Will Kassouf Draws a €50,000 Treasure Hunt Prize in Venice, Then Busts on Day 2
Updated on October 24, 2026.
Will Kassouf, the British pro, drew the only €50,000 ticket in the treasure hunt at La Notte Degli Assi in Venice on Sunday, Oct. 18. He earned his ticket with the fourth-biggest stack of the last Day 1 flight, then busted on Day 2, according to PokerNews.
Quick summary
- Event: La Notte Degli Assi Main Event at Casino di Venezia, Oct. 11 to 19, with a €1 million guarantee and 2,630 entries.
- Treasure hunt: €200,000 of the guarantee went into a draw for the top five stacks of each Day 1 flight.
- Kassouf’s ticket: fourth on the Last Chance leaderboard, with 2.9 million chips from a 200,000 starting stack.
- The draw: he pulled the only €50,000 prize, the top one of 50.
- The result: he missed the final day, but PokerNews says his total came to slightly less than third-place money (€56,600).
- The winner: Italy’s Lorenzo Sabato, listed at €114,500 after a heads-up deal.
How did Will Kassouf win €50,000 in Venice?
Will Kassouf won €50,000 by drawing the top ticket in the event’s “Caccia al Tesoro,” or treasure hunt, before Day 2 began. The draw took place on Sunday, Oct. 18, just before play started at 2 p.m. local time (1 p.m. BST), according to PokerNews.
Kassouf qualified in the final flight. He entered the Last Chance flight with 187 other players and finished it with 2,900,000 chips, from a 200,000 starting stack. That was fourth on the flight’s leaderboard, inside the top five that earned a ticket.
He didn’t reach the final day. Still, PokerNews says his total for the event came to slightly less than the €56,600 paid for third place. PokerNews describes him as a British pro known for his table talk and his deep runs at the World Series of Poker.
What is a treasure hunt in a poker tournament?
A treasure hunt is a bonus draw that pays players for building a big stack, not only for going deep. In Venice, the top five stacks at the end of each of the 10 Day 1 flights each won a ticket, and every ticket paid at least €900.
The organizers set aside €200,000 of the €1 million guarantee for 50 prizes. PokerNews published the full breakdown:
Treasure hunt prize | Number of prizes |
|---|---|
€50,000 | 1 |
€30,000 | 1 |
€20,000 | 1 |
€15,000 | 1 |
€10,000 | 2 |
€5,500 | 3 |
€2,000 | 4 |
€1,500 | 12 |
€900 | 25 |
The rules made the draw even more appealing. Players could enter each flight as often as they wanted, even after they had already qualified for Day 2, and keep their chips. A player could, in theory, collect up to 10 tickets, one per flight. Anyone who still had chips at the end of a Day 1 flight got at least €900, and only each player’s biggest stack moved on to Day 2.
The buy-ins were unusual too. The first four flights cost €400, with €300 rebuys. The last six cost €600, with €400 rebuys. Rebuys are rare in live poker today.
The format works a bit like a mystery bounty, where the prize is hidden until you draw it. The difference is that the ticket comes from your stack at the end of the day, not from knocking players out. As with any random draw, luck decides the amount, so it adds variance to your results. Our poker variance calculator shows how wide those swings can get.
Who won La Notte Degli Assi 2026?
Lorenzo Sabato of Italy won the Main Event on Monday, Oct. 19, after leading the final day from start to finish. PokerNews lists his prize at €114,500, after a heads-up deal with Emanuele Biscaro, who took €98,500. Enrico Esposito finished third for €56,600.
Seven of the eight final-table players were from Italy. Mariusz Czech of Poland finished seventh for €13,200.
What it means for players in the UK
You can’t play La Notte Degli Assi online. It is a live festival at a casino in Venice. If you want big guarantees without a flight to Italy, the online rooms run them every week, including progressive knockout tournaments, where part of every buy-in pays out as bounties.
Three of our partner rooms take sign-ups from the United Kingdom: ACR Poker (35% rakeback through us), CoinPoker (30%) and Guts (30%). Deposit methods vary by room, and each review lists them. If you sign up through the button in our ACR Poker review and message us on Telegram, we register your account under our deal, with rakeback paid monthly. You can compare the rooms in our list of the best online poker sites.
Sites that serve British players need a UK Gambling Commission license, and the rules target operators, not players. Read our guide to online poker in the United Kingdom before you choose a room, and check whether the room holds a UK Gambling Commission license. This article is for information only and is not legal advice.
Get the news on Telegram
Follow our channel for tournament results and poker room promotions, and ask us anything about rakeback.
Frequently asked questions
How much did Will Kassouf win in Venice?
Will Kassouf drew the €50,000 top prize in the La Notte Degli Assi treasure hunt on Oct. 18, 2026. PokerNews says his total for the event was slightly less than the €56,600 paid for third place, even though he busted on Day 2.
How did the La Notte Degli Assi treasure hunt work?
The top five stacks at the end of each of the 10 Day 1 flights won a ticket to a random draw for 50 prizes, from €900 to €50,000. The €200,000 in prizes was part of the Main Event's €1 million guarantee.
Who won La Notte Degli Assi 2026?
Italy's Lorenzo Sabato won the Main Event after a heads-up deal with Emanuele Biscaro. PokerNews lists his prize at €114,500 from a field of 2,630 entries.
Where can UK players play online poker tournaments with rakeback?
ACR Poker, CoinPoker and Guts take UK sign-ups through our links, with 30% to 35% rakeback paid monthly. Check the room's terms and our UK guide before you sign up.
Sources
- PokerNews: Will Kassouf wins third-place money despite busting during Day 2
- PokerNews: Lorenzo Sabato chipleads full final day on way to glory in Venice
- Wikimedia Commons: Ca’ Vendramin Calergi (Venice Casino) at night
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.
