News Big Wins, Deep Runs and ACR Poker Community Highlights From a Huge Venom Week Owen Gaines Owen Gaines is a professional poker player and author who has played an estimated ten million hands and written four poker strategy books. October 23, 2026 An 80-cent satellite climb, two Venom final tables for one player, and a string of big Venom Special scores gave the community plenty to talk about.One player reached two Venom final tables and finished in the top three in both. Another turned an 80-cent satellite entry into a shot at a $2,650 event. And while the flagship titles were being decided, players across the Venom Specials were putting together impressive results of their own.ACR Poker’s October Dual Venom PKOs ended Wednesday, October 21. The $5 million guaranteed No-Limit Hold’em event drew 2,143 entries for a $5,357,500 prize pool, while the $1.5 million guaranteed Pot-Limit Omaha event attracted 602 entries and generated $1,505,000. Combined, the two tournaments awarded $6,862,500 in prize pools, beating their guarantees by $362,500.Those numbers tell part of the story. The players and their very different paths through the week tell the rest.From 80 cents to a Venom paydayOne of the week’s more memorable qualifying stories belonged to Brazilian streamer and ACR Stormer Marcelo Cartana, who plays as “CartanaPoker.” Starting with an 80-cent Survivor Flip Step Satellite, he worked his way through $6, $46 and $350 qualifying steps to earn a seat in the $2,650 NLH Venom. He then advanced to Day 2 of the main event with more than 100 big blinds.Cartana ultimately finished 158th and collected approximately $8,367 in prize money and bounties. He did not have to reach the final table for the run to be noteworthy. His path showed how a multi-step satellite could open the door to one of the biggest events on the schedule, and how the knockout format could reward a player well before the final nine. One Player, Two Venom Final Tables and $446K in WinningsAt the other end of the payout spectrum, “Pepareg1” put together arguably the week’s most remarkable pair of results. The Ukrainian player reached both Venom final tables on October 21, finishing third in NLH and second in PLO for a combined $446,143.51, including bounties.The PLO run was especially dramatic. Pepareg1 began the seven-handed final table with the shortest stack, climbed into heads-up play against “tigerseyes” and reached a deal that left the two players with almost identical regular prize payouts. Pepareg1 took home $164,672.86 from PLO, then added $281,470.65 for third place in NLH.The titles went to “PushLightYear,” who won NLH for $536,577.13, and “tigerseyes,” who claimed PLO for $239,819.45 after the heads-up deal. All of those totals include collected bounties, a particularly important distinction in Progressive Knockout tournaments.The NLH final table also included a familiar name in Ignacio Morón, known online as “TIKITAKA11.” The Spanish player, who finished runner-up in a 2021 Venom, returned to the final table this time and placed ninth for approximately $78,832, including bounties. A second appearance at the business end of a Venom, five years apart, is a story in its own right.Big scores outside the flagship eventsThe action surrounding the Dual Venoms gave other players their own reasons to celebrate. Brazilian player “RaggedRobin” reached two Venom Special final tables on October 19, collecting $31,903 for fifth in a $1,050 Venom Special and another $28,527 for second in a $630 Venom Special PKO. Together, those two finishes were worth $60,430.The lower-buy-in events delivered champions, too. Alexandre Vargas, playing as “ilovequeensya,” won a $109 Venom Special after outlasting 979 opponents, earning $19,347. His result was a reminder that the week’s standout wins were not confined to the $2,650 buy-in tournaments.Sunday, October 18, produced another eye-catching finish. Pedro Cavalieri (“runnaGORDOfdp”) took second in the $1,050 Venom Special Sunday Banana for $78,598. The event attracted 499 entries and had a $500,000 prize pool. Fellow Brazilian Pedro Padilha (“PeDeAnjo7”) also made that final table, finishing fourth for $41,865.The community had a seat at the table, tooBig tournament weeks are followed off the felt as well as on it. ACR Poker promoted featured coverage on Kick during the final starting flights, including a Sunday broadcast hosted by ACR Pro Drew Gonzalez, alongside individual Stormer streams on Twitch.For the NLH finale, Chris Moneymaker and Rob Kuhn provided commentary on ACR Poker’s Twitch channel, giving viewers another way to follow the decisions behind the biggest pots. The PLO final table was not streamed, but the hands can be revisited through ACR Poker’s Final Table Replayer.By the time the final hands were played, the week’s headlines belonged to the champions. But the broader picture included a Stormer’s satellite journey, a player recording two top-three finishes in one evening, repeat Venom finalists and significant wins across several buy-in levels.That’s what made it such a memorable Venom week for the ACR Poker community: there was more than one way to make a deep run, and more than one result worth celebrating.For the full championship breakdown, see ACR Poker’s Dual Venom results, and revisit the PLO finale through the Final Table Replayer.