Anthony Scarborough Wins Mid-States Poker Tour Venetian Poker Bowl

The Venetian Poker Room unveiled the state-of-the-art Venetian Poker Live studio on Monday, Feb. 10 on the Las Vegas Strip. The debut broadcast featured the final table of the 2025 Mid-States Poker Tour Venetian Poker Bowl $1,000,000 guaranteed $1,600 no-limit hold’em event. The tournament attracted 892 entries to surpass the guarantee by $271,100. In the end, South Dakota’s Anthony Scarborough came away with the trophy and the top prize of $152,243.

This was the first recorded live tournament title for Scarborough, and the second-largest payday of his poker career. It trails only his fourth-place finish in the 2023 World Series of Poker $777 ‘Lucky Sevens’ event for $168,777.

“It was a bucket list poker win,” Scarborough told MSPT reporters after coming out on top. “This is the only Midwest tour that comes where I’m from so it’s like I would rather win this I think then a bracelet to be honest.”

Scarborough was awarded 912 Card Player Player of the Year points for the win, which was sufficient to catapult him inside the top 30 in the 2025 POY race standing presented by Global Poker.

Venetian Poker Live is produced and distributed by PokerGO. The new studio room will be dedicated to filming vlogging sessions, big cash games, and tournament final tables, including the Card Player Poker Tour Venetian $1,000,0000 guaranteed $1,600 no-limit hold’em main event that runs from Feb. 12-16. The final table will be broadcast on Feb. 16.

The top 99 finishers cashed in this event, with payouts ranging from $3,457 all the way up to the $152,243 that Scarborough earned as the champion. Several big names fell just short of making the final day, including bracelet winner Francis Anderson (17th), MSPT champion Kyna England (10th), and 2023 World Poker Tour World Championship winner Daniel Sepiol (8th).

The final day began with Kfir Nahum out in front of the pack of seven remaining contenders. The first knockout of the day saw Stanley Weng run A7 into the AK of two-time bracelet winner Dan Heimiller. Weng was unable to connect with the board and was sent to the rail with $37,554 for his seventh-place showing.

Nahum had a rough go of it, losing several big hands in the first few hours of the day to find himself among the short stacks despite starting the day atop the chip counts. His final hand was more of the same, with his A-K losing an all-in confrontation against the Q-10 suited of Alex Kim. Nahum settled for $47,932 as the sixth-place finisher.

From chip leader to the rail! Former MSPT Poker Bowl Champion Kfir Nahum out in 6th! pic.twitter.com/AsxcwhGYWk

— Venetian Poker Room (@VenetianPoker) February 11, 2025

Michael Ung’s run came to an end when he shoved with K-3 from the small blind for about seven big blinds. Rick Green made the call with A-3 suited from the big blind and made aces up by the river to earn the knockout. Ung’s fifth-place showing came with $61,821 in prize money.

The final four hashed out a deal to redistribute the remaining prize money, locking up at least $105,000 for all remaining contenders while leaving $40,000 and the trophy to play for.

The largest guaranteed share was set aside for Heimiller. He ended up being the first to hit the rail after the agreement, though. Scarborough doubled through him to leave Heimiller quite short. He then ran A-9 into Scarborough’s A-K. Neither player connected with a paired six-high runout and Heimiller was eliminated in fourth place, earning the $136,124 he negotiated for.

Dan Heimiller Runs Smack Dab into Ace King! Eliminated in 4th Place. pic.twitter.com/TbsVEjYdPF

— Venetian Poker Room (@VenetianPoker) February 11, 2025

Rick Green was the next to fall. He shoved with Q8 from the small blind and Scarborough called with A7. Scarborough flopped aces up and improved to sevens full on the river to drag the pot. Green walked away with $123,936 per the deal.

Heads-up play began with Scarborough holding 18,550,000 to Kim’s 8,250,000. It didn’t take too long for him to convert that lead into the title. Kim slid a bit before finding a double-up. Kim’s stack dwindled again before the final hand arose. Scarborough open-shoved for just over 10 big blinds from the button with K6 and Kim called off with Q10. The board ran out K9874 and Kim was eliminated as the runner-up. He walked away with $105,000 for his efforts.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

*Indicates a four-way deal.

Photo credit: MSPT.

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