25-Year-Old Poker Pro Wins WPT Venetian Las Vegas Spring Championship For $418,700
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Young poker pro Nicholas Seward had a significant chip deficit when he entered heads-up play in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Venetian Las Vegas Spring Championship, but the 25-year-old overcame it to win the event for $418,700 and his first WPT title.
The WPT Venetian Las Vegas Spring Championship took place in the Venetian Poker Room from Feb. 19-24 and drew 488 runners for a prize pool of $2,244,800, well past the $2 million guarantee.
Seward's strong heads-up performance against runner-up Gregory Brown, who earned $270,000, followed him zig-zagging through a final table that included accomplished pro Anthony Zinno (5th - $114,000) and Lily Kiletto (4th - $151,000), who less than a year ago finished second in the $3,300 PGT Venetian Las Vegas Classic Main Event for $170,000.
“Everything that could have gone right went right,” Seward told WPT. “I’m very fortunate, I ran very hot, and I was happy with my decisions overall. It was an amazing final table.”
WPT Venetian Las Vegas Spring Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicholas Seward | $418,700 |
| 2 | Gregory Brown | $270,000 |
| 3 | Drake Kemper | $200,000 |
| 4 | Lily Kiletto | $151,000 |
| 5 | Anthony Zinno | $114,000 |
| 6 | Eddie Pak | $87,000 |
Waiting For the Right Moment
All the Las Vegas poker pros were out for the WPT Venetian Las Vegas Spring Championship. Those who cashed the event include 2024 WSOP Main Event champion Jonathan Tamayo, eight-time bracelet winner Benny Glaser, high-stakes pro Chris Hunichen and WPT champions Alex Foxen, David "ODB" Baker, and Harvey Castro.
Seward's path to victory largely consisted of sitting back and letting Brown, the overwhelming chip leader, knock out opponents. After the sixth-place elimination of Eddie Pak at the hands of Drake Kemper, Brown eliminated the next three opponents to enter heads-up play with a big advantage over Seward, according to WPT updates.
Seward evened things out and eventually pulled ahead before steadily chipping away at his opponent over dozens of hands. The lengthy heads-up battle culminated when Sewart made a full house against the two pair of Brown, who got his final chips in on the river to be denied a first WPT title.
Before the victory, Seward, a Washington, D.C.-based poker pro, had $3.4 million in career earnings.
Head to YouTube to see the full final table stream inside the Venetian Poker Studio.
Freeroll Your Way to a WPT Prime Package
Las Vegas isn't the only place to win a World Poker Tour trophy. The WPT Prime North Cyprus festival kicks off this month and includes the $1,100 WPT Prime Cyprus Championship.
There are opportunities on WPT Global for players to win packages to the North Cyprus stop, meaning players could get in on the $1 million guaranteed prize pool for as little as $1.10.
WPT Global runs weekly satellites every Sunday at 7:00 p.m. UTC, guaranteeing that at least one $2,200 WPT Prime Cyprus package will be won. Those Sunday satellites cost $110 to enter directly, but there are feeder satellites running throughout the week costing $1.10 and $11.
Click here for more information about satellite opportunities and promotions on WPT Global.
*Photos courtesy of WPT
