- Rex Clinkscales Wins First Title of Series
- SHRPO Stud Raminder Singh Victorious at Venetian
- Eric Salazar Bests Kevin Garosshen to Win Event #51
- December DeepStacks Poker Series Winners
- What’s Coming Up Next?
From the start of December through January 8, 2023, Venetian Las Vegas played host to the DeepStack Extravaganza NYE, which was a 58-event series that offered more than $2.2 million in guaranteed prize pools.
All told, the series catered to 10,624 entrants (not including satellite entries) and awarded $4,682,241 in prize money. Among those to capture titles were Gerald David (Event #9: $600 NLH Seniors for $17,744), Susan Soto (Event #13: $500 NLH Epic Stack for $20,297), Alon Messica (Event #21: $600 NLH Ultimate Stack for $84,790), Nick Pupillo (Event #46: $600 NLH Monster Stack for $20,641), and Kao Saechao (Event #48: $800 NLH Ultimate Stack for $54,749).
Another player to have some luck was Alan Mastic, who was the only two-time winner of the series having won Event #47: $400 NLH Monster Stack for $9,546 and a week later topping 560 runners to win Event #53: $1,600 CardPlayer Poker Tour (CPPT) for $131,746.
Here are some other notable winners from the series.
Check out the Venetian Poker Room Review on PokerNews here!
Rex Clinkscales Wins First Title of Series
The DeepStack Extravaganza NYE began way back on December 1, which is when Event #1: $400 NLH Epic Stack saw 79 runners generate a $26,307 prize pool.
That was paid out to the final table of eight players, and in the end, the final two players worked a deal that saw Gladys Landegger finish in second place for $6,502 while Rex Clinkscales claimed the trophy and $6,960 in prize money.
Clinkscales now has in excess of $1.8 million in lifetime tournament earnings according to the Hendon Mob.
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rex Clinkscales | Las Vegas, NV | $6,960* |
| 2 | Gladys Landegger | Las Vegas, NV | $6,502* |
| 3 | Roland Israelashvili | Forest Hills, NY | $4,664 |
| 4 | Bobby Sanoubane | Aurora, CO | $2,552 |
| 5 | William Derrick | Tucson, AZ | $1,894 |
| 6 | Alexander Klupchak | Las Vegas, NV | $1,473 |
| 7 | Bastien Ravalet | Canada | $1,210 |
| 8 | Stephen Capanna | Washington D.C. | $1,052 |
*Denotes heads-up deal.
SHRPO Stud Raminder Singh Victorious at Venetian
On December 17, Event #25: $400 NLH Epic Stack drew 304 entrants and offered up a $101,232 prize pool to the top 36 finishers. Among those to cash but fall short of the final table was Stephen Seffense (10th – $1,944), Kimberly Neff (17th – $1,276), and David Larson (35th – $810).
After Sarah Stefan bowed out in third place for $10,427, the title came down to Johann Zeitoun and Seminole Hard Rock superstar Raminder Singh, who was in town after having competed in the RGPS All-Stars ProAM the day before. While he didn’t defend his title in that tournament, he got back to his winning ways by besting Zeitoun in heads-up play earning $22,270 for his Venetian victory.
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raminder Singh | Delray Beach, FL | $22,270 |
| 2 | Johann Zeitoun | France | $14,679 |
| 3 | Sarah Stefan | Chicago, IL | $10,427 |
| 4 | Alipasha Ardakani | Los Gatos, CA | $7,187 |
| 5 | Tammy Wing | Canada | $5,365 |
| 6 | Teri Lewis | Calabasas, CA | $4,049 |
| 7 | Daniel Samson | United Kingdom | $3,138 |
| 8 | Arpit Bhardwaj | Santa Clara, CA | $2,349 |
| 9 | Dayanna Ciabaton | Naples, FL | $1,944 |
Eric Salazar Bests Kevin Garosshen to Win Event #51
Toward the end of the series on January 4, Event #51: $600 NLH Monster Stack had 121 entries and offered up a $61,710 prize pool to the top 15 finishers. Some of those to earn a payday were Lee Rzentkowski (13th – $1,055), Mike Holm (10th – $1,358), Eric Baldwin (6th – $2,962), and Bryan McKenna (3rd – $8,084).
In the end, it was a battle of two well-established poker pros with Eric Salazar ultimately defeating Kevin Garosshen in heads-up play to win the tournament for $17,587. The win brought Salazar’s career earnings up to $1,191,148 according to the Hendon Mob.
