Velvet RiverNick Seward denies Daniel Negreanu at the 2026 Poker Masters
Daniel Negreanu took the chip lead into the final table of the $26,000 event, but Nick Seward beat him heads-up for $412,500 and his first PokerGO Tour title.
Daniel Negreanu came into the final day of Event #9 at the 2026 Poker Masters with the most chips and a shot at his 13th PokerGO Tour title. He left in second place. Nick Seward beat him heads-up at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas on October 22 to win $412,500 and the first PokerGO Tour title of his career.
The $26,000 no-limit hold'em event drew 50 entries and built a $1,250,000 prize pool, the biggest of the series so far.
How the final table played out
Seven players came back for the final table, all of them already in the money after David Coleman finished eighth. Seward knocked out Jesse Lonis in seventh place when his jack-nine made trips against Lonis's king-queen. Negreanu then took over: he eliminated Brandon Wilson in sixth, Sean Perry in fifth and Matthew Wantman in fourth. Seward sent Daniyal Gheba out in third with ace-queen against king-six.
Negreanu started heads-up ahead, 4.2 million chips to 3.3 million. The lead changed hands several times. Seward picked off a bluff, flopped four kings against Negreanu's two pair, and later made a full house on the river when Negreanu made a flush.
On the final hand, Negreanu moved all in with king-ten after Seward raised. Seward called with king-jack. The board came nine, three, three, five, seven. Neither player paired a card, so the higher kicker decided the pot: Seward's jack beat Negreanu's ten.
Final table results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Seward | $412,500 |
| 2 | Daniel Negreanu | $262,500 |
| 3 | Daniyal Gheba | $175,000 |
| 4 | Matthew Wantman | $125,000 |
| 5 | Sean Perry | $100,000 |
| 6 | Brandon Wilson | $75,000 |
| 7 | Jesse Lonis | $50,000 |
| 8 | David Coleman | $50,000 |
The Purple Jacket race
The win moved Seward to third on the series leaderboard with 397 points, behind Adrian Mateos (451) and Nick Palma (407). The Poker Masters ends with Event #10, a $51,000 no-limit hold'em tournament, and the overall leader takes home the Purple Jacket and a $25,000 PGT Passport. Negreanu said he would not play the finale, since he can no longer win the leaderboard.
Next up at the PokerGO Studio is the PGT Sprint: seven one-day tournaments from October 27 to November 4.
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Source: PokerGO Tour