ACR Venom October 2026: $6.86M Prize Pools Beat the Guarantee, Final Tables Wednesday
Updated on October 20, 2026.
ACR Poker’s October Venom beat its guarantees. The two $2,650 progressive knockout (PKO) tournaments drew 2,745 entries and $6,862,500 in prize pools, $362,500 above the $6.5 million guaranteed. The No-Limit Hold’em Venom plays Day 3 today (Tuesday, Oct 20), and both final tables start Wednesday (Oct 21) at 4:05 p.m. ET.
Quick summary
- NLH Venom PKO: 2,143 entries and a $5,357,500 prize pool, against a $5 million guarantee.
- PLO Venom PKO: 602 entries and a $1,505,000 prize pool, just over its $1.5 million guarantee.
- Half of each prize pool is paid out as bounties, because both events are progressive knockouts.
- First place pays $332,932 in the NLH and $128,622 in the PLO, plus the bounties each winner collects.
- Both final tables start Wednesday (Oct 21) at 4:05 p.m. ET, or 1:05 p.m. PT.
Both Venoms beat the guarantee
The Venom is ACR Poker’s flagship tournament, and it runs several times a year. This edition ran from October 4 to 21, with a $2,650 buy-in and several Day 1 flights for each event. The last flights were on Sunday (Oct 18).
According to ACR, the No-Limit Hold’em event drew 2,143 entries, for a $5,357,500 prize pool, $357,500 above its $5 million guarantee. The Pot-Limit Omaha event drew 602 entries, for $1,505,000, just $5,000 over its $1.5 million guarantee. Together, the two events beat the $6.5 million guarantee by $362,500.
That is a solid result for ACR six weeks after the $15 million Mystery Bounty Venoms in September. In that edition, the NLH event fell $20,000 short of its $12 million guarantee, while the PLO event finished $95,000 above its own.
Moneymaker and Kornuth among the PLO leaders
The PLO Venom brought 72 players back for Day 2 on Monday (Oct 19), and two ACR pros were near the top of the counts. Chance Kornuth, playing as “LawyerDad68”, led with 9,172,216 chips. Chris Moneymaker, the 2003 WSOP Main Event champion whose win started the poker boom, was fourth with 7,062,845.
Kornuth knows this stage well. In September, he made the final table of both Venoms, finishing sixth in PLO and seventh in NLH, for $188,734 combined, according to ACR.
In the NLH Venom, 319 players returned for Day 2. “owens9397” led with 7,413,966 chips, ahead of “Infliponcio” (6,174,844) and “c4trups!!” (6,066,954). ACR pro Chris Moorman also made Day 2, with 25 big blinds.
These are the counts at the start of Day 2. ACR had not published the end-of-day counts when this article went live.
Prize pools, payouts and bounties
NLH Venom PKO | PLO Venom PKO | |
|---|---|---|
Buy-in | $2,650 | $2,650 |
Guarantee | $5,000,000 | $1,500,000 |
Entries | 2,143 | 602 |
Prize pool | $5,357,500 | $1,505,000 |
Regular prizes | $2,678,750 | $752,500 |
Bounties | $2,678,750 | $752,500 |
Places paid | 266 | 61 |
First place (before bounties) | $332,932 | $128,622 |
In a progressive knockout, part of every buy-in goes into a bounty on each player. Knocking someone out pays part of their bounty right away and adds the rest to your own, so the bounties grow as the tournament goes on. That is why each champion’s total will be higher than the first-place prize in the table.
What’s next at ACR
The Venom wraps up this week, but ACR already has the next big events lined up:
- Halloween Mystery PKOs: $650,000 in combined guarantees across three buy-ins: $109 for $500,000, $33 for $100,000 and $5.50 for $50,000. You can play several Day 1 flights, and Day 2 is on Nov. 1.
- WSOP Paradise packages: Sunday $1,050 Mega Satellites, through Nov. 22, award $30,000 packages for the $50 million guaranteed WSOP Paradise Super Main Event in the Bahamas (Dec. 10 to 17). Each package covers the $26,000 buy-in and the hotel; travel and meals are not included. ACR plans to award 100 packages in total.
Can you play the Venom from the US?
Yes, from most states. ACR Poker accepts US players, except those in Washington, Kentucky, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada and New Jersey. It is an international room, not licensed by any US state, so state consumer protections don’t apply. Before you sign up, check how the rules work where you live in our guide to real money online poker in the USA.
Most US players deposit with crypto, such as Bitcoin or USDT, because banks often block card payments to poker sites. See the poker rooms that accept Bitcoin.
If you open your account through the button in our ACR Poker review and message us on Telegram, we register it under our deal: 35% rakeback, paid monthly, plus ACR’s 100% first-deposit bonus up to $2,000. You can also compare ACR with the other rooms in our list of the best online poker sites.
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Frequently asked questions
When is the ACR Venom final table?
Both Venom final tables start on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 4:05 p.m. ET (1:05 p.m. PT). The No-Limit Hold'em event plays Day 3 on Tuesday (Oct 20) to reach its final table.
How much does the ACR Venom winner get?
First place pays $332,932 in the NLH Venom and $128,622 in the PLO Venom, before bounties. Both events are progressive knockouts, so each winner also keeps the bounties collected along the way.
Did the October 2026 Venom beat its guarantee?
Yes. The NLH event raised $5,357,500 against a $5 million guarantee, and the PLO event raised $1,505,000 against $1.5 million. Together, that is $6,862,500, or $362,500 above the $6.5 million guaranteed.
Can US players play the ACR Venom?
Yes, from most states. ACR Poker doesn't accept players from Washington, Kentucky, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada or New Jersey. It is an international room without a US state license, so check the rules where you live.
How can I qualify for the Venom for less than $2,650?
ACR runs satellites before each Venom. In October, the Venom Fever promotion guaranteed 587 seats, with step satellites starting at $0.80 and Mega Satellites starting at $33.
Sources
- ACR Poker (WebWire): Dual Venom PKOs top guarantees with $6.86 million in prize pools
- PR Newswire: Americas Cardroom’s Dual Venom PKOs each surpass guarantee
- Card Player: final Venom flights, Halloween PKOs and WSOP Paradise packages
- ACR Poker: pros and Stormers gear up for the $6.5M Dual Venoms’ final flights
- ACR Poker (WebWire): $15 million Dual Venoms end with two champions and 6,030 entries
Play responsibly. 18+ only, and check the legal age where you live.
Who writes this
The RakebackPokerWorld team: professional poker affiliates since 2017, more than 20,000 players helped. We test rooms, payments and rakeback before recommending them.
