Daughter of Former WSOP Main Event Champ & Poker Hall of Famer Wins Venetian Title
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From the end of November up until Christmas, Venetian Las Vegas hosted the 2025 DeepStack Extravaganza IV. From Nov. 24 through Dec. 23, 61 events catered to a combined 8,338 entrants and awarded $4,609,025 in prize money.
One player to capture a title was Katherine Kolberg, the daughter of the late, great poker legend “Gentleman” Jack Keller.
Keller (Dec. 29, 1942 – Dec. 5, 2003) won the 1984 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event and has three gold bracelets on his poker resumé, which includes $3.9 million in lifetime tournament earnings according to The Hendon Mob. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1994.
On Dec. 10, Kolberg took down Event #33: $600 PLO Double Board Bomb Pot for $8,832. A couple of days later, she finished fifth in the WPT World Championship $600 T.O.R.S.E. for $5,927.
Kolberg, who hails from Polson, Montana, is no stranger to poker with a playing career dating back to 1994, according to The Hendon Mob. She has amassed over $418K in lifetime tournament earnings, including a career-best $96,000 for finishing third in the 2001 L.A. Poker Classic $1,060 7-Card Stud. She also had a big $51,768 win over the summer when she won the Venetian DeepStack Championship Event #63: $1,100 NLH Super Seniors (60+).
Event #33 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Katherine Kolberg | $ 8,832 |
| 2 | Hobart Roberts | $ 7,032 |
| 3 | William Smith | $ 4,954 |
| 4 | Jiayi Yao | $ 3,189 |
| 5 | William Stabler | $ 2,383 |
| 6 | Daniel Pearlman | $ 1,865 |
| 7 | Ian Monahoyios | $ 1,532 |
| 8 | Vu Dang | $ 1,323 |
Big Score for Joseph Cheong
One of the biggest tournaments of the series took place in mid-December with the $2,200 buy-in, $1 million GTD PokerAtlas Championship, a tournament that attracted 615 runners and offered up a $1,214,625 prize pool that was paid out to the top 78 finishers.
Among those to cash the tournament were Robert Burlacu (10th - $16,468), Nick Seward (18th - $9,388), Stephen Song (21st - $9,388), James Carroll (22nd - $9,388), Justin Saliba (30th - $8,038), and Eric Baldwin (45th - $6,196).
In the end, well-known poker pro Joseph Cheong finished as the last player standing to claim the title and $200,706 first-place prize.
Event #32 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joseph Cheong | $ 200,706 |
| 2 | Iman Dan | $ 143,554 |
| 3 | Alexander Yen | $ 104,125 |
| 4 | Agharazi Babayev | $ 76,591 |
| 5 | Jason Hickey | $ 57,143 |
| 6 | Robert Borick | $ 43,252 |
| 7 | Alex Whitenstall | $ 33,220 |
| 8 | Joshua Shore | $ 25,896 |
| 9 | Jeffrey Wells | $ 20,493 |
Two Titles for Shawn Rice
It was a good series of longtime poker pro Shawn Rice, who won two titles. His first win came on Dec. 16 when he bested a 889-entry field to win Event #37: $800 Seniors for $53,100. Three days later, on Dec. 19, Rice was at it again when he topped a 63-entry field to win Event #52: $600 Big O for $9,278.
The former tournament awarded a $613,410 prize pool to the top 136 finishers, including Richard Ashby (4th - $41,206), Ken Baime (9th - $8,588), Nancy Birnbaum (12th - $5,529), Jon Orlando (16th - $4,542), and Mike Holm (29th - $3,220).
The pair of wins brought Rice up over the $2-million mark in lifetime tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob.
Event #37 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shawn Rice | $ 53,100 |
| 2 | Joel Cohen | $ 51,827 |
| 3 | Jonathan Bailey | $ 45,269 |
| 4 | Richard Ashby | $ 41,206 |
| 5 | Breyer Calvert | $ 39,026 |
| 6 | Semsettin Ilyas | $ 36,795 |
| 7 | Garry Medlock | $ 26,453 |
| 8 | Nabeel Ballo | $ 10,957 |
| 9 | Kenneth Baime | $ 8,588 |
2025 DeepStack Extravaganza IV Winners
Here’s a look at all those who won titles during the latest Venetian festival.
