The World Poker Tour continued at the popular Casino Venetian, where the Main Event attracted a large player pool. The tournament counted 488 entries, creating a prize pool of $2,244,800, with payouts to 61 players. The min-cash in this tournament was $9,200, turning the bubble into a high-tension affair watched by the entire room.
The money bubble burst when Brock Wilson called an all-in against Nick Schulman on a board of QhTd4h6cTs. Schulman revealed three tens (T c 9 c ), but Wilson flipped over A d Q d, leaving Schulman as the official bubble boy in 62nd place.
The Stars Who Fell Short of the Finale
Day 2 continued at a rapid pace, leaving only 23 players at day's end, led by chipleader Shannon Shorr. As the hours passed, Michael Babanihio's elimination in 10th place set the stage for an unofficial final table featuring talent and big names like Anthony Zinno, Shannon Shorr, and Nick Schulman.
Once the chipleader, Shannon Shorr finished on an 8th-place run earning $52,000. The semifinal day ended with the tournament's biggest cooler - Schulman with A s A h risked his tournament life against Brown's Q c Q s. The flop showed Q h, and Schulman exited in 7th place for $67,000, as Brown surged to a massive chiplead before the final day.
Final Day: Quick Eliminations and a Dramatic Heads-Up Turnaround
The finale kicked off with Gregory Brown initially dictating the pace, starting with 122bb, half of all chips in play. In the evening's third hand, Eddie Pak was knocked out in 6th place for $87,000, soon followed by Anthony Zinno. Though close to a historic 4th Main Tour title, Zinno's all-in with K c J h could not best Brown's A c 4 c as the board paired twice for Brown, eliminating Zinno in 5th place for $114,000.
A live stream was, of course, available, allowing viewers to enjoy the entire final chapter:
The largest female story of the tournament halted just below the podium. Lily Kiletto's pair of T h T c was no match for Brown, who completed a flush on the river with 4 c 2 c, securing her 4th place for $151,000. Drake Kemper housed the imagination with A c J h but failed to find a way past Brown’s A s K d, claiming $200,000 in 3rd place and leaving Brown with a 3:1 lead into heads-up against Seward.
But Seward, far from resigned, fought fiercely. He systematically closed the gap, found his spots, and turned the duel around. The climax came in hand #102: on a board of 7 h 6 c 3 d 3 h 8 d, Seward moved all-in, Brown called after a long think, but Seward revealed 7 d 3 c (full house), relegating Brown's 8 h 6 s to the muck.
Greg Brown is in HUGE TROUBLE on the river with his tournament life ON THE LINE at the $5,000 @WPT Venetian Las Vegas Spring Championship @VenetianPoker 😰 pic.twitter.com/ZOYFJJKFjW
— World Poker Tour (@WPT) February 25, 2026
A disappointed Greg Brown, after a breathtaking run, had to settle for second place with a $270,000 prize. The WPT champion title, the iconic Venetian Lion Trophy, and a check for $418,700 (including a $10,400 entry to the WPT World Championship) go to Nick Seward – congratulations!
Final Table Results:
| Place | Player Name | Country | Amount |
| 1 | Nicholas Seward | USA | $418,700 |
| 2 | Gregory Brown | USA | $270,000 |
| 3 | Drake Kemper | USA | $200,000 |
| 4 | Lily Kiletto | USA | $151,000 |
| 5 | Anthony Zinno | USA | $114,000 |
| 6 | Edward “Eddie” Pak | South Korea | $87,000 |
Sources – Flickr/WorldPokerTour, WorldPokerTour, X