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Salazar | Greensboro, NC | $17,587 |
| 2 | Kevin Garosshen | Las Vegas, NV | $11,416 |
| 3 | Bryan McKenna | Haines City, FL | $8,084 |
| 4 | Justin Anderson | Salt Lake City, UT | $5,708 |
| 5 | Scott Ruegsegger | Monmouth, OR | $4,073 |
| 6 | Eric Baldwin | Las Vegas, NV | $2,962 |
| 7 | Jason Newburger | Vernon Hills, FL | $2,129 |
| 8 | Zhengcheng Shi | Berkeley, CA | $1,574 |
| 9 | Alexander Maas | Robbinsdale, MN | $1,358 |
December DeepStacks Poker Series Winners
| *Date | Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Hometown | Prize* | ||||||
| 12/1/22 | Event #1: $400 NLH Epic Stack | 79 | $26,307 | Rex Clinkscales | Las Vegas, NV | $6,960 | ||||||
| 12/1/22 | Event #2: $300 NLH Bounty | 33 | $10,000 | Richard Ochs | Seattle, WA | $3,149 | ||||||
| 12/2/22 | Event #3: $400 NLH Epic Stack | 109 | $36,297 | Ron Assa | Israel | $10,890 | ||||||
| 12/2/22 | Event #4: $300 NLH Bounty | 49 | $12,250 | Chris Kim | Bellflower, CA | $3,123 | ||||||
| 12/3/22 | Event #5: $500 NLH Epic Stack | 96 | $40,512 | Yen-Han Chen | Taiwan | $10,697 | ||||||
| 12/3/22 | Event #6: $300 NLH Bounty | 36 | $10,000 | Anatoly Zharnitsky | Saratosa, FL | $3,008 | ||||||
| 12/4/22 | Event #7: $400 NLH Epic Stack | 121 | $40,293 | Kevin O’Connor | Grand Rapids, MI | $11,487 | ||||||
| 12/4/22 | Event #8: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 60 | $15,000 | 8 winners | N/A | $1,500 | ||||||
| 12/5/22 | Event #9: $600 NLH Seniors | 138 | $70,380 | Gerald David | United Kingdom | $17,744 | ||||||
| 12/5/22 | Event #10: $300 NLH Bounty | 108 | $27,000 | Gregory Wood | St. Charles, MO | $4,861 | ||||||
| 12/6/22 | Event #11: $400 NLH Epic Stack | 158 | $52,614 | Douglas Lee | Canada | $11,182 | ||||||
| 12/6/22 | Event #12: $300 NLH Bounty | 87 | $21,750 | Furkan Beg | Turkey | $3,230 | ||||||
| 12/7/22 | Event #13: $500 NLH Epic Stack | 207 | $87,354 | Susan Soto | Las Vegas, NV | $20,297 | ||||||
| 12/7/22 | Event #14: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 95 | $23,750 | 10 winners | N/A | $1,500 | ||||||
| 12/11/22 | Event #15: $360 NLH Ultimate Stack | 578 | $173,400 | Darrell Shock | Las Vegas, NV | $19,254 | ||||||
| 12/8/22 | Event #16: $300 NLH Bounty | 107 | $26,750 | Alejandro Madrigal | Umatilla, OR | $4,814 | ||||||
| 12/9/22 | Event #17: $300 NLH Bounty | 87 | $21,750 | Kam Khai | Concord, CA | $4,175 | ||||||
| 12/11/22 | Event #18: $300 NLH Bounty | 181 | $45,250 | Anonymous | N/A | $7,149 | ||||||
| 12/12/22 | Event #19: $400 NLH Epic Stack | 358 | $119,214 | Ankit Ahuja | India | $23,511 | ||||||
| 12/12/22 | Event #20: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 147 | $36,750 | 15 winners | N/A | $1,960 | ||||||
| 12/16/22 | Event #21: $600 NLH Ultimate Stack | 1,011 | $510,555 | Alon Messica | Canada | $84,790 | ||||||
| 12/13/22 | Event #22: $300 NLH Bounty | 120 | $30,000 | Seth Young | Arvada, CO | $5,400 | ||||||
| 12/14/22 | Event #23: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 134 | $33,500 | 13 winners | N/A | $2,000 | ||||||
| 12/16/22 | Event #24: $500 NLH Epic Stack | 326 | $137,572 | Alexander Nachtwey | Berkeley, CA | $17,245 | ||||||
| 12/17/22 | Event #25: $400 NLH Epic Stack | 304 | $101,232 | Raminder Singh | Delray Beach, FL | $22,270 | ||||||
| 12/17/22 | Event #26: $300 NLH Bounty | 89 | $22,250 | Mike Hilaire | Sherman Oaks, CA | $4,173 | ||||||
