Sergei Saakian Claims 3 Titles in 5 Days at 2026 Venetian March DeepStack Showdown
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The Venetian recently wrapped up its 2026 March DeepStack Showdown, a 51-event series that ran from Feb. 25 through March 31. A combined 5,864 entrants took to the felt (not including satellites) and a hefty $2,450,680 in prize money was awarded.
Among those to win titles were Miquel Maimes (Event #5: $800 NLH for $82,627), Qing Liu (Event #18: $1,600 NLH for $99,048), and Travis Sarget (Event #40: $400 NLH Seniors for $26,050), just to name a few.
Speaking of a few, that’s how many titles Venetian crusher Sergei Saakian took down, winning three tournaments in five days, all towards the end of the series.
It started when Saakian topped a 76-entry field to win Event #43: $200 NLH Bounty for $2,060 and then two days later bested a 69-entry field to win Event #46: $200 NLH Bounty for $1,800. Two days after that, he completed the hat trick, outlasting a 69-entry field to take down Event #48: $200 NLH Bounty for $1,809.
The wins brought Saakian up to $214,772 in lifetime tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob.
Below is a look at all those who claimed titles during the latest Venetian series.
2026 DeepStack Showdown March Winners
| Date | Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Overlay | Winner | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/25/26 | Event #1: $400 NLH | 46 | $20,000 | $4,590 | Samy Dighlawi | Temecula, CA | $6,000 |
| 2/25/26 | Event #2: $200 NLH Bounty | 87 | $13,920 | $0 | Keoki Ongoy-Moore | Las Vegas, NV | $2,400 |
| 2/26/26 | Event #3: $400 NLH Bounty | 65 | $21,775 | $0 | Sheila Raine | Hopedale, MA | $3,171 |
| 2/26/26 | Event #4: $200 NLH Bounty | 94 | $15,040 | $0 | Stephen Yacapin | Waipahu, HI | $2,809 |
| 3/2/26 | Event #5: $800 NLH | 602 | $500,000 | $84,620 | Miquel Maimes | Oceanside, CA | $82,627 |
| 3/4/26 | Event #6: $600 NLH Seniors | 203 | $102,515 | $0 | Antuan Bunkley | West Palm Beach, FL | $22,933 |
| 3/2/26 | Event #7: $200 NLH Bounty | 91 | $14,560 | $0 | Yansong Kou | Bellevue, WA | $2,816 |
| 3/3/26 | Event #8: $200 NLH Bounty | 66 | $10,560 | $0 | Michael Tessier-Strasbourg | Canada | $1,453 |
| 3/4/26 | Event #9: $600 NLH | 69 | $40,000 | $4,810 | Dennis Stirling | Las Vegas, NV | $12,249 |
| 3/4/26 | Event #10: $200 NLH Bounty | 59 | $10,000 | $560 | James Leonard | Tampa, FL | $2,107 |
| 3/5/26 | Event #11: $600 NLH Bounty | 93 | $47,430 | $0 | Paul Lozano Martin | Spain | $5,824 |
| 3/5/26 | Event #12: $200 NLH Bounty | 56 | $10,000 | $1,040 | Victor De Souza Parente | Brazil | $1,623 |
| 3/6/26 | Event #13: $600 NLH | 85 | $43,350 | $0 | Daniel Keller | Germany | $11,170 |
| 3/6/26 | Event #14: $200 NLH Bounty | 56 | $10,000 | $1,040 | Vlad Suteu | Las Vegas, NV | $2,375 |
| 3/7/26 | Event #15: $600 NLH Bounty | 79 | $40,290 | $0 | Mathieu Gaudette | Canada | $3,968 |
| Event #16: Satellite | |||||||
| Event #17: Satellite | |||||||
| 3/11/26 | Event #18: $1,600 NLH | 327 | $500,000 | $35,660 | Qing Liu | Las Vegas, NV | $99,048 |
| Event #19: Satellite | |||||||
| Event #20: Satellite | |||||||
| Event #21: Satellite | |||||||
| 3/9/26 | Event #22: $200 NLH Bounty | 79 | $12,640 | $0 | Murtaza Muzar | Redwood City, CA | $2,301 |
