The Venom is WPN Network's biggest tournament of the year, carrying a $12,000,000 guaranteed prize pool and attracting thousands of entries across the Winning Poker Network.
The Road to the Venom qualifying series is complete. Three VIP-Grinders players have won a $2,650 Venom seat for a total buy-in of just $5 across eight events.
LebronJames69, JimmyTulipT and dominicka take the seats, and it came down to a single point.
Final Standings
Series complete | All 8 events played
All three seats went the distance. LebronJames69 finished top on 331, JimmyTulipT second on 330, and dominicka third on 309.
One point separated first from second. JimmyTulipT finished 8th in the finale for 40 points, but best-6 scoring meant that only replaced the 20 he was already counting. A net gain of 20 where he needed 21.
Totals below are best 6 results only. Each player's two weakest scores across the eight events have been dropped.
| # | Player | Points (best 6) | Move |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LebronJames69 | 331 | ▲ 1 |
| 2 | JimmyTulipT | 330 | ▼ 1 |
| 3 | dominicka | 309 | – |
| 4 | 1kk | 294 | – |
| 5 | UA2025 | 266 | ▲ 5 |
| 6 | kiker2022 | 252 | ▼ 1 |
| 7 | Pokrboy01 | 226 | ▼ 1 |
| 8 | catarazie | 224 | – |
| 9 | Mahrama777 | 210 | ▼ 2 |
| 10 | Csabika987 | 203 | – |
| 11 | DukaLoncic77 | 202 | – |
| 12 | WegaPro | 200 | – |
LebronJames69, JimmyTulipT and dominicka each receive a $2,650 Venom buy-in, credited to their poker room account. Every player who scored points across the series is listed on the full leaderboard.
What Happens Next for the Winners
All three take their $2,650 tickets into ACR Poker's $12,000,000 GTD Venom. Day 1 flights run through to August 30, with the final table on September 2.
Each of them turned a maximum $5 of buy-ins into a seat worth $2,650.
This promotion ran for VIP-Grinders players on ACR Poker, Black Chip Poker, and Ya Poker. Tracked players are automatically entered into every exclusive promotion we run.
Series Schedule
All 8 qualifiers ran at 20:00 CET / 14:00 EDT between July 23rd and August 16th. Green cards were freerolls, orange were $1 buy-ins.
What Is the Venom?
The Venom has become one of the largest online poker tournaments available to players outside of regulated US state markets. It runs on the Winning Poker Network and is open to players on all three WPN skins: Black Chip Poker, Ya Poker, and ACR Poker.
The 2026 NLH Venom carries a $12,000,000 guarantee with a $2,650 buy-in. It runs alongside a $3,000,000 GTD PLO Venom at the same buy-in, which makes ACR Poker's 25th Anniversary Dual Mystery Bounty Venoms the largest Venom package ever run at $15,000,000 combined.
For most players, $2,650 is a serious investment. The Road to the Venom series cuts that cost down to almost nothing.
How the Qualifying Series Works
VIP-Grinders ran 8 qualifying tournaments between July 23rd and August 16th across ACR Poker, Black Chip Poker, and Ya Poker. The series included 3 freerolls and 5 × $1 buy-in events, all scheduled at 20:00 CET / 14:00 EDT.
Each tournament awarded leaderboard points based on finishing position. After all 8 events, the top 3 players each won a $2,650 Venom buy-in.
Here's the key: only your best 6 results count towards your final score. If you miss one or two events, you are not at a disadvantage compared to players who entered all eight.
| Series Dates | July 23 to August 16, 2026 |
| Events | 8 (3 freerolls + 5 × $1 buy-in) |
| Total Investment | $5 |
| Prize | 3 × $2,650 NLH Venom Buy-ins ($12M GTD) |
| Eligible Rooms | ACR Poker, Black Chip Poker, Ya Poker |
| Scoring | Top 6 results count per player |
How Points Are Awarded
Points run a long way down the field, so you do not need to win an event to build a total. A mid-pack finish still adds to your best-6 score.
| Finishing Position | Points |
|---|---|
| 1st | 100 |
| 2nd | 90 |
| 3rd | 80 |
| 4th | 70 |
| 5th | 60 |
| 6th | 50 |
| 7th | 45 |
| 8th | 40 |
| 9th | 35 |
| 10th | 30 |
| 11th | 25 |
| 12th | 20 |
| 13th to 15th | 18 |
| 16th to 18th | 16 |
| 19th to 20th | 14 |
| 21st to 25th | 12 |
| 26th to 30th | 10 |
| 31st to 35th | 8 |
| 36th to 40th | 6 |
| 41st to 50th | 4 |
| 51st and below | 2 |
When Do the Winners Play?
The series finished on Sunday, August 16, which was Day 1B of the Venom. The three winners can enter any remaining Day 1 flight once their tickets are issued.
Six flights run between Monday, August 17 and Sunday, August 30, so there is plenty of room to pick a starting day.
Why $5 for a $2,650 Seat Is Exceptional Value
A standard satellite path to a $2,650 tournament usually requires grinding through multiple stages, with each step carrying its own rake and variance. The effective cost of satelliting into a major is often $50 to $200 or more after failed attempts.
The Road to the Venom inverts that entirely. Across the series, three freerolls let you score leaderboard points at no cost and the five $1 events add just $5 in total exposure. That puts the value ratio at 530:1 if you win a seat.
The top-6-results rule also removes the “must play every event” pressure. You can skip a couple of tournaments and still compete for the top 3 as long as your best six finishes are strong.
How to Be Ready for the Next One
The Road to the Venom is over for 2026, but VG-tracked players get first access to every exclusive promotion we run on the Winning Poker Network.
Getting set up takes a couple of minutes:
- Clear your browser cookies (optional but recommended to ensure clean tracking).
- Create an account through VIP-Grinders on ACR Poker, Black Chip Poker, or Ya Poker.
- Submit your poker room username in your VIP-Grinders account to activate tracking.
- Play our exclusive promotions as soon as they go live.
Stack It With Your Monthly VG Perks
The Road to the Venom does not run in isolation. VIP-Grinders players on the Winning Poker Network already earn from two monthly promotions that continue alongside this series:
- $4,000 WPN VG Race: earn points from rake across all cash games and tournaments. Top 40 players are paid every month.
- 2 × $500 Exclusive Freerolls: free entry every month for VG-tracked players. No deposit required.
The Road to the Venom is done for 2026, but the monthly VG Race and exclusive freerolls keep running for every VG-tracked player on the Winning Poker Network.
For the complete schedule and all the details, head to the full Road to the Venom promotion page.
