ACR Poker Unveils $6.5 Million GTD Dual Venom PKOs in October

The $5 million NLH and $1.5 million PLO events begin Sunday, October 4, with five starting flights each and qualifying paths starting at $0.

ACR Poker is bringing two big bounty hunts to October. The Dual Venom PKOs return with $6.5 million in combined guarantees: $5 million in No-Limit Hold’em and $1.5 million in Pot-Limit Omaha.

Both tournaments begin Sunday, October 4, 2026, with a $2,650 direct buy-in for each.

Players have five Day 1 flights to choose from in either event, plus several ways to qualify for less.

Venom Fever runs September 29–October 18, offering Direct Satellites, Mega Satellites and Survivor Flips Step Satellites, with the latter starting at 80 cents.

Last year, the same two guarantees grew into more than $7.8 million in combined prize pools. The NLH champion collected over $675,000 in prize money and bounties.

This October brings another chance to chase a Venom title—and get paid for the knockouts along the way.

Two big events with bounties that keep growing

The $5 million GTD NLH PKO Venom gives Hold’em players the larger of the two guarantees. Alongside it, the $1.5 million GTD PLO PKO Venom ties ACR Poker’s biggest PLO PKO guarantee, giving Omaha players a major tournament of their own on the same starting-flight schedule.

The progressive knockout format adds another reward to winning a pot. Under ACR Poker’s PKO rules, you collect half of an eliminated player’s bounty, while the other half is added to the bounty on your own head. Each knockout pays you and makes you a more valuable target.

As those bounties grow, a single elimination can become a substantial score. You are still playing for a place on the regular payout ladder, but the money collected from opponents can make up a large part of your final return.

Five starting flights from October 4 to 18

Both tournaments open at 1:05 p.m. ET on October 4. The remaining flights alternate between Thursdays and Sundays, with the last opportunity to enter on October 18. Every Day 1 starts at the same time, making it easy to compare dates and choose your flight.

Tournament Stage Schedule
Stage	Date in 2026	Start Time
Day 1A	Sunday, October 4	1:05 p.m. ET
Day 1B	Thursday, October 8	1:05 p.m. ET
Day 1C	Sunday, October 11	1:05 p.m. ET
Day 1D	Thursday, October 15	1:05 p.m. ET
Day 1E	Sunday, October 18	1:05 p.m. ET
Day 2 — both	Monday, October 19	1:05 p.m. ET
Day 3 — NLH	Tuesday, October 20	1:05 p.m. ET
Final tables — both	Wednesday, October 21	4:05 p.m. ET

Day 2 begins the day after the final starting flight. NLH then continues with Day 3 on October 20, before both final tables are scheduled for October 21 at 4:05 p.m. ET.

Qualify through Venom Fever

The direct buy-in is $2,650 per event, but Venom Fever gives players several routes to a seat at a lower cost. The qualifying schedule runs from September 29 through October 18, covering the lead-up to Day 1A and continuing through the final starting flights.

Options include Direct Satellites, Mega Satellites and Survivor Flips Step Satellites. Survivor Flips steps start at 80 cents, while some Mega Satellites offer $0 entry. Those are starting points on the qualifying path; players still need to win their way through to a Venom seat.

Hundreds of seats will be available across the qualifying opportunities for the two events. Check the lobby for the tournament each satellite feeds into, its start time and its entry requirements before choosing your route.

Last year the knockouts added up

The previous Dual Venom PKOs delivered a reminder of how much bounties can add to a deep run. The NLH tournament attracted 2,498 entries across five starting flights, pushing its prize pool to $6,245,000—well above the $5 million guarantee.

Champion Rigapols81 won $378,372 in regular prize money and nearly $297,000 in bounties, taking home more than $675,000 overall. The knockout earnings alone would have made for an enormous payday.

The regular payout was identical for the top two finishers: $378,372 each. Their bounty totals were separate, showing why finishing position tells only part of the story in a PKO. What a player collects on the way to the final hand matters, too.

PLO also cleared its guarantee. A field of 641 entries generated a $1,602,500 prize pool, and PohPohPohPAAAA claimed the title. The winner earned $135,789 in prize money plus $117,099 in bounties, for a combined $252,888.

Across the two events, the final prize pools totaled $7,847,500. Both champions collected six figures in bounties alone, with the PLO winner’s knockout earnings coming close to matching the regular first-place prize.

Pick your flight and take your shot

This year’s first decision comes before the cards are dealt: Hold’em, Omaha or both? Each event offers five starting dates and the same $2,650 direct buy-in, with satellite routes for players looking to earn their entry for less.

Venom Fever begins September 29, and the first flights start October 4 at 1:05 p.m. ET. Find your qualifying route in the ACR Poker lobby, choose your Day 1 and get ready to put a bounty hunt on the calendar.