Argentina’s Nico Betbese outlasted a competitive field of 1,153 entries to claim the top prize in the 2025 World Poker Tour (WPT) Venetian Las Vegas Championship. For his impressive victory in the $5,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em main event, Betbese earned a career-best $706,960 and his first WPT Main Tour title.
In addition to the massive payday, Betbese secured a seat in the season-ending $10,400 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas and etched his name onto the prestigious Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup.
Career-Best Score and POY Push
This win marks Betbese’s largest live tournament cash to date, smashing his previous best of $121,145 earned in a third-place finish at the MGM Grand Summer Poker Festival in 2023. His live earnings now approach the $1.6 million mark.
With the win, Betbese earned 1,920 Card Player Player of the Year (POY) points. Including prior deep runs in large-field events this summer, he now holds 2,051 points and finds himself within the top 125 of the 2025 POY race, presented by Coin Poker.
Strong Field and Deep Runs
The tournament’s $4 million guarantee was easily eclipsed thanks to the massive turnout, with a final prize pool of over $5.3 million paid to the top 145 finishers. Several poker heavyweights ran deep, including:
- Kathy Liebert (39th)
- Chris Brewer (28th)
- Kristen Foxen (32nd)
- Alexandros Theologis (26th)
- James Romero (20th)
- Aditya Prasetyo (9th)
Final Table Recap
Six players returned for the final day of action, which was livestreamed from the Venetian Poker Studio. Elvyn Bello began with the chip lead, but it was Betbese—second in chips—who controlled much of the day.
Just 10 hands into the day, Jamie Flynn was the first to fall when his pocket jacks lost a flip to Betbese’s A-K. Flynn earned $169,000 for sixth place.
A similar coin flip played out shortly after when Bello’s pocket jacks were cracked by Iulian Blebea’s A-K. Blebea flopped an ace and rivered a nut flush, sending Bello to the rail in fifth ($220,000).
Blebea’s run ended in fourth place ($295,000) after his pocket tens were outmatched by Francis Cruz’s queens.
With three left, Betbese managed to double through both Cruz and Bosch, building momentum. Bosch was eliminated in third place ($395,000) after running into Cruz’s pocket kings.
Heads-Up Showdown and Deal
Cruz entered heads-up play with a chip advantage and the two finalists agreed to a payout deal, guaranteeing Betbese $706,960 and Cruz $623,540.
Betbese chipped away at the lead and eventually surged ahead after making a flush against Cruz’s two pair. On the penultimate hand, Betbese won a big pot with two pair, widening the gap to nearly 4:1.
The final hand saw Cruz open with K♦Q♠ and call off a shove from Betbese holding 9♠9♦. The board ran out A♠5♣3♦9♣8♣, giving Betbese a set to clinch the title. Cruz walked away with the runner-up payout, marking the Dominican Republic resident’s biggest live tournament score.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nico Betbese | $706,960 | 1920 |
| 2 | Francis Cruz | $623,540 | 1600 |
| 3 | Oliver Bosch | $395,000 | 1280 |
| 4 | Iulian-Remus Blebea | $295,000 | 960 |
| 5 | Elvyn Bello Santos | $220,000 | 800 |
| 6 | Jamie Flynn | $169,000 | 640 |
| 7 | Matthew Davenport | $130,000 | 480 |
| 8 | Yita Choong | $101,000 | 320 |
| 9 | Aditya Prasetyo | $79,000 | 160 |