| Date | Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Overlay | Winner | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/26/25 | Event #1: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack | 354 | $116,820 | $0 | Anonymous | N/A | $22,540 |
| 11/24/25 | Event #2: $200 NLH Bounty | 80 | $12,800 | $0 | Lucas Tae | Wesley Chapel, FL | $2,067 |
| 11/25/25 | Event #3: $200 NLH Bounty | 125 | $20,000 | $0 | Lucas Tae | Wesley Chapel, FL | $2,545 |
| 11/26/25 | Event #4: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack | 57 | $20,000 | $905 | Guy Lopatin | Henderson, NV | $5,294 |
| 11/26/25 | Event #5: $200 NLH Bounty | 71 | $11,360 | $0 | Elijah Mitchell | Houston, TX | $1,546 |
| 11/27/25 | Event #6: $300 NLH Monster Stack | 64 | $15,680 | $0 | Juan Carlos Suarez | Spain | $4,972 |
| 11/27/25 | Event #7: $200 NLH Bounty | 86 | $13,760 | $0 | Shane Anderson | Bellevue, WA | $1,074 |
| 11/30/25 | Event #8: $800 NLH Ultimate Stack | 230 | $158,700 | $0 | Liran Betito | Las Vegas, NV | $34,678 |
| 11/28/25 | Event #9: $200 NLH Bounty | 64 | $10,240 | $0 | Zhiqing Chen | Santa Clara, CA | $1,826 |
| 11/29/25 | Event #10: $300 PLO Double Board Bomb Pot | 43 | $10,535 | $0 | Chuan Wu | Las Vegas, NV | $2,253 |
| 11/29/25 | Event #11: $250 NLH Bounty | 92 | $20,000 | $1,140 | Oshri Azran | Las Vegas, NV | $2,420 |
| 12/3/25 | Event #12: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack | 343 | $113,190 | $0 | Andrew Rodgers | Henderson, NV | $21,984 |
| 11/30/25 | Event #13: $200 NLH Bounty | 48 | $10,000 | $2,320 | Shannan Nelson | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | $2,527 |
| 12/1/25 | Event #14: $200 NLH Bounty | 52 | $10,000 | $0 | Richard Ochs | Renton, WA | $2,080 |
| 12/2/25 | Event #15: $200 NLH Bounty | 48 | $10,000 | $2,320 | Ovadia Schvarcz | France | $2,627 |
| 12/3/25 | Event #16: $600 NLH Monster Bounty | 63 | $40,000 | $7,870 | Sanjeev Kapoor | Irving, TX | $6,815 |
| 12/3/25 | Event #17: $200 Bounty Event | 72 | $11,520 | $0 | Chevis Sokolosky | Tulsa, OK | $1,704 |
| 12/4/25 | Event #18: $600 NLH Seniors | 117 | $59,670 | $0 | Kenneth Milano | Scottsdale, AZ | $12,607 |
| 12/4/25 | Event #19: $200 NLH Bounty | 77 | $12,320 | $0 | Patrick Keegan | Spokane, WA | $2,514 |
| 12/8/25 | Event #20: $600 NLH Ultimate Stack | 828 | $418,140 | $0 | Adel Kabbani | France | $60,590 |
| 12/5/25 | Event #21: $600 Big O Bounty | 96 | $48,960 | $0 | Gregory Baird | Naples, FL | $8,377 |
| 12/5/25 | Event #22: $200 NLH Bounty | 92 | $14,720 | $0 | Wesley Chong | Las Vegas, NV | $2,510 |
| 12/6/25 | Event #23: $600 PLO Bounty | 67 | $34,170 | $0 | Antonio Seremet | Australia | $6,359 |
| 12/6/25 | Event #24: $250 NLH Bounty | 101 | $20,705 | $0 | Nicholas Lewis | Clovis, CA | $3,400 |
| 12/7/25 | Event #25: $200 NLH Bounty | 71 | $11,360 | $0 | Richard Yau | Wauwatosa, WI | $1,982 |
| 12/8/25 | Event #26: $600 NLH Monster Stack | 111 | $56,610 | $0 | Keeman Neomoto | Torrance, CA | $12,731 |
| Event #27: Satellite | |||||||
| 12/8/25 | Event #28: $200 NLH Bounty | 109 | $16,960 | $0 | Stephen Seffense | Fort Smith, AR | $2,348 |
| 12/9/25 | Event #29: $600 Monster Bounty | 166 | $84,660 | $0 | Michael Mortaji | Newport Beach, CA | $10,939 |
| Event #30: Satellite | |||||||
| Event #31: Satellite | |||||||
