American pro Nicholas Seward defeated Daniel Negreanu in Event #9: $26,000 NLH at Poker Masters 2026. He earned $412,500 for first place and his first PokerGO Tour (PGT) victory, while Negreanu finished second for $262,500.
The final table of the series’ penultimate tournament concluded on October 22, 2026. The win kept Seward in contention for the Purple Jacket, the top prize in the Poker Masters overall standings, which will be decided in the final Event #10: $51,000 NLH.
Details
Daniel Negreanu started the final table as chip leader and held the top spot for much of Day 2. For the Canadian player and Poker Hall of Fame member, the tournament was an opportunity to claim his 13th PokerGO title. Instead, he finished second. The report also notes that Negreanu did not win his ninth PGT title.
Nicholas Seward was making his third final table of the series. Before the tournament, his Hendon Mob record, a database of poker tournament winnings, stood at $4.7 million. Although Seward had watched Negreanu play since childhood and considered him an idol, that did not affect his play at the table when they faced off.
“It was great,” Seward told PokerNews after his win. He said a $25,000 buy-in tournament is a major event, making the result especially valuable—particularly as it was his first win of the series. He also noted the support of those around him: the player said he is surrounded by good people who motivate him to work hard.
On Day 1, Negreanu drank two “mega-glasses” of red wine before ending the day as chip leader. He managed to control the action at the final table for a long time, but Seward took the lead heads-up. Their duel lasted two hours and began with the stacks nearly even.
The road to the final included several notable hands. Jesse Lonis, who started the day with the shortest stack, was among the first to bust: his king-queen lost to Seward’s jack-nine. Brandon Wilson committed most of his stack with ace-deuce and then went to showdown against the pocket jacks of the eventual champion. A few hands later, Wilson lost his last big blind in a pot involving Seward and Negreanu: the Canadian flopped a set of tens, sending the American player out in sixth place.
Sean Perry finished fifth after his combo draw failed to improve against Negreanu’s overpair. Before that, Perry had gotten into an argument with Nicholas Palma, who was away from the table. Commenting on his result, Negreanu said, “I still have 14 Ferraris.”
Matthew Wantman finished fourth for $125,000. Last month, he won his first Triton title and $836,721 in an emotional victory that ended a long stretch of bad results. Daniyal Gheba took third place and $175,000. He had previously finished second in Event #3 and made his fourth final table of the series here.
Gheba lost a significant portion of his stack in a hand against Negreanu before busting to Seward. Heads-up play began after that. The turning point came in a hand where Negreanu’s flush lost to Seward’s full house. A few hands later, the Canadian’s king-ten ran into Seward’s king-jack, leaving Negreanu in second place.
For Seward, the victory was another milestone following his World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet win two years ago. He was also one of the newer players on the PokerGO tournament circuit. The other players in the final seven were Jesse Lonis, Matthew Wantman, Sean Perry, Brandon Wilson, and Daniyal Gheba. The final payouts were: Nicholas Seward — $412,500, Daniel Negreanu — $262,500, Daniyal Gheba — $175,000, Matthew Wantman — $125,000, Sean Perry — $100,000, Brandon Wilson — $75,000, Jesse Lonis — $50,000.
The win kept Seward’s mathematical chances of claiming the Purple Jacket in the Poker Masters overall standings alive. The deciding event is the ongoing Event #10: $51,000 NLH, which will close out the series. Negreanu confirmed that he could no longer win the overall title and went to the golf course rather than play in the final.
Commentary from the Vse-o-Pokere Editorial Team
For clients working with poker tournaments and gambling projects, this result shows how important it is to communicate competition rules, prize pools, and tournament status clearly to audiences. A young player’s victory over one of the industry’s most recognizable figures both boosts interest in the series and raises expectations for the quality of broadcasts, reporting, and participant support. Businesses should also check in advance how tournament results and the PokerGO, PGT, WSOP, and Poker Masters brands are used in promotional materials and partnership agreements. We advise and support clients on poker, gambling, casinos, gaming, and regulatory matters, including document preparation and risk assessment for tournament projects.