| 12/18/22 | Event #27: $400 NLH Epic Stack | 287 | $95,571 | Samy Dighlawi | Temecula, CA | $21,023 | ||||||
| 12/18/22 | Event #28: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 1224 | $31,000 | 12 winners | N/A | $2,000 | ||||||
| 12/19/22 | Event #29: $400 NLH Seniors | 138 | $46,230 | Cindy Spier | Newton, MA | $11,660 | ||||||
| 12/19/22 | Event #30: $500 NLH Epic Stack | 203 | $85,666 | Julian Bonorris | Carnelian Bay, CA | $18,846 | ||||||
| 12/23/22 | Event #31: $600 NLH Ultimate Bounty | 554 | $279,770 | Teddy Conner | Chalmette, LA | $20,077 | ||||||
| 12/20/22 | Event #32: $300 NLH Bounty | 89 | $22,250 | Bradley Wainscott | Prosper, TX | $4,273 | ||||||
| 12/21/22 | Event #33: $300 NLH Bounty Survivor | 105 | $26,250 | 10 winners | N/A | $2,000 | ||||||
| 12/23/22 | Event #34: $500 NLH Epic Stack | 142 | $59,924 | Robert Lauria | Las Vegas, NV | $10,893 | ||||||
| 12/24/22 | Event #35: $600 NLH Monster Bounty | 92 | $46,920 | Rafael Rodriguez | Colombia | $4,900 | ||||||
| 12/24/22 | Event #36: $300 NLH Bounty | 78 | $19,500 | Payam Enayati | Beverly Hills, CA | $3,978 | ||||||
| 12/25/22 | Event #37: $300 NLH Monster Stack | 70 | $17,360 | Long Lui | Rosemead, CA | $5,476 | ||||||
| 12/25/22 | Event #38: $300 NLH Bounty | 61 | $15,250 | Yanni Raz | Studio City, CA | $3,204 | ||||||
| 12/26/22 | Event #39: $600 NLH Monster Stack | 141 | $71,910 | Mohamed Serry | Las Vegas, NV | $20,492 | ||||||
| 12/26/22 | Event #40: $300 NLH Survivor | 82 | $20,500 | 8 winners | N/A | $2,500 | ||||||
| 12/27/22 | Event #41: $600 NLH Monster Bounty | 136 | $69,360 | Rellie Sigua | Daly City, CA | $6,960 | ||||||
| Event #42: Mega Satellite | ||||||||||||
| Event #43: Mega Satellite | ||||||||||||
| 12/30/22 | Event #44: $1,100 MSPT | 643 | $620,495 | Jacob Perry | Branchville, NJ | $99,084 | ||||||
| Event #45: Mega Satellite | ||||||||||||
| 12/30/22 | Event #46: $600 NLH Monster Stack | 142 | $72,420 | Nick Pupillo | Gilbert, AZ | $20,641 | ||||||
| 12/31/22 | Event #47: $400 NLH Monster Stack | 95 | $31,825 | Alan Mastic | Reno, NV | $9,546 | ||||||
| 1/4/23 | Event #48: $800 NLH Ultimate Stack | 477 | $329,130 | Kao Saechao | Seattle, WA | $54,749 | ||||||
| 1/1/23 | Event #49: $300 NLH Survivor | 61 | $15,520 | 8 winners | N/A | $2,000 | ||||||
| 1/2/23 | Event #50: $300 NLH Survivor | 101 | $25,250 | 10 winners | N/A | $2,500 | ||||||
| 1/4/23 | Event #51: $600 NLH Monster Stack | 121 | $61,710 | Eric Salazar | Greensboro, NC | $17,587 | ||||||
| Event #52: Mega Satellite | ||||||||||||
| 1/8/23 | Event #53: $1,600 CardPlayer Poker Tour | 560 | $798,000 | Alan Mastic | Reno, NV | $131,746 | ||||||
| Event #54: Mega Satellite | ||||||||||||
| Event #55: Mega Satellite | ||||||||||||
| Event #56: Mega Satellite | ||||||||||||
| 1/8/23 | Event #57: $600 NLH Monster Bounty | 145 | $73,950 | James Pilpa | Irvine, CA | $9,675 | ||||||
| 1/8/23 | Event #58: $300 NLH Bounty | 59 | $14,750 | Joel Baker | Las Vegas, NV | $3,000 |
What’s Coming Up Next?
The Venetian is already hosting their DeepStack Poker Series, which kicked off on January 9 and will run through February 12. That series will offer more than $2.3 million in guaranteed prize pools across 57 events including the $1,100 NLH MSPT Poker Bowl $250K GTD from Feb. 7-9 and the $1,600 NLH MSPT Poker Bowl from $500K GTD Feb. 9-11.
