it's hard to argue with half a million dollars.
The runner-up story was arguably just as interesting. KevinParcoeur finished second for $453,040 — and on top of that, pulled the second-largest mystery bounty of the event at $219,780. So while he didn't win the title, he walked away with well over $650,000 when you add it all together. That's what the Mystery Bounty format can do. It completely changes the calculus of "winning" a tournament.
Moneymaker Still Has It
The most-talked-about run of the whole event didn't belong to either of those two, though. ACR Pro Chris Moneymaker made it all the way to the final table, finishing 9th in a field of over three thousand players. He's been a familiar presence at ACR events for years now, but a final table finish in a tournament this size is a proper result, not just a cameo. It's hard not to enjoy watching him compete, and it clearly generated a lot of chatter around the event.
The final table itself was a genuinely international affair, with players from across multiple continents making deep runs. ACR consistently draws this kind of global field for the Venom, which is part of why the guarantees keep getting beaten.
PLO Venom: Omaha's Moment in the Spotlight
The $2 Million GTD PLO Venom doesn't get the same headlines as the NLH event, but this year's edition made a decent case for why it should. 871 entries pushed the prize pool to $2,177,500, and the final table was stacked with players who actually know what they're doing in a PLO game, not always a given in online tournaments.
4m4nhasnonforme took down the title and $210,315 after running deep through a field that had plenty of capable opposition. Good result, tough earn.
But the moment people will actually remember from the PLO Venom was MatasSembolas pulling the $200,000 top mystery bounty, one of the biggest single bounty payouts across the entire series. That's the kind of thing that happens and immediately makes every other player at the table check their own envelope. It's a brutal and brilliant format.
What This All Means for the Venom Going Forward
At this point the Venom has established itself as a proper recurring event, not just a one-off big guarantee. Both NLH and PLO editions are consistently beating their numbers, the fields are growing, and the Mystery Bounty format continues to produce moments that keep people talking well after the final hand is dealt.
The PLO side of things is worth watching in particular. There's a real audience for high-quality Omaha tournaments online, and ACR seems to have tapped into it. If that trend continues, don't be surprised if the guarantee gets bumped up for the next edition.
Note: All prize pool figures are in USD.