| 12/12/25 | Event #32: $2,200 NLH Poker Atlas Championship | 615 | $1,214,625 | $0 | Joseph Cheong | Las Vegas, NV | $200,706 |
| 12/10/25 | Event #33: $600 PLO Double Board Bomb Pot | 61 | $31,110 | $0 | Katherine Kolberg | Polson, MT | $8,832 |
| Event #34: Satellite | |||||||
| Event #35: Satellite | |||||||
| 12/11/25 | Event #36: $300 NLH Bounty | 220 | $55,000 | $0 | Yang Xu | St. Louis, MO | $4,955 |
| 12/16/25 | Event #37: $800 NLH Seniors | 889 | $613,410 | $0 | Shawn Rice | Lubbock, TX | $53,100 |
| 12/12/25 | Event #38: $300 NLH Bounty | 161 | $40,250 | $0 | Paul Belsito | Grand Rapids, MI | $4,566 |
| 12/13/25 | Event #39: $300 NLH Bounty | 87 | $21,750 | $0 | Rajesh Goyal | Stoughton, MA | $3,766 |
| 12/14/25 | Event #40: $300 NLH Bounty | 163 | $40,750 | $0 | Thanh Ha Duong | Vietnam | $5,859 |
| 12/15/25 | Event #41: $300 NLH Bounty | 118 | $29,500 | $0 | Rhett Rademacher | San Francisco, CA | $3,978 |
| 12/16/25 | Event #42: $600 NLH Monster Stack | 243 | $123,930 | $0 | Karanvir Singh | Sickleville, NJ | $26,573 |
| Event #43: Satellite | |||||||
| 12/16/25 | Event #44: $300 NLH Bounty | 100 | $25,000 | $0 | Saleem Alrabadi | Sausalito, CA | $2,984 |
| 12/17/25 | Event #45: $600 NLH Monster Bounty | 144 | $73,440 | $0 | Edgar De La Cova | Spain | $9,953 |
| Event #46: Satellite | |||||||
| Event #47: Satellite | |||||||
| 12/21/25 | Event #48: $1,100 NLH Ultimate Stack | 631 | $605,760 | $0 | Christopher Csik | Austin, TX | $88,533 |
| 12/18/25 | Event #49: $600 PLO | 84 | $42,840 | $0 | Hyo Joo | Palisades Park, NJ | $12,371 |
| Event #50: Satellite | |||||||
| 12/18/25 | Event #51: $300 NLH Bounty | 86 | $21,500 | $0 | Nathanael Kogel | Austin, TX | $3,725 |
| 12/19/25 | Event #52: $600 Big O | 63 | $32,130 | $0 | Shawn Rice | Lubbock, TX | $9,278 |
| Event #53: Satellite | |||||||
| 12/19/25 | Event #54: $300 NLH Bounty | 105 | $26,250 | $0 | Gary Bolden | Las Vegas, NV | $4,240 |
| 12/20/25 | Event #55: $600 PLO Double Board Bomb Pot | 58 | $30,000 | $420 | Thomas Osmun | Henderson, NV | $9,511 |
| 12/20/25 | Event #56: $300 NLH Bounty | 106 | $26,500 | $0 | Darrell Shock | Las Vegas, NV | $3,196 |
| 12/23/25 | Event #57: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack | 274 | $90,420 | $0 | Dylan Wilkerson | Las Vegas, NV | $17,000 |
| 12/21/25 | Event #58: $200 NLH Bounty | 94 | $15,040 | $0 | Kirk Wilson | Henderson, NV | $2,909 |
| 12/22/25 | Event #59: $200 NLH Bounty | 136 | $21,760 | $0 | Anirudh Narayanan | Bellevue, WA | $3,809 |
| 12/23/25 | Event #60: $400 NLH Ultimate Stack | 100 | $33,500 | $0 | Nissar Quraishi | Woodland Hills, CA | $9,214 |
| 12/23/25 | Event #61: $200 NLH Bounty | 73 | $11,680 | $0 | Tahar Said | France | $2,383 |
What’s Coming Up?
The DeepStack Extravaganza NYE festival is already underway, having kicked off on Dec. 24, 2025. It will offer more than $1.6 million in guaranteed prize pools over 50 numbered events through Jan. 19, 2026.
That includes the first event of the Major Series of Poker: The Tour (MSPT) Season 17 with the $1,600 buy-in, $500K GTD New Year's Poker Open from January 1-4, 2026.
- $1,100 NLH UltimateStack $300K guarantee Dec 27-30
- $1,600 NLH MSPT $500K guarantee Jan 1-4
- $300 NLH MonsterStack $125K guarantee Jan 9-12
- $250 NLH MonsterStack $100K guarantee Jan 15-19
*Images courtesy of Venetian Poker.
