Ivan Limeira Nears Second ACR Poker The Venom Title, Scores $779K in Heads-Up Deal

Brazilian poker player Ivan Limeira came within one spot of a second career title in ACR Poker’s flagship tournament, The Venom, on Wednesday. After negotiating a heads-up deal, Limeira finished as the symbolic runner-up and collected a career-best payout of $779,154.

The tournament drew 4,792 entries at $2,650 each, creating a prize pool well into the millions. Limeira, playing under the screen name “chickenpastry,” navigated the massive field to reach the final table for the second time in 2026. His previous deep run in February ended in sixth place for $148,753.

Key Facts

Final Table Performance

Limeira entered the final table with the fourth-largest stack among nine players. He played aggressive, deep-stack poker throughout the decisive stage, taking control during three-handed play after eliminating “JGuayaco” in fourth place. Limeira’s two pair held against a flush draw to send that opponent to the rail.

The three-handed battle lasted approximately two hours, with Limeira alternating between chip leader and second place. The decisive hand came when eventual champion “Deltoid88” moved all-in pre-flop with pocket aces and was called by “JasonSpichkin” holding queen-ten. The aces held, setting up a heads-up duel between Limeira and Deltoid88.

Heads-Up Deal and Payout

Rather than play out the heads-up match, the two remaining players agreed to a deal. The arrangement added approximately $90,000 to Limeira’s base runner-up prize. Per ACR Poker rules, the tournament was then concluded, with Deltoid88 officially credited as the champion and Limeira as the runner-up.

The $779,154 payout surpasses Limeira’s previous best score of $617,000, which he earned when he won The Venom in 2024. That earlier victory established him as one of the event’s most accomplished competitors.

Significance for Video Poker Players

For readers of PlayVideoPoker, Limeira’s result highlights the growing crossover between tournament poker and video poker audiences. Many video poker players also follow major online tournaments for strategy insights and bankroll management lessons. Limeira’s ability to negotiate a favorable heads-up deal demonstrates the kind of risk-assessment skills that translate directly to video poker decision-making.

The Venom remains one of the largest recurring tournaments in online poker. Its $2,650 buy-in attracts both professionals and serious amateurs, making it a benchmark event for players who track tournament trends alongside their video poker play.

Limeira’s Consistency

This was Limeira’s second Venom final table of 2026, following his sixth-place finish in February. That earlier run ended when his pocket queens ran into pocket kings in a critical hand. Despite that cooler, Limeira has now earned more than $925,000 from The Venom events alone this year.

His combined results from the 2024 win and the 2026 runner-up finish total nearly $1.4 million in The Venom alone, placing him among the most successful players in the tournament’s history.

Source: Mundo Poker – Ivan Limeira faz história novamente no The Venom do ACR Poker, garante big hit insano após acordo no HU e fica com vice simbólico (https://mundopoker.com.br/noticias/online/ivan-limeira-faz-historia-novamente-no-the-venom-do-acr-poker-garante-big-hit-insano-apos-acordo-no-hu-e-fica-com-vice-simbolico/)