| 3/10/26 | Event #23: $200 NLH Bounty | 66 | $10,560 | $0 | Dylan Scaggs | El Dorado, CA | $2,100 |
| 3/11/26 | Event #24: $600 NLH | 48 | $40,000 | $15,520 | Joaquin Repupilli | Italy | $13,820 |
| 3/11/26 | Event #25: $200 NLH Bounty | 41 | $10,000 | $3,440 | Helen Bivin | Las Vegas, NV | $2,244 |
| 3/12/26 | Event #26: $600 NLH Bounty | 90 | $45,900 | $0 | Daniel Samson | United Kingdom | $5,517 |
| 3/12/26 | Event #27: $200 NLH Bounty | 100 | $16,000 | $0 | Murtaza Muzar | Redwood City, CA | $2,425 |
| 3/16/26 | Event #28: $600 NLH | 291 | $150,000 | $8,095 | Javier Garcirreynaldos | Spain | $30,596 |
| 3/13/26 | Event #29: $200 NLH Bounty | 76 | $12,160 | $0 | Roland Takacs | Hungary | $2,482 |
| 3/14/26 | Event #30: $200 NLH Bounty | 74 | $11,840 | $0 | Grant Geyer | Las Vegas, NV | $2,417 |
| 3/15/26 | Event #31: $200 NLH Bounty | 73 | $11,680 | $0 | John Quinn | Sierra Vista, AZ | $1,115 |
| 3/16/26 | Event #32: $400 NLH | 61 | $20,435 | $0 | Jai Vallurupalli | N/A | $5,628 |
| 3/16/26 | Event #33: $200 NLH Grinder's Bounty | 101 | $16,160 | $0 | Joshua Ridolfo | Las Vegas, NV | $2,800 |
| 3/17/26 | Event #34: $400 NLH Bounty | 40 | $20,000 | $6,600 | Race Evans | National City, CA | $3,647 |
| 3/17/26 | Event #35: $200 NLH Grinder's Bounty | 99 | $15,840 | $0 | Scott Groome | Canada | $2,121 |
| 3/18/26 | Event #36: $400 NLH | 70 | $23,450 | $0 | Edward Altman | Richmond, VA | $5,910 |
| 3/18/26 | Event #37: $200 NLH Grinder's Bounty | 82 | $13,120 | $0 | Drake Yearout Kemper | Austin, TX | $2,512 |
| 3/19/26 | Event #38: $400 NLH Bounty | 52 | $20,000 | $2,580 | Shawn Tooley | Bountiful, UT | $4,125 |
| 3/19/26 | Event #39: $200 NLH Bounty | 53 | $10,000 | $1,520 | Nicolae Son | Redmond, WA | $2,274 |
| 3/24/26 | Event #40: $400 NLH Seniors | 431 | $142,230 | $0 | Travis Sargent | Austin, TX | $26,050 |
| 3/20/26 | Event #41: $200 NLH Bounty | 89 | $14,240 | $0 | Louis Lescurat | France | $2,000 |
| 3/21/26 | Event #42: $200 NLH Bounty | 76 | $12,160 | $0 | Nabil Hirezi | Jacksonville, FL | $1,850 |
| 3/23/26 | Event #43: $200 NLH Bounty | 76 | $12,160 | $0 | Sergei Saakian | Las Vegas, NV | $2,060 |
| 3/27/26 | Event #44: $400 NLH | 412 | $135,960 | $0 | Tyler Whitehead | Atlanta, GA | $25,060 |
| 3/24/26 | Event #45: $200 NLH Bounty | 67 | $10,720 | $0 | Steve Yagudaev | Golden Beach, FL | $1,664 |
| 3/25/26 | Event #46: $200 NLH Bounty | 69 | $11,040 | $0 | Sergei Saakian | Las Vegas, NV | $1,800 |
| 3/26/26 | Event #47: $200 NLH Bounty | 47 | $10,000 | $2,480 | Antonio Zerpa Hernandez | San Pedro, CA | $2,643 |
| 3/27/26 | Event #48: $200 NLH Bounty | 69 | $11,040 | $0 | Sergei Saakian | Las Vegas, NV | $1,809 |
| 3/31/26 | Event #49: $300 NLH | 783 | $187,920 | $0 | Ekrem Bozkurt | Las Vegas, NV | $22,196 |
| 3/31/26 | Event #50: $400 NLH Bounty | 95 | $31,825 | $0 | Shari Fechner | Rapid City, SD | $4,229 |
| 3/31/26 | Event #51: $200 NLH Bounty | 76 | $12,160 | $0 | Doggun Kim | Las Vegas, NV | $1,754 |
What’s Coming Up?
The next series is already underway at the Venetian. The Venetian DeepStack Extravaganza II kicked off on April 1 and will run through May 17 offering more than $2 million in guaranteed prize pools.
Highlights include:
- $600 NLH $150K guarantee April 1-4
- $800 NLH $200K guarantee April 8-12
- $1,100 NLH $200K guarantee April 16-19
- $800 NLH $200K guarantee May 6-10
*Images courtesy of Venetian Poker.
