Ukrainian player Pepareg1 finished on the podium in both ACR Poker Venom tournaments on October 21, collecting $446,143.51 from a second-place PLO finish and third place in NLH. Reaching two final tables in one festival is rare enough. Playing two different games and making the top three in both is a tidy way to end a Wednesday.
The two $2,650 buy-in progressive knockout events paid out a combined $6,862,500 from 2,745 entries. Both guarantees were beaten, and the champions were PushLightYear in Hold’em and tigerseyes in Omaha.
October’s Dual Venoms beat both guarantees
| Event | Entries | Guarantee | Prize pool |
|---|---|---|---|
| NLH Venom PKO | 2,143 | $5,000,000 | $5,357,500 |
| PLO Venom PKO | 602 | $1,500,000 | $1,505,000 |
| Total | 2,745 | $6,500,000 | $6,862,500 |
The NLH tournament cleared its guarantee by $357,500, and PLO exceeded its mark by another $5,000. The $362,500 overage means neither event needed an overlay to meet the advertised minimum. Prize pools are not the same thing as operator profit, particularly when bounty payments form part of the tournament money.
Pepareg1 takes the short stack to heads-up in PLO
Pepareg1 arrived at the seven-handed PLO final table with the smallest stack but managed to survive and climb into heads-up play against Mexico’s tigerseyes. The players agreed a deal on the regular prizes. Pepareg1 received $128,621.88 from the standard pool and another $36,050.98 in progressive bounties, giving the Omaha runner-up $164,672.86 overall.
Then came the NLH finish. Third place paid $240,369.59 from the regular pool, and the Ukrainian added $41,101.06 in bounties. That $281,470.65 Hold’em result lifted the night’s combined return to $446,143.51, of which more than $77,000 came from knockouts rather than placing money.
| Pepareg1 finish | Prize | Bounties | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLO, second | $128,621.88 | $36,050.98 | $164,672.86 |
| NLH, third | $240,369.59 | $41,101.06 | $281,470.65 |
| Combined | $368,991.47 | $77,152.04 | $446,143.51 |
Anyone considering the room can find the tournament formats, welcome-match clearing rules and payment considerations in our full ACR Poker review. The next Venom is not automatically the right tournament for every bankroll, and local eligibility and current lobby rules always need checking.
PushLightYear wins $536,577 in NLH
Playing from Andorra according to ACR, PushLightYear took the No-Limit Hold’em title and $536,577.13 in total payouts. That breaks down to $332,932.28 from the regular prize pool and $203,644.85 in bounties. ArkaduktusFrRM finished runner-up, with Pepareg1 third from the 2,143-entry field.
In PLO, tigerseyes ended as champion for $239,819.45. The Mexican player received $128,621.94 from the regular pool and $111,197.51 in bounties. Brian Hastings finished third and Yuri Dzivielevski, known online as vousconfus, took fifth. The bounty difference between the top two players helps explain why a negotiated regular-prize deal does not produce matching overall returns.
How does it compare with Chance Kornuth’s double final table?
There is a direct comparison from last month. ACR pro Chance Kornuth made both September Venom final tables, earning $188,734.88 across the two events. Our report on Kornuth’s two final tables also covered the unusual $500,000 Mystery Bounty drawn by a player finishing 348th.
September’s Venoms were Mystery Bounty tournaments, but October used progressive knockouts. In a PKO, knocking someone out gives a player an immediate bounty payment while increasing the bounty on the winner’s own head. That can make covering stacks valuable and alters calling decisions late on, particularly when a short stack carries a substantial bounty. Our October Venom starting-flight preview explains how the two fields developed.
What comes after the Venom?
Sunday, October 25 brings another $1,050 WSOP Paradise Mega Satellite on ACR, with seven packages worth $30,000 each guaranteed. The packages include a $26,000 Super Main Event entry and hotel accommodation, while travel and personal spending are not included. The room also has Halloween Mystery PKOs at $5.50, $33 and $109, with a combined $650,000 in guarantees and bounty play scheduled for November 1.
ACR’s official recap confirms the tournament totals and exact bounty breakdowns. The Venom results give the room two champions, no guarantee shortfall and a second double-final-table performance to put alongside Kornuth’s September run. Pepareg1’s combination of PLO and NLH cashes is the result that will be hard to forget.
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