Nick Seward Beats Daniel Negreanu Heads-Up to Win Poker Masters Event #9 for $412,500
Updated on October 22, 2026.
Nick Seward won Event #9 of the 2026 Poker Masters on Thursday, Oct. 22, beating Daniel Negreanu heads-up for $412,500. The $26,000 No-Limit Hold’em tournament drew 50 entries at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas, and it gave Seward his first PokerGO Tour (PGT) title.
Quick summary
- Winner: Nick Seward, of Washington, D.C., for $412,500 and 248 PGT points.
- Runner-up: Daniel Negreanu, who started the final table as the chip leader, for $262,500.
- Field: 50 entries and a $1,250,000 prize pool, the largest of the series so far, according to PokerGO.
- Bubble: Adrian Mateos finished ninth, one spot from the money, his fifth bubble of the series.
- Purple Jacket race: Seward moved to third with one event left, behind Mateos and Nick Palma.
Nick Seward wins Poker Masters Event 9
Seven players came back on Thursday for the final day. Negreanu led with 2,205,000 chips, and Seward was second with 1,700,000, according to PokerNews. Eight places were paid, so David Coleman took the min-cash of $50,000 in eighth.
Seward did most of the damage early. He sent Jesse Lonis out in seventh when his jack-nine caught a jack on the turn against Lonis’ king-queen. His pocket jacks then held against Brandon Wilson’s all-in with ace-deuce of clubs, which left Wilson short. Negreanu’s pocket kings later finished Wilson in sixth.
Negreanu answered. His pocket jacks knocked out Sean Perry in fifth, and his king-ten made top pair to beat Matthew Wantman’s ace-queen in fourth. Seward’s ace-queen then beat Daniyal Gheba’s king-six in third, and Negreanu went into heads-up with 4,200,000 chips to Seward’s 3,305,000, according to PokerGO.
How the heads-up match ended
The heads-up match turned on two big hands. Seward flopped quad kings and got paid by Negreanu’s two pair. Soon after, Seward rivered a full house with ace-six, and Negreanu folded a flush to his river raise, according to PokerNews.
On the final hand, Seward opened with king-jack on the button, and Negreanu moved all-in for 2,050,000 from the big blind with king-ten. The board ran 9-3-3-5-7 with no ten, and Seward’s jack held.
It was Seward’s fourth cash of the series. His only World Series of Poker bracelet came in 2024, in the $3,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em, for $516,135, according to PokerNews.
Poker Masters Event 9 results
Place | Player | Prize | PGT points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Nick Seward | $412,500 | 248 |
2 | Daniel Negreanu | $262,500 | 158 |
3 | Daniyal Gheba | $175,000 | 105 |
4 | Matthew Wantman | $125,000 | 75 |
5 | Sean Perry | $100,000 | 60 |
6 | Brandon Wilson | $75,000 | 45 |
7 | Jesse Lonis | $50,000 | 30 |
8 | David Coleman | $50,000 | 30 |
Source: PokerGO.
The Purple Jacket comes down to the last event
The Poker Masters ends on Friday, Oct. 23, with Event #10, a $51,000 No-Limit Hold’em tournament. The player with the most series points wins the Purple Jacket and a $25,000 PGT Passport.
After Event #9, Mateos leads with 451 points, Palma has 407 and Seward 397, according to PokerGO. Gheba sits fifth with 348 points after five cashes, still without a win. Earlier this week, Keith Lehr won Event #8 and Jeremy Ausmus won Event #7, his 10th PGT title.
The PGT schedule keeps going after the series. The PGT Sprint brings seven one-day tournaments to the PokerGO Studio from Oct. 27 to Nov. 4, with buy-ins from $5,300 to $10,500.
What it means for players in the US
The Poker Masters is a live series in Las Vegas, so you can’t play it online. You can watch the final tables on PokerGO.
If you want big online tournaments, international rooms such as ACR Poker run large guaranteed series for US players. These rooms are not licensed by any US state, so state consumer protections don’t apply. Only a few states license online poker, and some, such as Washington, prohibit online gambling. Check the rules where you live in our guide to real money online poker in the USA.
ACR doesn’t accept players from Washington, Kentucky, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada or New Jersey. ACR accepts crypto deposits, such as Bitcoin and USDT, plus cards. If you open your account through the button in our ACR Poker review and message us on Telegram, we register it under our deal: 35% rakeback, paid monthly. To compare rooms, see our list of the best online poker sites. To see how much rakeback adds up to, try the rakeback calculator.
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Frequently asked questions
Who won Poker Masters Event 9 in 2026?
Nick Seward of Washington, D.C., won Event #9, a $26,000 No-Limit Hold'em tournament, on Thursday, Oct. 22. He beat Daniel Negreanu heads-up and took home $412,500.
How much did Daniel Negreanu win at the Poker Masters?
Negreanu finished second in Event #9 for $262,500. He started the final table as the chip leader and still had more chips than Seward when they went heads-up.
Who is leading the 2026 Poker Masters Purple Jacket race?
After Event #9, Adrian Mateos leads with 451 points, ahead of Nick Palma with 407 and Nick Seward with 397, according to PokerGO. One event is left, and the series leader wins the Purple Jacket and a $25,000 PGT Passport.
Can I play the Poker Masters online from the US?
No. The Poker Masters is a live series at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas, with buy-ins from $10,500 to $51,000. You can watch it on PokerGO. International online poker rooms accept players from many states, but no US state licenses them, so check your state's laws first.
Sources
- PokerGO Tour: Nick Seward wins Event #9 of 2026 Poker Masters
- PokerNews: Nicholas Seward wins first PokerGO title in Event #9 ($26,000 NLH)
- PokerNews: Negreanu bags final table chip lead in Event #9
- PokerNews: Nicholas Seward player profile
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Who writes this
The RakebackPokerWorld team: professional poker affiliates since 2017, more than 20,000 players helped. We test rooms, payments and rakeback before recommending them.
