Nico Betbese crowned WPT Venetian Las Vegas Champion 2025

Argentinian professional Nico Betbese emerged victorious in the high-stakes WPT Venetian Las Vegas Championship, held at the iconic Venetian Resort from July 11 to 17, 2025.

Start of Final Day
 

The final six players reconvened for the concluding day on July 17. Top of the chip leaderboard was Dominican player Elvyn Bello, wielding approximately 17.3 million chips (~115 bb). Close behind was Nico Betbese (Argentina) with 13.675 million chips (~91 bb), followed by Francis Cruz (Dominican Republic) at 10.025 million (~67 bb). Completing the final table were Oliver Bösch (Switzerland), Iulian Blebea (Romania), and Jamie Flynn (Ireland).

For poker fans around the world, the event was televised live via a WPT stream that began at noon PDT, approximately 9 PM CEST, and is available for replay on YouTube:

Heads‑Up and Final Result
 

After Oliver Bösch was eliminated in 3rd place for $395,000, the heads‑up showdown featured Betbese (34.6M chips) against Cruz (23.1M). Although they agreed to an ICM deal to balance prizes, Betbese dominated. The final hand—hand #120—saw Betbese move all‑in with 9 s 9 d ​​​​​​​. Cruz called with  K d Q s but the board A s 5 c ​​​​​​​3 d ​​​​​​​9 c ​​​​​​​8 c ​​​​​​​sealed a decisive set of nines and the title for Betbese

Betbese’s triumph earned him $706,960, which included a $10,400 entry into the upcoming WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas, and a place on the prestigious Mike Sexton Champions Cup. As runner-up, Francis Cruz took home $623,540.

Final Table Standings:

Sources – WorldPokerTour, X, YouTube